uShaka Marine World, Africa’s largest marine theme park and an integral part of the city’s overall tourism offering, was recently announced as the winner of KZN’s Top Brand 2018 at the Standard Bank Top Business Awards.
The announcement made recently at a Gala Dinner hosted at the Elangeni Hotel is testament to the fact that uShaka Marine World is not only an engine for growth and redevelopment within the city’s Point Waterfront precinct but also an economic success in its own right.
CEO for uShaka Marine World, Mrs Stella Khumalo, said that being chosen above respected consumer brands such as Defy, MCS, Gagasi FM, The Sharks, Blue Security, BB Bakeries, Hilton Durban, Coastlands Hotel, KZN Oils, aQuellé , FMI, DRG Outsourcing, Boxer Superstores, Edison Power, 1st Call Group as well as East Coast Radio was a significant honour.
uShaka was created over 14 years ago to kick start urban regeneration and boost for development in an area of Durban’s beachfront that was previously ignored. As a result, it has enabled the creation and growth of related hospitality businesses and contributed towards the overall growth of tourism in the city and the province as a whole.
Khumalo said that uShaka prided itself in offering a combination of entertainment and outdoor leisure activities that are suitable for all ages and are aimed at both the international and domestic tourism markets. Attractions include water slides at Wet ‘n Wild, sea animal interactions as uShaka Sea Animal Encounter Island, dolphin and seal shows, the Dangerous Creatures exhibit, the Chimp & Zee Rope Adventure Park, as well as an attraction for children aged 2 to 12 years at uShaka Kids World. The Theme Park also boosts the seventh largest aquarium in the world with 22 million litre tanks housing more than 300 species of marine life and 10000 sea creatures.
uShaka Marine World’s beach mall – The Village Walk retail centre boasts an array of restaurants, fast food outlets as well as retail stores where guests can shop in their swimsuits!
Khumalo said that uShaka hoped to continue to earn its place as one of KZN’s top businesses and brands in years to come. It would build on recent awards which include a Certificate of Excellence from Trip Advisor, Best Attraction at Durban Chamber of Commerce Tourism Awards 2014 and 2015, Lilizela Award 2017 for Best Marine Experience, Best Tourism Brand KZN 2017, third place in the Sunday Times Generation Next (for the 6th consecutive year), the company’s CEO winning a Regional Business Achiever Award by The Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa and Trip Adviser ranks uShaka as #1 attraction out of 118 in Durban.
Khumalo indicated that this Award will be celebrated with all uShaka Staff, who have over the last two years, committed themselves to improving their quality of service, and adopted a Guest First approach, by participating in a program called “the Good to Great journey”. The staff at uShaka Marine World is grateful for this public vote of confidence, and want to continue offering each and every guest that visits the Park, the unlimited fun experience, that you can only get at an African Paradise.
For more information visit www.ushakamarineworld.co.za
