It has been widely recognised that Warwick Junction is a very unique asset exhibiting the only markets of such size and diversity available anywhere across South Africa, which allows tourists exposure to an authentic African experience. Subsequently, the Markets of Warwick Project has been initiated in 2010 by the local traders, in the Warwick Junction Vicinity. This was motivated by the desire to showcase their market area to local and international tourists, and the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa provided the perfect platform on which the Project could be launched and piloted.
The intended outcomes of this Project were both explicit and implicit. Explicitly the project sought to follow through the idea the traders had to create a brand and deliverable tourism product around the Warwick Junction markets. Implicitly, the project sought to ensure the traders were not harassed or removed by local authorities during the Fifa 2010 World Cup, by firmly establishing the traders and the Warwick vicinity as valued assets within the Durban’s tourism opportunities. Simultaneously, the project has aimed at educating both local and foreign people on the role of the informal economy, the relevance of the Warwick Markets in Durban, and the livelihoods of the traders, in the hope of transforming current negative perceptions of the area and creating an awareness around the need for inclusive municipal support and development of the markets for the betterment of the traders livelihoods.
The tours have been on-going since the World Cup, with growing interest from local visitors and media. For more info, visit: www.marketsofwarwick.co.za
