Johannesburg, Jan 3 (IANS): South African tourism is showing signs of recovery with the coastal city of Durban having 80 per cent occupancy at establishments and over 200,000 visitors during the festive season.
"We desperately needed this development because we were bruised by the pandemic and multitudes of our people lost jobs. I am happy that following these figures, it means we are doing things right," Xinhua news agency quoted Durban Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda as saying
Kaunda said during this festive season restaurants and eateries in the townships and other destinations were full of tourists.
Over the Christmas weekend period alone, about 200,000 people visited the city, spending close to R150 million ($10 million).
Their contribution to the city's gross domestic product was about R350 million.
On December 30, 2021, the South African government removed the curfew.