Address by

Welcome Address by His Worship, the Mayor, Cllr James

Nxumalo,
On the Occasion of the Good Food and Wine Show 2015

28 October 2015-17h00
The Lighthouse Bar at the Oyster Box

• Programme Director,

• International and national chefs,

• Distinguished guests,

• Members of the media,

• Ladies and gentlemen,

• All protocol observed,

Welcome Address by Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo at the Good Food and Wine Show 2015,
28 October 2015,
Page 1
Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honour for me to welcome you
to South Africa’s biggest and best food, wine and lifestyle
event. Welcome to Durban, the warmest place to be. Feel at
home and enjoy your stay in our beautiful award-winning City.
We are excited to host this year’s Good Food and Wine Show. I
am sure it is bigger and better than last year’s.

The City of Durban is becoming a popular food destination to

those interested in all things culinary. This event is a platform
for Durban chefs to share the stage with international celebrity
chefs and exchange culinary skills. I am sure that Durban chefs
are ready to wow visitors to the show with our unique blend of
flavours, a true testament to our diverse and cosmopolitan
attributes.

This show has grown in popularly, so much so that it has

grabbed the interest of international chefs who have marked
their calendars to attend this event annually.

Ladies and gentlemen, one of the key factors that have

resulted in our City becoming a global trend is the development
of a forward thinking Durban Tourism Visitor Marketing
strategy 2013-2020 under the banner of Taking Durban to the
World.

Today, Durban is the leading local destination in South Africa.

We have set our sights on bringing formidable competition in
the global tourism arena. To this end, we are making
important inroads into global awareness and recognition.
Amongst other things, our strategy calls for the promotion and
distribution of visitors to major attractions, including township
Welcome Address by Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo at the Good Food and Wine Show 2015,
28 October 2015,
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experiences. Durban is loaded with unique local experiences
that cannot be found elsewhere. Our wisdom in not striving to
be similar with other destinations but rather harnessing and
highlighting our very unique qualities, is our key ingredient for
success.

The Good Food and Wine Show is one of the platforms our City
utilises to promote township tourism and economic
development in places outside of the urban areas. As part of
the show this year, there will be a cooking demonstration and
food tasting at Eyadini Lounge in Umlazi. This activity will
promote township tourism and our visitors will get to
experience Umlazi township.

This is one of the largest townships in South Africa and boasts

a unique local experience away from the City centre, yet in
easy distance to other attractions in the city. Providing an array
of local experiences promote longer stay and ensures that
visitors have many options when it comes to activities while
visiting Durban. I can assure you that while others may refer to
Durban as being more quiet and slower, it offers unparalleled
attractions and facilities. The very perceptions of it as quiet and
slow-paced are a manor strength for visitors seeking a relaxed,
warm and peaceful holiday paradise.

On previous occasions we have took the cooking demonstration

to KwaMashu and Inanda where international and local chefs
shared their skills with budding township chefs. This was a
very effective platform to expose upcoming chefs to established
chefs as well as allow the latter to impart their knowledge and
share of culinary skills.
Welcome Address by Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo at the Good Food and Wine Show 2015,
28 October 2015,
Page 3
I must highlight to you that tourism is vital to the growth of the
economy. We have prioritised the tourism and hospitality
industries as some of our strategic sectors that will help us
grow the economy. While events linked to tourism generate
some positive economic spin offs, they also provide an
opportunity to showcase our destination to potential investors.
It is for this reason that we pay special attention when
selecting the events we will support, because through such
events we want to attract people who will add value to our City
in the future such as by investing locally.

As a developing country, we have a task to ensure redress by

providing economic opportunities to those who were excluded
during the dark days of apartheid. Through events we are
committed to involving small businesses working in the tourism
and hospitality sector.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us get the Good Food and Wine
Show on the road. I hope the chefs have prepared something
to show us what they are made of!

Welcome to the Good Food and Wine Show, Enjoy!

Thank You

Welcome Address by Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo at the Good Food and Wine Show 2015,
28 October 2015,
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