Durban - The gruelling Dusi canoe marathon, which reached its climax yesterday and marked the first major event to be held in KwaZulu-Natal this year, will generate about R120 million for the province.
The news comes as preliminary figures on the revenue generated by events last year in the Durban unicity alone put the amount at R164 million, a figure that excludes the Comrades marathon, the Durban July horse race and events in December, which are yet to be calculated.
Robbie Naidoo, the Tourism KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson, said the Dusi and other events planned for the year made a significant impact on the local economy.
Naidoo said: "As far as can be estimated, based on hotel occupancy, food, fuel, entertainment, refreshments, curios and the like, we believe that the Dusi's economic impact is in the region of R15 million to R20 million in direct spend. The marketing value, based on the media audit, is in the region of R100 million."
