Local tourism businesses at the Africa Trade Indaba in Durban have been lamenting the impact of Eskom’s rolling blackouts.
Thulsie Pather is from the Golf Course Boutique Guesthouse in Mount Edgecombe, north of Durban. She has cited the cost of diesel for their generators to keep the lights on, as being among their main challenges.
“We are picking up in business. However, with the current load shedding problem, we have difficulties because we do have a generator. But having to put on a generator all the time is very costly. After COVID-19 we cannot increase our prices.”
“People are not prepared to pay more prices for a guest house because we are a small business. We are new [and] I am hoping for more exposure in travel indaba. I am hoping to network with other people,” adds Pather.
Exhibitors like the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Board and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife have put their best foot forward.
They hope the new audio-visual technology, giving people a virtual experience of the picturesque Drakensberg Mountains, will attract more eyeballs.
Delegates at the Africa Travel Indaba in Durban say they are hopeful the meeting will spark new ideas to further grow their businesses.
