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- Business
- IOL News
Economic impact of the Comrades Marathon on 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. Image: Comrades Marathon/Facebook 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. 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. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Each year, it attracts thousands of runners, supporters, and families from around the country and the world. This influx of visitors boosts demand for hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, tour services, and transport – creating a ripple effect across the local and regional economy. It's not just about race day – it's about the extended stays, pre- and post-race travel, post-race dining and celebrations, and the vibrant atmosphere that energises the entire hospitality sector. Anderson added that the Comrades Marathon is a brilliant catalyst for the tourism and hospitality industry. 'It fills accommodations, packs out restaurants, and showcases South Africa's warm hospitality to both locals and international guests. Beyond the economic boost, it gives destinations like Durban and Pietermaritzburg a valuable platform to market themselves globally. Visitors often extend their stay to explore other attractions in KwaZulu-Natal and beyond, amplifying the tourism spend. Importantly, it also creates temporary and permanent job opportunities across tourism-related services – from event logistics to food vendors, tour guides, and more.' Anderson said that large-scale events like the Comrades Marathon, the Cape Epic, or international rugby and cricket sporting events are powerful tourism drivers. 'They not only bring in international visitors but also elevate South Africa's global profile as a dynamic, welcoming, and world-class destination. The more successful events we host, the more we can stimulate local economies, create jobs, and diversify our tourism offerings. They give people a reason to travel here – and often, once they experience the country, they return for leisure holidays, business, or further sporting events. Major events are a smart, sustainable way to grow tourism and showcase South Africa's unique spirit.' Umhlanga Tourism chairperson Jeannie Sarno said that the office is looking forward to welcoming the annual Comrades Marathon and the influx of visitors it brings to the area. "It's not just runners that attend the Comrades; they travel with friends, supporters, coaches, and even family. The majority of our establishments are fully booked, and this is a great relief to the tourism-related businesses who have had low bookings for March and April this year." Sarno added she encourages the community to continue to be welcoming to our visitors and helpful to assist when it comes to recommendations of restaurants and tourism attractions for the days leading to the run and the days after. 'Many families allow the runners to 'do their thing' on the pre- and post-race, and the families enjoy the sites and attractions in and around Umhlanga.' Waldo Krugell, an economics professor at the North-West University (NWU) and a previous Comrades Marathon runner, said that he always gets excited during Comrades weekend. 'There is a clear positive economic impact. Previous research indicates that it contributes significantly to the provincial economy. It is not only the athletes, but the supporters that travel along and frequently stay longer as well. Comrades has a larger impact on the local economy than many similar sport events, and this is attributed to the specialised nature of the event.' BUSINESS REPORT Visit:
IOL News
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Economic depression impacts local tourism
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has reported a significant reduction in road fatalities over the recent Easter weekend. Image: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers DESPITE a notable decline in vehicle accidents and fatalities during the Easter period, experts suggest that economic factors may have led to reduced domestic travel in South Africa. The Automobile Association (AA) this week announced road crashes decreased by 32.5% while fatalities declined by 45.6% compared to the same period last year – marking the lowest Easter-weekend figures recorded in the past three years. However, authorities in the hospitality and economic sectors believe that far less motorists were on the roads due to belt tightening measures and the uncertainty over the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT). The AA attributed the drop in the number of fatalities to high-visibility law enforcement, impactful public education under the theme #GotHomeSafe, and multi-sector collaboration that played a critical role in influencing road user behaviour. While celebrating the overall decline in crashes and fatalities, the AA expressed concern over the increase in fatalities in Mpumalanga and the ongoing high number of pedestrian deaths, which now accounts for nearly 50% of all road fatalities nationally. The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa has seen a strong cooling off of the domestic economy. Image: File Brett Tungay, chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA) East Coast region believes the decline in crashes was directly in line with the decrease in tourist volumes coming into KwaZulu-Natal. "Since the beginning of this year, there's definitely been a drop in the domestic market coming into the province. It has been busy but not traditional Easter and long weekend busy. "The long weekends were busy, but where historically we would have seen good trade through the midweeks, we are not seeing that this year. From the restaurants and accommodation, we are seeing a strong cooling off of the domestic economy," said Tungay. He said the VAT increase debacle had a huge negative impact for the economy. "That is going to psychologically play on the domestic spend for a couple of months, unfortunately. "People are not seeing the economic changes anticipated with the Government of National Unity (GNU). They are seeing more of the same, not creating any growth at all, which is disastrous. Unfortunately when it comes to hospitality we are a luxury spend," said Tungay. Economist Dawie Roodt said people may have stayed home because of the economy. "The petrol price came down nicely and that should've boosted the demand for travelling, but the macroeconomic environment is not good for travelling. "Macroeconomic conditions are not good. On a per capita basis we are probably poorer today than we were a year ago. Unemployment is also a significant reason for reduced travel. All the industries are suffering in the country," he said. Roodt said the political uncertainty around the VAT issue and the possibility of the GNU coming to an end creates uncertainty and anxiety as well. "My estimate for economic growth this year is probably going to be less than 1% because of all the uncertainty. And uncertainty is bad for the economy and I guess that also contributed to less people travelling," said Roodt. Dr Ntokozo Nzimande, senior lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Johannesburg, said due to the cost of living people could have chosen to minimise travel which may be the reason why there is a drop in the number of crashes and fatalities on the road. "People want to save and minimise travel. At the time there was also the concern about whether the VAT would increase or not. That changed people's purchasing power. They were cautious of the VAT increase. People are avoiding big and unnecessary spending as they are aware of the hard times to come," said Nzimande.
