Many of the tenants at the multimillion-rand uShaka Marine World say they are struggling to keep their businesses afloat because of exorbitant monthly rentals, inadequate parking facilities and a lack of business owing to its failure to attract sufficient visitors.
Restaurant and shop owners at the Village Walk have pleaded for an aggressive marketing campaign to promote the attraction.
They also believe they should be compensated for showing their confidence in the Point area as part of the city's re-urbanisation programme.
The park's management told The Mercury on Tuesday that attendance figures at the park had exceeded their expectations, adding that a few tenants had complained that their turnover did not match the rent they were paying.
Durban's waterfront investment and tourist attraction was opened with much fanfare in April, but tenants at Village Walk say they are now fighting for survival as the park struggles to attract visitors.
The park's management has also been criticised for failing to change the poor image of the Point area and has been challenged to boost uShaka's night-time activities.
They also felt the management had placed much emphasis on marketing the Marine Theme Park and its attractions while businesses at Village Walk had been left to fend for themselves.
They said the management had been competing with its own tenants by setting up restaurants inside the theme park while making it difficult for visitors to access restaurants outside.
The uShaka Marine World Tenants' Forum held an urgent meeting with the park's management on Tuesday. Tenants' spokesperson Nazeem Alli said the uShaka management had failed to market the Village Walk.
However, he was optimistic they would attend to grievances, saying the meeting had been constructive.
"We don't want to be regarded as an adopted child of the park, we want to be part and parcel of their marketing strategy," said Alli.
Naeem Abdullah, a store manager, said a wrong perception had been created that the public would have to pay a fee to go through the Village Walk.
He also complained about rentals, saying he was expected to pay R22 0000 a month while his turnover was R30 000. "People come here for entertainment, not for shopping," he said.
A restaurant owner, who asked not to be named, questioned the idea of having three restaurants in the park.
"We are not getting business when the park is busy and we get the feeling that the management is competing with their tenants," she said.
She also complained about night-time trade. uShaka Marine World Chief Operating Officer Mike Lambert said it would not grant a blanket rental reduction but would address the needs of tenants on an individual basis.
"The tenants' forum is headed by people whose businesses are not doing well, but it is important to mention that there are a number of other tenants that have done very well. We will meet tenants and every case will be judged on its merits," he said.
When asked about the marketing of the Village Walk, he said they had spent more than had been budgeted.
"We have used the money intended to market the theme park on promoting the Village Walk," he said.
The problem of inadequate parking was also being addressed in time for the festive season and extra parking space had been obtained at Addington Primary School.
Development of the park is part of a long-term economic strategy aimed at stimulating and rejuvenating economic recovery of the dilapidated Point area. There was great excitement and hope that the park would trigger the Point development and restore investor confidence.