The 2022 ISUZU Ironman 70.3 South Africa is a major sporting event recently held in Durban that provided a much needed boost to eThekwini’s tourism sector.

LOCAL tourism is certainly on the road to recovery as recent sporting events saw full occupancy at the City’s hotels as well as bed and breakfast establishments. This resulted in an economic boost of over R5 million contributions to the City’s
Gross Domestic Product. The total direct spend was around R2.2 million with over 2 000 jobs created. 

One of the major events which had an attendance of approximately 100 000 spectators was the 2022 ISUZU Ironman 70.3 South Africa on 2 October. Over 2 000 athletes participated. The second event was the COSAFA Beach Soccer Championships held from 25 September to 1 October at the Durban Beachfront.

The tournament featured teams from eight African countries who were occupying Durban hotels for the full week of their stay. Samantha Croft, KwaZulu-Natal Director of Operations for Tsogo Sun Hotels said it always feels good when things are looking up for the sector. “We had over 90 percent occupancy over the weekend due to these two big events.” EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda said this is a very encouraging sign, particularly as the industry has had to overcome the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sporting and other major events have proven to contribute positively in boosting local tourism. For example, the Springbok and Argentina rugby game held on 24 September at Kings Park Stadium pulled in big numbers with people coming from Gauteng, 

Western Cape, England and South America. The weeklong Durban Business Fair and Fashion Fair held from 20 to 25 September at the Durban Exhibition Centre attracted 21 000 people from various provinces.” Mayor Kaunda said: “In
the past financial year (2021/2022), the tourism and hospitality sector contributed more than R3.3 billion into the economy of the City. This economic activity has enabled us to create and sustain 6 724 jobs, compared to 4 918 in the previous year.” He said the Municipality will continue supporting the sector ahead of the festive season.