Holiday fever filled the air as many gathered on the Bays shores this summer. Hot weather with an equivalent line up of hot events and activities set Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) ablaze with excitement. Sold out events/concerts, excellent weather to enjoy blue flag beaches extended shopping hours and easy accessibility to various attractions ensured NMB was the hot pick for a winning holiday.
Ms Mandlakazi Skefile, CEO of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism commented; “The summer holiday season is very important to the economy of the metropolitan and we pride ourselves on being an ideal family, fun destination.”
The total contribution to the GDP for NMB excluding day visitor spend in December 2013 reached R290 billion, which is a 6.82% increase on 2012 as per the research and statistics compiled by Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT). Accommodation occupancy averaged 70.76% which reflects an increase of 6.15% on the 2012 occupancy statistics.
Ms M Skefile, CEO of NMBT confirmed; “These are positive results indicating growth in the industry for NMB. As the destination marketing organization for the city, we will continue to strategise and market the destination for continuous improvement and industry sustainability.”
The top 3 contributing provinces to domestic arrivals were Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape. The top 10 nature of enquiries received at all the Visitor Information Centres for December 2013 were for Sanparks, brochures, historical, accommodation, directions, entertainment & shopping, attractions, other Regions, information links, and contact details. Although foreign visits increase throughout the year from February, the data collected reflected the top 3 international country contributors for December 2013 were Germany, United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Visitors choose Nelson Mandela Bay for a variety of reasons such as the friendly atmosphere, warm welcome from locals and the possibility of discovering freedom through a variety of activities and attractions. NMBT confirmed part strategy to increase traffic to the destination for December 2013 was to create packages which made the destination accessible and affordable to all while providing an unforgettable experience.
NMBT will continue to market the destination through packages, events and creative campaigns for tourism growth and sustainability throughout the year.
Alan Straton
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