This city may be South Africa’s leading MICE destination, but Chris Pritchard discovers it offers much, much more.
With two free hours before my next meeting, I stroll a few blocks from my contact’s office down to the beach. Durban is an oddity among coastal cities – its business district ends at its prime seaside strip, which in Durban’s case is called the Golden Mile. This stretch, particularly the section along the hotel-studded Marine Parade, is buzzing with seaside pavement stalls selling wooden carvings, beadwork, bangles and other African curios.
Durban has a population of around 3.5 million people and ranks second in economic importance to Johannesburg (of which the national capital, Pretoria, is but a bureaucrat-driven satellite). Of South Africa’s three main cities, Johannesburg leads in commercial clout, Cape Town is top in tourism and Durban is the country’s leading convention, conference and exhibition centre. Tina Cattaneo, general manager of the Golden Mile’s Protea Hotel Edward, explains why: “Extremely low rates certainly help make Durban an attractive conference destination.”
South Africa remains one of the world’s most inexpensive destinations, with Durban costing less than Johannesburg or Cape Town. Although both these cities have recently built convention facilities, they haven’t been able to dislodge Durban from a longer-established role cemented by its mildly tropical climate and fun-in-the-sun image.
Few visitors, local officials remind me, expect to devote every waking moment to business and there is much opportunity to do otherwise. Cattaneo says: “We have plenty of cultural diversions, game parks and golf courses close at hand – not forgetting the sun and surf.”
Other Durban diversions include a casino and a clutch of ritzy shopping malls, of which Gateway Theatre of Shopping at Umhlanga (a 20-minute cab ride from the Golden Mile) is among the best. And it’s cheap – you won’t be impressed with the over-priced electronics, but clothing and footwear are tremendous bargains.
Mind you, Durban isn’t all about having a good time. The city is one of South Africa’s main ports, backing onto an important industrial zone. Sugar is among its key products and service industries catering to the mining sector are flourishing. Other business activities include diverse manufacturing plants turning out textiles, confectionery, foodstuffs, chemicals and fertilisers.
Durban is also the main hub of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, a self-styled city and one of the rainbow nation’s bigger melting pots. It is a very “Zulu” city and is often known as “the Zulu Kingdom” for the benefit of tourist adverts. Blacks, overwhelmingly Zulus, comprise nearly 70 per cent of the population, but it is also one of Africa’s most Asian cities – Indians, important in commerce and the professions, account for 20 per cent – while whites (along with a sprinkling of Cape Coloureds) make up the balance.
A drift towards the use of the local language has also seen Durban become part of the new super-municipality dubbed eThekwini, meaning “in the bay” in Zulu. This is an administrative area encompassing Durban and nearby towns.
Interaction is largely easy-going, a reality that becomes apparent when I wander through the city’s commercial district. I enter a mini-market but it is 6pm and the store is about to close. With a metallic bang a shutter rolls down, and then up again. “Come in, but be quick,” smiles a burly Zulu assistant. “We’re closed.”
Conscious of keeping staff waiting, although they cheerily tell me to take my time, I hurriedly opt for an unfamiliar brand of moisturiser. Next morning I wake up and don’t recognise the man in the mirror. I have turned brown. I grab the bottle and read that it promises, along with moisturising, that I’ll “go home with a great holiday tan”. I suppose for conference delegates who spend much of their time indoors, it might be a good cheat…
According to Cattaneo, most conferences have a typical length of three to four days and, while around 30 per cent of delegates use the opportunity for sightseeing add-ons, she says not all do so. “Some have to rush home because of commitments.”
The hotel, important at the upper-end of the conference market, encourages delegates to see more of KwaZulu-Natal and of South Africa as a whole. Cattaneo adds: “The main foreign groups [attending conventions in Durban] are British, followed by Germans.” Other sources say the American market, although still relatively small, is growing – as is interest in South African conferences from other parts of Africa.
The city is able to accommodate delegates in hotel rooms from three-star to deluxe, and major hotels are well-appointed with business amenities including in-room safes and internet access (although not so many with wifi). Business centres, swimming pools and gyms can also be expected, and a few hotels have health spas as well.
The Hilton Durban Hotel is part of the convention-centre complex, with its own facilities catering for meetings (throughout ten rooms) for up to 400 people. While most hotels are well equipped for small meetings, the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (as it was recently renamed) overshadows other venues with its sheer scale. Located at the edge of the downtown area, the ICC, with three interlinking halls, can double its capacity to 10,000 delegates if the two halls in the adjoining Durban Exhibition Centre (managed by the same company) are included.
Many conventions use Ushaka Marine World for cocktail parties and evening entertainment. Handily located just off the Golden Mile, it is anchored by an oceanarium (with sharks prominently in residence) and describes itself as Africa’s “biggest ocean-oriented” theme park. The complex also includes a link in the Moyo restaurant chain (other outposts are in Jo’burg and Stellenbosch).
Although Durban has many eateries inside and outside hotels (and the local spin on Indian cooking is outstanding) Moyo Ushaka Pier remains one of the city’s more popular venues for entertaining clients. It’s a quirkily designed eatery with a long pan-African menu and dishes from all over the continent. Live African music is featured at night, and on chilly evenings blankets are provided for al fresco diners.
