Inside Metros Reporter
The eThekwini Municipality said on Monday that the 2025/26 cruise season is expected to contribute nearly R1.88 billion to Durban’s economy through direct, indirect, and induced impacts.
This would be driven by spending from an estimated 255,000 visitors arriving between November 2025 and June 2026.
Cruise visitors will contribute directly around R762 million to the local economy, but the multiplier effect is expected to increase the amount to about R1.12 billion.
“Overall, the combined direct, indirect, and induced contributions to Durban’s GDP are estimated at nearly R1.88 billion,” said the city.
The projections are largely based on passenger and crew spending while ashore, which is expected to sustain roughly 3 401 jobs and yield more than R140.5 million in tax revenue for the metro.
The season will start in late November and end in June 2026. It will open with the arrival of flagship vessels MSC Opera and Rennies Europa and include visits by Queen Mary 2, Silver Dawn, Azamara Onward, and Seven Seas Navigator.
Cruise tourism has become a growing contributor to the economies of South Africa and KZN.
According to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), over 700 000 cruise passengers visited the country’s ports during the 2019/2020 cruise season.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, passenger volume trajectory increased in the four-year period (2016–2019), but decreased in 2020, owing to the pandemic.
A provincial study found that the KZN sector had “significant potential to stimulate local value chains” but required “more consistent data collection to quantify economic effects”.
Earlier this year, the Western Cape Cruise Liner Industry Report found that the 2024/2025 cruise season in that province, contributed R1.79 billion to the Western Cape’s GDP.
EThekwini municipality said the season would include “mini pop-up fashion shows, authentic cuisine, craft displays, and storytelling” designed to expose visitors to local culture.
INSIDE METROS