KwaZulu-Natal consists of three rather distinct geographical areas – the lowland Indian Ocean coastal region, the central Natal Midlands, and the mountainous areas of the Drakensberg and Lebombo Mountains. These geographical regions, each with its own unique beauty, offer visitors a world of diversity in one province. The long stretch of KwaZulu-Natal coastline is split at Durban into the North Coast and South Coast, each of which is punctuated with a multitude of small towns and settlements offering a wide variety of tourism facilities and activities.

KwaZulu-Natal has the second largest economy in the country. It contributes some 16% towards the country’s GDP. Manufacturing, trade, business services and transport communications are the largest and strongest growth sectors of the provincial economy, together with aluminium conversion, fabricated products, automotive components, conversion (emphasis on export-oriented investment), electronics, engineering, metal works, petrochemicals, and wood products.

This province offers a highly competitive advantage in capital-intensive manufacturing, transport, storage and communications, as well as finance and business services. It is also well positioned in agriculture, forestry and fishing, agricultural resource-intensive manufacturing and in the tourism and accommodation sectors. KwaZulu-Natal’s emergence as a hub of industrial development in sub-Saharan Africa may be attributed to its unmatched natural resource endowments, exceptional productive capacity, well-developed first-world infrastructure and advantageous coastal location. Economic activity is concentrated in the metropolitan areas of Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay, with the coastal belts utilised for sugar cane plantations and sub-tropical fruit and vegetables.

In close proximity, and within easy access of South Africa’s two largest ports – Durban and Richards Bay and King Shaka International Airport; A large labour pool; Diverse culture; Gateway to other African countries; Low land and building costs; World-class transport and telecommunications infrastructure; Advocacy and lobbying for investor incentives; and Idyllic climate.