News Article

Sports mad city set for bumper months ahead



NO DOUBT about it, Nelson Mandela Bay has a sporting few months ahead with a host of top local and international sports events set to bolster the event offering and pour tourists – and economic benefits – into the destination.

On the menu are SPAR Redhouse River Mile, CANSA Relay For Life and the Ironman in April. “These few months after the festive season are always special for Nelson Mandela Bay locals,” said Mandlakazi Skefile, NMBT chief executive. “The summer season lasts longer than just December and January because of the many sports events we host."

“This means the local tourism and hospitality industry has a consistent late season booster up to April when it is Easter holidays, the city hosts the annual Splash Festival and the Ironman comes to town.”

Lobbying for top national and even international events, particularly sporting events, formed part of Skefile’s main aims when she took the reigns as chief executive in late 2010.

“I have been in office for almost 18 months, and I’m excited to see that events tourism is growing in proportion to the number of big events we host in Nelson Mandela Bay,” said Skefile.

“Last year was a resounding success when it came to events, both sports and cultural. We hosted stars like George Benson, Hugh Masekela, Freshlyground and Josh Groban and then we also saw the stadium come alive with rugby in the Tri-Nations test between the All Blacks and Springboks and the inaugural IRB Sevens World Series.

“Events of this nature are what we need to grow the local economy, particularly the tourism sector. With the 2012 line-up looking just as good, and the calendar for the next few months bursting with sporting activities, it looks like our sports mad city is in for a bumper couple of months.”

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