This Saturday sees the start of Indaba, one of the top tourism marketing events on the global calender. To coincide with Indaba we thought that we’d suggest a few alternative tourism destinations that you could visit as either a local or holiday-maker to eThekwini:
- The Vic Street Market offers a great lesson in negotiating skills – targeted at international tourists, as a local you’ll definitely need to harness your haggling powers to get a good deal on any of the fantastic spices, beadwork or African masks for sale here.
- Across the road from the market and something of a juxtaposition to the crazy hubbub of downtown is the Emmanuel Cathedral. Completed in 1903 the church is a real Durban treasure! And it’s people are just as special, assisting refugees, providing training for job seekers and offering free medical care to HIV sufferers. Look out for the new Dennis Hurley Centre that’s being built next door to the church – it promises to be a new Durban landmark.
- Sarvodaya (‘progress for all’) was the name of the house that Mahatma Gandhi lived in with his family after the establishment of the Phoenix Settlement in 1904. The house was rebuilt after it was burnt down in 1985 during the Inanda Riots. Today Sarvodaya is a museum that showcases the important role that Gandhi played in promoting justice, peace and equality in South Africa through his campaign of nonviolence.
- In Inanda you’ll also find the home of John Dube, the first president of the ANC and founder of the Ohlange Institute, the site where former president Nelson Mandela cast his vote during South Africa’s first democratic elections. The house was built in 1906 and formed part of the Ohlange campus. The house has been restored as a museum with a statue of John Dube taking pride of place on the verandah of the house.
Durban really does have a lot to offer in terms of it’s fascinating mix of cultures and customs – and it makes the perfect site for one of the Continent’s most impressive tourism shows. Click here to have a look at some of the (off the beaten track) tours that you can take in and around eThekwini.