For smaller conferences, delegates are lured to rural settings for game drives. Thula Thula, for example, is one of KwaZulu-Natal’s top game lodges, and caters for conferences of up to 32 people. Two hours north of Durban, it offers a choice between air-conditioned chalets furnished to five-star standards with African-themed décor, and an upmarket camp where each tent has an en suite bathroom.
Go on one of Thula Thula’s game drives, and you can spot wildlife including giraffe, zebras, hyenas and crocodiles. Other KwaZulu-Natal game parks offer the chance to see lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo – the so-called “big five”.
Its location, climate and natural attractions have made Durban an appealing city for business and leisure, internationally as well as domestically. It’s well served by flights from the country’s main international gateways – Johannesburg and Cape Town – and flights operated by South African Airways, BA (a domestic franchise operated by Comair), and low-cost carriers Kulula, Mango and 1Time contribute to an impressive total. There are around 35 daily Johannesburg-Durban flights and around 14 Cape Town-Durban flights daily, depending on the season.
A word about safety…
Durban is fine for day-time walking but after dark take taxis from hotels, because “hoods” take over the “hood” and nocturnal on-foot exploration is a no-no. I regularly walk the mean streets of South Africa’s cities, but even by day, local advice makes sense: dress down (save inexpensive designer purchases from Durban’s glitzy malls for when you get home), don’t flourish maps or guidebooks, and leave jewellery and other expensive items in the hotel safe.
The Zulu legacy
Although the Zulus are South Africa’s largest tribe, leadership of the ruling party – the African National Congress – has long been skewed in favour of the Xhosas and other tribes. Indeed, Nelson Mandela, “father of the nation” and first president of post-apartheid democratic South Africa, is a Xhosa – as is current president Thabo Mbeki.
But the president of the ANC is now a Zulu, Jacob Zuma, a colourful populist whose sex life and allegedly corrupt business dealings haven’t dented his popularity. He is widely tipped to be next president of South Africa. A veteran anti-apartheid fighter, Zuma – fond of wearing traditional Zulu animal-skin garb at rallies – is known to break publicly into a freedom song called Lethu Mshini Wami (“Bring Me My Machine Gun”), which has become his theme tune.
Another Zulu, the late Chief Albert Luthuli, also a prominent ANC resistance leader, was recently honoured by a name change, which saw the biggest local conference venue renamed the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. The facility – generally referred to as the ICC – has garnered awards as Africa’s best.
Breakaway – Shakaland
A plethora of breakaway options exist for visitors. Some involve short voyages to see dolphins frolicking off the coast, while others visit sites of Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer battles. One of the most popular diversions is a stay at one of KwaZulu-Natal’s many luxury game lodges, with daytime and nocturnal drives to spot some of the area’s many wild beasts.
Alternatively, you can dip into Zululand customs at Shakaland (shakaland.co.za), 160 kilometres from Durban. Central to the complex is the Protea Hotel Shakaland (proteahotels.com), which gives the illusion of being in a Zulu village without surrendering modern comforts – all of the 55 authentic-looking beehive-shaped huts have upscale en suite bathrooms inside. The hotel’s Kwabonamanzi restaurant (alongside the uKamba bar) serves traditional Zulu food as well as Western fare.
The countryside in these parts was the heartland of Shaka, famed and feared king of the Zulus. Indeed, Shakaland was created on a former film set after celluloid chroniclers of this aspect of South African history had departed.
Shakaland diversions include tribal dancing by spear-wielding warriors clad in animal skin and brandishing shields made of hide, demonstrations of craft-making and hands-on lessons in Zulu spear-making.
Top five business hotels
Hilton Durban
Within
the international convention and exhibition complex, this 16-floor,
341-room hotel is extremely business-oriented, with a multiplicity of
food and beverage outlets, and a handy location on the edge of the
business district. Discreet business huddles are a feature of the lobby
lounge. Rooms start from £76. Visit hilton.co.uk for more details.
Protea Hotel Edward
A
Golden Mile gem on beach-facing Marine Parade, this grand
colonial-style 101-room property has a good bar and pool. It is now
part of South Africa’s biggest chain, Protea Hotels. Rooms start from
£86. Visit proteahotels.com.
The Royal
A
251-room, city-centre property with a strong business following, The
Royal has comprehensive meeting facilities and is only 15km from the
airport. Prices from £127. Visit theroyal.co.za.
Southern Sun Elangeni
A
modern high-rise, the Elangeni is undergoing refurbishment, which is
scheduled to finish in October. It has 449 rooms, two swimming pools
and a loyal business clientele. Its own meeting facilities are popular
for smaller conferences. Rooms start from £57. Visit southernsun.com.
Southern Sun North Beach
Neighbour
of the same chain’s Southern Sun Elangeni, this well-maintained
property has 285 rooms and features a 32nd-floor outdoor pool. It is
slightly more holiday-oriented than the Southern Sun Elangeni but
nevertheless attracts plenty of business regulars. Rooms start from
£46. Visit southernsun.com.
CONTACTS
Ushaka Marine World ushakamarineworld.co.za
Moyo Ushaka Pier moyo.co.za
Thula Thula thulathula.com
