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DURBAN is known as South Africa's i playground; the sub-tropical city easing itself along the shores of the luxurious shores of the Indian Ocean has become a sporting and tourism mecca. And now South Africa has opened up to the world, the potential for international visitors is immense.
"We have coral reefs, sunshine, the infrastructure and Zulu culture," says Graham Muller, partner in Deloitte & Touche in Duran. "This has to be realised."
Durban plays host to around 2.7m visitors a year and is the natural stepping-off point for the Drakensberg mountains, the tranquil Midlands, the wondrous beaches and the Zulu game reserves.
The region is the location for some of the country's major sporting and cultural events: South Africa's richest race meeting at Greyville; the 88-km Comrades Marathon; the internationally-acclaimed Durban Tattoo; the Gunston 500 surfing contest; and the South African club rugby championships.
The tourism sector is expected to become increasingly important due to the emergence of the middle to lower-income domestic market, ecotourism and tourism spin-offs to local communities. Tourism and related services sectors will also play a crucial role in providing substantial employment in the short-term.
COMPARISON
A study by Brussels-based investment consultants Plant Location International tried to establish the Durban Functional Region's (DFR) international competitive position in the fierce world of attracting mobile investment. Durban, along with two other South African regions, was compared across 15 industry segments with other locations worldwide. Some 4,000 international companies were quizzed on the factors which influence investment decisions and these were matched against the strengths and weaknesses of the competing regions.
Durban emerged strongly, with its port infrastructure and proximity to the PWV making it attractive to transport sensitive activities.
The five best scoring industry segments for the Durban Functional Region were:
* machinery for the building industry, mining and agriculture
* automotive spare parts
* high quality leather footwear
* high quality paper products