Tourism advocate Brian Mpono says Durban has the potential to combine hospitality, lifestyle, entertainment, retail and residential offerings to drive tourism, investment and job creation.
Image: Leon Lestrade / ANA Studio
Durban was increasingly emerging as one of Africa’s most compelling coastal destinations as South Africa competed for tourism spending, investment and global attention.
Tourism and destination development advocate Brian Mpono said the future of tourism lay in creating integrated destinations that combined hospitality, lifestyle, entertainment, retail and residential experiences.
“Durban has all the ingredients required to become one of the world’s most desirable coastal destinations, climate, culture, accessibility, people and natural beauty,” Mpono said.
He said the opportunity lay in how the city packaged and positioned these assets for visitors and investors.
Private-sector investment over the past decade had contributed to the reshaping of Durban’s tourism landscape. Developments such as Oceans Umhlanga had demonstrated how hospitality, retail, residential living and lifestyle experiences could be integrated to attract local and international visitors.
Mpono said tourism should increasingly be viewed as economic infrastructure rather than simply a leisure sector.
“Tourism is not simply about hotels and holidays. It is about jobs, investment, small business participation, aviation, property development, events, hospitality and economic inclusion,” he said.
He said successful tourism destinations created opportunities beyond their immediate footprint.
Mpono, who had worked in hospitality, tourism and mixed-use development, had advocated for tourism-led economic growth in South Africa and across the African continent.
His work had focused on destination competitiveness, investment attraction and the role of public-private partnerships in creating sustainable tourism ecosystems.
Looking ahead, Mpono said Durban was entering a defining period in its tourism development.
He said the city had an opportunity to position itself not only as South Africa’s playground, but also as one of Africa’s leading lifestyle, tourism and investment destinations.
Achieving this, he said, would require continued collaboration between government, investors, tourism authorities and the private sector.
For Mpono, cities that recognised tourism as an economic growth strategy rather than simply a sector would be best positioned for the future.
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