Durban Tourism Businesses Recognised in Inaugural TourismX Best Rated Awards
Durban's tourism and hospitality sector has received a new independent benchmark with the launch of the inaugural TourismX Best Rated Awards, recognising establishments across hotels, guest houses, restaurants, tour operators, attractions, nature reserves and heritage experiences.
The Durban Edition forms part of a nationwide series covering metros and local municipalities. It is designed to provide a broader perspective on tourism performance by combining verified online customer ratings and reviews including the frequency with which an establishment has been mentioned in the media.
The methodology places a 90% weighting on verified online ratings and customer review performance, with the remaining 10% allocated to online media visibility. Results are then converted into a rating out of 10.
The Oyster Box led the Hotels category with 8.78, while Sandals Guest House topped the Guest Houses & B&Bs category at 9.02.
In the Restaurants category, 9th Avenue Waterside achieved the highest score of 8.69, with Street Scene Tours leading the Tour Operators category at 9.21.
uShaka Marine World headed the Attractions category with 8.60, ATKV Natalia led the Caravan & Camping Places category with 8.31, and Phansi Museum recorded the highest score in the Tourism Heritage Sites & Museums category at 8.58.
The organisers said the Durban edition demonstrates the value of looking beyond a single measure when assessing tourism businesses.
According to Gerrit Davids, Founder of TourismX Awards, “Customer reviews tell an important part of the story, but visibility also matters in a competitive tourism market. Our aim is to make recognition more measurable, transparent and relevant to the tourism industry, while providing tourism businesses with an independent reference point for understanding their position in the market.”
Overall Awards Rankings: Score out 10
Hotels
• The Oyster Box (8.78): Platinum
• Beverly Hills Hotel (8.69): Gold
• Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani (7.86): Bronze
• The Edward Hotel (7.77): Silver
• Radisson Blu Hotel Durban Umhlanga (7.58): Commended
Guest Houses & B&Bs
• Sandals Guest House (9.02): Platinum
• Teremok Lodge & Spa (8.58): Gold
• Sanchia Luxury Guest House (8.39): Bronze
• The Goble Palms Guest Lodge (8.30): Silver
• Mandalay Guest House (7.76): Commended
Restaurants
• 9th Avenue Waterside (8.69): Platinum
• The Grill Room (Oyster Box) (8.49): Gold
• CaneCutters Restaurant (7.86): Bronze
• Roma Revolving Restaurant (7.77): Silver
• The Cargo Hold (7.34): Commended
Tour Operators
• Street Scene Tours (9.21): Platinum
• Durban Safaris & Tours (9.12): Gold
• Julnic Tours (8.57): Bronze
• Tekweni Eco Tours (8.49): Silver
• Fever Tree Safaris (8.30): Commended
Attractions
• Durban Botanic Gardens (8.69): Platinum
• uShaka Marine World (8.60): Gold
• Moses Mabhida Stadium (8.60): Gold
• Umhlanga Lighthouse & Promenade (8.58): Bronze
• Phezulu Safari Park (7.86): Silver
Caravan & Camping Places
• ATKV Natalia (8.31): Platinum
• Queensburgh Caravan Resort (7.67): Gold
• Clansthal Caravan Park (7.58): Bronze
• Illovo Beach Caravan Park (7.49): Silver
• Scottburgh Caravan Park (7.05): Commended
Tourism Heritage Sites & Museums
• Phansi Museum (8.58): Platinum
• Inanda Heritage Site (Gandhi Settlement) (8.51): Gold
• Durban Natural Science Museum (7.86): Bronze
• Campbell Collections (7.85): Silver
• KwaMuhle Museum (7.77): Commended
Ends
For further details contact: Gerrit Davids
MD
Gerom Media
Mobile. +27 (0) 82 496 1657
E-mail: info@gerommedia.co.za
Bedfordview, South Africa