The KwaZulu-Natal Tourism Authority (TKZN) and the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission (KZNFC) have officially merged into a single entity that will be harnessed to boost the marketing of the province through engaging film and media productions.

Established under an Act that was gazetted in May 2024, the new KwaZulu-Natal Tourism and Film Authority will be tasked with the development of a provincial tourism and audio-visual policy and to position the province as an attractive film tourism destination.

Under the Act, the objectives of the new agency are to:

a) Act as the custodian for integrated marketing and promotion of the province as a tourism and audio-visual destination to local and international markets.

b) Act as a hub for tourism and audio-visual-related information.

c) Attract local and foreign investment for the establishment, development and growth of tourism and audio-visual infrastructure, facilities and products.

Released just before the merger was finalised, TKZN’s 2024/25 Annual Performance Plan (APP) detailed that the merger would assist in driving positive media coverage of the province.

“In partnership with the KZN Film Commission and other relevant departments, TKZN will continue to explore new and innovative ways to profile Destination KZN through partnerships with mega events, TV, film and music productions,” the APP states.

This falls under TKZN’s broader goal of marketing and promoting KZN as a preferred leisure and business events destination through an integrated tourism marketing and promotion strategy.

Promoting KZN as a film tourism hub

In 2022, the KZN Film-induced Tourism Strategy, compiled by KZNFC, highlighted that the province was South Africa’s fastest-growing film destination and accounted for 12% of the country’s filming activity.

The strategy underlined that the merger was expected to “improve institutional efficiency and aid marketing strategies for KZN”, while opening up a range of new opportunities for skills development in the areas of local film concept development, packaging, distribution and marketing.

The merger could also assist in attracting larger film productions, particularly during KZN’s mild winter season. It could additionally allow the province to tap into South Africa’s existing co-production treaties with Canada, Italy, Germany, the UK, France, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland to attract upcoming productions.

The strategy used South Africa’s leading film destinations of Gauteng and the Western Cape as case studies that could be drawn on to inform KZN’s film tourism strategy.

“The Gauteng case study emphasises that an adequate supply of high-quality infrastructure is an indispensable element in attracting local and foreign filmmakers to a destination. The Western Cape case study reveals that it is important for destination managers to continuously review and develop new film policy for their destination, and promote and create a collaborative atmosphere to grow and develop the local film tourism industry.”