Staff Reporter
Durban has launched Tourism Month 2026 as the city prepares to host the 46th Ordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government and seeks to build on its position as a tourism, business-events and investment destination.
Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille officially launched Tourism Month this week.
The month will run under the theme “Growing South Africa’s Tourism Sector in the Digital Era”, beginning on 1 September and culminating in World Tourism Day on 27 September.
The launch comes ahead of the SADC summit, which Durban will host from 16 to 17 August, when South Africa will assume the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community for the 2026/27 term.
Durban, one of South Africa’s leading coastal destinations and a major host of conferences, events and business gatherings, is seeking to use the programme of regional and business engagements taking place in the city to attract visitors, delegates and investment and showcase its tourism offering to domestic and international markets.
The city has also been confirmed as the host of Africa’s Travel Indaba from 2026 to 2030 following a national process that recognised its infrastructure, track record and strategic position in South Africa’s tourism economy.
As part of the SADC delegates’ Destination Durban experience, delegates attending the Council of Ministers Meeting visited the KwaMuhle Museum to explore the city’s heritage before travelling to uMlazi, where they were welcomed at Max’s Lifestyle Village for a township experience.
The municipality said the programme was intended to showcase the range of Durban’s tourism offering, including its history and cultural heritage, township economy, food, entertainment, beaches and hospitality.
Recent events and engagements have included the Industrialisation Workshop, preparations for the 46th SADC Summit and site visits by the Presidential eThekwini Working Group together with the municipality’s Executive Committee.
The municipality said these events had further strengthened Durban’s profile as a destination for business, tourism and investment.
According to Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey for the second quarter of 2026, eThekwini recorded the lowest official unemployment rate among South Africa’s eight metropolitan municipalities, at 21.2%.
The survey estimated that about 1.29 million people were employed in the city during the second quarter, 90,000 more than during the same quarter in 2025. This was the largest year-on-year increase recorded in any metro and was reported by Statistics South Africa as statistically significant.
Tourism, business events and the wider visitor economy are among the sectors supporting employment and local enterprise in the city, with the current events pipeline intended to sustain that activity.
De Lille’s message that “tourism begins at home” also forms part of the city’s approach to expanding the domestic tourism market.
South Africans are being encouraged to take a Sho’t Left and explore the country, with Durban promoting its range of attractions and experiences to visitors from South Africa and the wider region.
The municipality said Durban was also positioned to benefit from the growing role of digital platforms in tourism, with technology changing how travellers discover destinations, plan journeys and make travel decisions.
For Durban tourism businesses, particularly small, medium and micro enterprises and emerging enterprises, digital platforms provide opportunities to reach new audiences and market experiences beyond the city’s traditional tourism attractions.
“Durban is experiencing an exciting tourism and business buzz, and the launch of Tourism Month has provided another important platform to showcase the city’s readiness to welcome visitors, delegates, investors and event organisers,” said Councillor Thembo Ntuli, Chairperson of eThekwini Municipality’s Economic Development and Planning Committee.
“From major regional meetings and international business events to township experiences, heritage attractions and our world-renowned hospitality, Durban continues to demonstrate that it is much more than a leisure destination. It is a city where business, culture, tourism and investment intersect.”
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