The N Shed, located at Durban’s old harbour, was abuzz when one of the longest running passenger ships in the world docked in the city on Monday, 3 April. The 950 crew members and 2 000 passengers of Queen Mary 2 were given a warm Durban welcome by Zulu dancers and singers as they disembarked.
EThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda, together with industry role-players, were on hand to personally welcome the crew and passengers. During the engagement, Mayor Kaunda highlighted Durban as a premier destination to passengers. He also handed over a gift to the ship’s Captain Andrew Hall.
Hall thanked Mayor Kaunda for the gift, expressing how grateful they are to receive such a heart-warming welcome to the City.
“It is always a pleasure visiting Durban and I look forward to exploring the city before proceeding to our next stop.” Mayor Kaunda said the docking of Queen Mary 2 couldn’t have come at a better time.
“The Easter holidays are almost here, and we are busy with our winter season destination promotion campaign. City tours for passengers have been organised to showcase the many tourism offerings of the city. We want the ship’s passengers to return to our beautiful city. The arrival of Queen Mary 2 comes as we are busy with the expansion of the Port of Durban. This development is expected to be a major drawcard for cruise liners and will include five-star hotels, retail mall, apartments, and an African cultural centre,” he added.
He said the arrival of Queen Marry 2 demonstrates that the tourism industry in Durban is bouncing after a series of challenges.
