More people stayed at hotels or bed and breakfast establishments here this summer holiday season than in the past eight years, Tourism Buffalo City's (TBC) visitors research survey has shown.

The survey also found that many of the visitors specifically asked for the city to be cleaned up and also that it be marketed more vigorously.

The survey conducted by TBC cadets over the December holidays questioned more than 1000 visitors at various points around the city: 57 per cent were interviewed at the beach, 25 per cent at accommodation establishments and 10 per cent in shopping complexes.

The studies, started in 1996, showed that the majority (58 per cent) of visitors interviewed were English speaking, 20 per cent Xhosa speakers and 15 per cent Afrikaans speakers with just four per cent foreigners.

The number of English speakers dropped from 2002's peak of 74 per cent while the percentage of Xhosa speakers was the highest in all the years of the survey.

Most visitors came from elsewhere in the province and Gauteng (28 per cent each) which shows an increase in the number of people from the Eastern Cape over 2002 when 22 per cent spent their holiday here.

A full 10 per cent fewer respondents were from Gauteng this year compared with 2002. KwaZulu-Natal accounted for 17 per cent of respondents, up two percent on the 1996 peak and nine per cent up on 2002.

The Western Cape accounted for five per cent of the visitors polled and the Free State 14 per cent.

Hotel accommodation accounted for 21 per cent of the total with bed and breakfasts accounting for 10 per cent. Self-catering accommodation also showed growth with 17 per cent of those polled using these facilities.

This is three per cent up on the 2002 figure of 14 per cent.

However, due to the increase in the cost of accommodation, the average stay this season dropped, with 35 per cent of respondent staying three days or less and the same number staying for between four days and a week. But this is 15 per cent up from 2002 in this category and level with 2001's peak.

Just 19 per cent stayed for eight to 14 days, the lowest number ever compared with 2000's peak of 27 percent, and just 11 per cent stayed longer than two weeks - way down from the 2002 peak of 33 per cent and an eight year average of just over 20 per cent.

Spending on accommodation showed growth in the R200 to R500 category (23 per cent) and in R500 to R1000 range at 19 per cent. But there was a 27 per cent drop in the zero to R100 category, compared with the 2001 peak of 41 per cent.