Durban - Hollywoodbets Durban July brought an economic boost for eThekwini with a projection of R130 million to the municipality’s GDP.
eThekwini Municipality announced on Wednesday that “business was really booming in Durban” due to the 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July, which was packed to capacity, contributing to the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sector.
The annual event was held on July 1 at the Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse in Durban.
In a statement on Wednesday, the City said that more than 30 000 spectators were reported to be at the racecourse.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said projections indicate that 1 500 jobs were created through the event.
He said the Durban July was expected to contribute about R130m to the municipality’s GDP.
Kaunda said the direct spend from the event was expected to reach R65m, while the hotel occupancy was expected to be 75%. However, he said the industry reported reaching over 85% occupancy rates.
“The major boost to the local economy is welcomed. Businesses across various sectors, including the informal economy, experienced a boost as there was a direct spend from this sector. Businesses that gained this weekend were fashion and textile, transportation, hair and beauty, and those selling fast food takeaways. Business was really booming in Durban this weekend,” he said.
According to the mayor, the City’s forecast indicated that more tourists will be returning to visit eThekwini.
“This is because we utilise major events like the Durban July to further position the City as a destination of choice. As travel is now easy between Zambia and eSwatini to eThekwini due to direct flights, we hosted trade and media by taking them to our key attractions and hidden gems. All of this was documented and will be shown in their broadcast mediums, which will attract more visitors.”
The City said fashion was also the order of the day with both emerging and established designers showcasing their creations in keeping with the event’s theme, ‘Out of this World’.
“The Mercury” reported on Monday that the last three races of the event had to be abandoned due to a power outage.
In the report, Gold Circle said that despite the incident, the event had been a success, with 45 000 people in attendance.
Independent economic analyst Professor Bonke Dumisa, who also attended the event, said in the report that the power outages were a let-down.
“That was really painful. It was not load shedding but it was power outages. The outages are something that the government should really attend to. There was an instance when the power went out while an artist was on stage performing, and that really angered people,” he said in the report.
Dumisa said the outages had undermined the stature of the event, but had not dampened the mood of the attendees. “The event was a success and brought hundreds of millions for the City and attracted not just South Africans, but many people even from neighbouring countries.”