Eastern Cape Business 2023-24

OVERVIEW
Tourism
Domestic tourists chose the Eastern Cape in 2022.
Dylan Mostert was a popular winner of the first Nelson Mandela
Bay Championship. Credit: Sunshine Tour
A
total of 5.7-million domestic tourists visited the Eastern
Cape in 2022, 700 000 more than in the year before.
The provincial economy benefitted to the tune of R8.6-
billion and the Provincial Premier attributed this success to
the province’s SMART marketing approach. This refers to a campaign
that is specific, measurable, actionable, relevant and time-bound.
Part of the programme has been about getting the province on
to film and television screens. The film strategy is covered elsewhere
in this journal but the strategy of supporting the hosting of golf
tournaments was another success. In addition to hosting the South
African PGA for the third time in 2023 at St Francis Links, a new, DP
World Tour-sanctioned event, the SDC Championship, was added to
the calendar and played on the Jack Nicklaus-designed course in March
2023. Gqeberha also hosted a new tournament, and the metropolitan
municipality put its weight behind the effort to market the city through
the tournament. The Nelson Mandela Bay Championship was played
as part of the DP World Tour at Humewood Golf Club and attracted
considerable media attention.
Infrastructure improvements at facilities run by the Eastern Cape
Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) are continuing. Most recently, R7.5-
million was spent on erecting four new chalets and a viewing deck at
Hluleka Nature Reserve in the OR Tambo District. To facilitate access
to tourism destinations, a plan is in place to improve roads, such
as the important roads for tourist access, such as those to Hluleka
Nature Reserve and the newly-gazetted road from Viedgesville to
Coffee Bay which are being prioritised.
SECTOR INSIGHT
The Wild Coast Sun continues
to invest in upgrades and
new facilities.
In addition, the National
Department of Tourism is funding
the Interpretation Centre at
Bavianskloof (a World Heritage
Site) in the amount of R42-million;
a further R9-million will be spent
on a hiking trail; the National
Department of Forestry, Fisheries
and the Environment (DFFE) will
spend R45-million on the chalets
at Cape Morgan. Work has been
completed on the Silaka Nature
reserve in Port St Johns at a cost
of R11-million, another DFFE
project. The ECPTA is tracking and
profiling tourists’ needs and their
perceptions about the province.
Resorts and hotels
Sun International runs the
Wild Coast Sun and the fivestar
Boardwalk Casino and
Entertainment World in Port
Elizabeth, which includes
conference and events facilities.
Since the Wild Coast Sun
became a four-star resort in
2020, there has been continuing
investment in new facilities and
upgrades. In 2022, the breakfast
and function rooms were treated
to a new floor and bathroom area,
two new franchise restaurants
were opened and a new
convenience shop was introduced.
EASTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2023/24
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