Heritage and promotion of tourism in the eThekwini metropolitan area (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa): at the crossroad of political and economical issues

The KwaZulu-Natal province is situated at the confluence of the domestic and foreign tourist markets in South Africa. In 2009, the province welcomed 1,21 million foreign visitors, as well as 8,8 million internal tourist stays. The most visited place is the costal city of eThekwini, which is well-known as former Durban, the third city of the country. eThekwini is a multi-ethnic metropolitan area that is playing a key-role in the South African economy, in relation to its industrial port activity, its business sector and the seaside tourism branch. Since the last few years, the eThekwini municipality aims at promoting specific segments, which are clearly foresee in a heritage trend. Sites and/or men of importance - and their history - are rehabilitated and staged, in line with a national ideal. In the South African context, this trend goes beyond the mere preservation of physical sites. Both strong economic as well as political issues have to be considered. Our case studies on both the Inanda Heritage Route and the revitalization of the waterfront of eThekwini would illustrate this reality, answering different visitor's expectations. Between the aim to act as a global city and the local development and reconciliation challenges, the eThekwini municipality tries to find its way.