Economic impact of the Comrades Marathon on Tourism South Africa

TOURISM and hospitality industry and economists believe that the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon on Sunday will provide an economic boost to the KZN and South African economies.

- YOGASHEN PILLAY

Brett Tungay, East coast chairperson for the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (Fedhasa), said that the Comrades marathon has a huge impact on the KZN hospitality and tourism and the KZN economy.

“In Pietermaritzburg, most of the occupancies have been reported as fully booked, which is great news. We all expect a great turnout for Durban with both local and international arrivals. Comrades is not just a KZN event; it really impacts people from across South Africa.”

Tungay added this is great news for sports and events tourism.

“This is something that we have been pushing for as events and sports tourism gives a huge boost for the tourism and hospitality sector. We recently had a major event with the Nedbank Cup final in May between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates. It was a huge event for KZN; restaurants, retailers, and accommodation were fully booked. So the Comrades Marathon is also going to be huge, and we are expecting to be very busy. We do need international arrivals as numbers have been down since the Covid 19 pandemic and events like this boost international arrivals.”

Rosemary Anderson, National Chairperson Fedhasa, said that the Comrades Marathon is one of South Africa’s most iconic sporting events and plays a vital role in driving tourism.