A trade mission led by KwaZulu-Natal's (KZN) Department of Economic Affairs, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs is actively working to enhance trade, air travel, and tourism ties with Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The initiative, hosted by Durban Direct, aims to boost economic collaboration between these countries and KZN.

Included in the delegation are nine businesses from KZN's retail, manufacturing, agriculture, agri-processing, and mining sectors.

Durban Direct, the committee responsible for route development at King Shaka International Airport (KSIA), plays a pivotal role in this mission. It strives to increase air connectivity, thereby unlocking aviation's potential to drive regional economic development.

Durban Direct's Marketing Committee Chairperson, Ms. Thulisile Galelekile highlighted the importance of expanding air routes.

"New international and regional air routes open new opportunities across a full spectrum of sectors including tourism and leisure, business and commercial, cargo and manufacturing," she said.

Route Development Project Manager, Ms. Xolile Shabalala said they have an aim to cultivate more partnerships

"As we continue to grow route development in the province, we're looking to cultivate more partnerships, to systematically drive traffic to Durban thus leading to more sustainable routes in the long term." Shabalala said

KZN boasts an award-winning airport, KSIA, which has been rated the Best Regional Airport in Africa by Skytrax for seven years.

Despite high numbers of visitors to South Africa from Zimbabwe and Zambia--2.11 million and 145,244 respectively in 2023--only a small fraction visit KZN.

"However, only a fraction of these visitors come to KZN, and this is where we would like to see change," said Ms. Galelekile.

This mission seeks to leverage air travel to increase the flow of visitors, capitalizing on KZN's diverse tourism offerings and economic opportunities.