Nelson Mandela Bay will be on the global stage this year– but the burning question is, are we camera-ready, visitor-friendly and set up to take advantage of the tourism and economic opportunities?
With South Africa in the presidency of the G20 this year, the Bay will play host to high-profile delegates and media from around the globe attending a number of G20 related meetings to be held here between April and October.
This not only provides a welcome boost for accommodation and conferencing venues, but has longer-term potential benefits through showcasing the Bay’s natural and lifestyle assets, and advantages as a trade and investment destination.
In August, the NAACAM Show comes to the Bay for the first time, turning the spotlight on this metro as the hub of the SA automotive industry with its strong components manufacturing sector.
A global industry networking platform and showcase of South Africa’s automotive value chain and world-class manufacturing capabilities, the event is aimed at facilitating localisation and trade and investment linkages.
It is an ideal opportunity to position our Bay of Opportunity as an investment destination, a connected hub for manufacturing and exports within the context of growing African markets.
Our agricultural sector comes to the forefront with the Citrus Growers Summit scheduled to take place in the Bay next month, reinforcing that this region is the country’s biggest base for citrus production.
The Isuzu Ironman African Championship celebrates its 20th anniversary of being hosted in Nelson Mandela Bay over the last weekend in March; the milestone event likely further swelling the thousands of athletes, spectators and business partners from around the world who descend on the metro annually.
These are but three examples of events that will bring international visitors to our doorstep this year, with their spending temporarily boosting employment and revenues across various sectors including tourism, hospitality and retail.
Whether they are government or business delegates, media or athletes, the more lasting benefit is that visitors who enjoy their stay here are intrigued to return for leisure or business visits, to further explore surrounding game reserves, beaches, cultural history and heritage, trade linkages, or investment (in business, property or tourism, for example).
All have the potential to contribute to the recovery of the tourism sector and the growth of the economy and jobs.
However, it is going to take more than our warm Friendly City welcome to achieve this.
Potholes, streetlights not working, dilapidated buildings and tourist attractions, water leaks running down the streets, sewage running into the sea, litter and unkempt public spaces, unreliable electricity supply – these are just not going to cut it.
Nor is a lack of safety and security, whether real or perceived.
Looking back over the holiday season just past provides a fair gauge of where we are in terms of tourism and visitor hosting.
There were no major safety and security incidents reported along the beachfront, largely thanks to the joint efforts of the Beachfront Cluster, private security companies, SAPS and the Municipal Police. The Beachfront Cluster, supported by the Business Chamber, made substantial investment in lighting, cameras, private security patrols and peace officers.
However, while beaches, restaurants and retailers were well supported by throngs of visitors, out-of-town visitors were reportedly fewer, and taking shorter stays, with accommodation bookings reportedly down over December 2023, and certainly not recovered to pre-Covid levels.
Accommodation proprietors pointed to not only tough economic conditions discouraging holiday makers but concerns about safety after beachfront crime incidents earlier in the year, a lack of tourist attractions and the rundown state of public amenities.
While municipal and volunteer cleaning teams did a good job of the daily beachfront cleanup, this also points to a lack of responsible behaviour and a lack of bylaw enforcement to prevent the litter, consumption of liquor in public and broken bottles in the first place.
The largely successful holiday season highlights the importance of private-public collaboration focused on the greater good, and the role of volunteers who want to make things better for all.
The level of attention shown to the beachfront needs to be maintained year-round, and extended to other tourist hotspots and assets in the metro.
To realise the potential of showcasing the Bay to the many thousands of global visitors expected this year, encouraging visitors to extend their stay or return in future, attention needs to be paid to the state of our roads, (such as the road to Addo and routes to game reserves, to the airport and surrounds); to the state of our historic precincts and public spaces and facilities.
The geographic clusters supported by the Chamber, along with our strategic task teams and action partnerships, are geared to play their part in supporting the Bay puts its best foot forward.
While the private sector is playing its part, it is vital that the local authorities, law enforcement and relevant state agencies step up, become accountable and take responsibility for service delivery, maintenance and much needed upgrading of infrastructure and public facilities.
By listening and taking collaborative action to implement solutions, together we can make sure that the Bay gets long-lasting returns during this year of opportunity.
Denise van Huyssteen is the Chief Executive Officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber.