KZN hotel booking picking up ahead of Easter
KwaZulu-Natal's tourism sector is gearing up for a busy
Easter period.
The province is expecting over 400 000 visitors this month through May, with the local economy set to benefit from an estimated R1.4 billion boost.
Hotel occupancy is said to be already sitting at around 60%, with luxury accommodations reportedly outperforming three-and four-star options.
At the same time, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport has urged road traffic officers to be firm on motorists caught driving under the influence as operations intensify ahead of the Easter weekend.
READ: eThekwini expecting ‘bumper’ Easter weekend
The department believes suspects nabbed for drinking and driving must be handed hefty jail sentences.
Spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya says simply issuing fines is not cutting it anymore stronger consequences are needed.
"We are aiming for a six-year prison sentence [for drunk drivers] because we want this to serve as a deterrent during this Easter holiday, Passover and beyond. The burden on alcohol-related accidents on the healthcare system is something that must really come up to an end.
"We need to deal with that because we have got motorists that are causing road crashes that result in fatalities. So, we want to ensure that as the Department of Transport in KwaZulu-Natal we are very firm on road safety measures.
Authorities are projecting about 1 500 vehicles will pass through KwaZulu-Natal toll gates every hour from Thursday.
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