CEO Column - NELSON MANDELA BAY VYING FOR MAJOR EVENTS

Ms Mandlakazi Skefile, Chief Executive Officer of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism

With the increasing number of mega sporting events being hosted in the city, Nelson Mandela Bay is fast becoming the sports capital of South Africa. 

Having recently hosted the Commonwealth Judo Games, Ironman Africa, the Ocean Racing Series, the Herald Cycle Tour, the Super Rugby, along with various major cricket and football games - it is evident that Nelson Mandela Bay is more than capable of hosting international mega sporting events and the rest of the world seems to agree.

Being amongst the top three countries in the final bid process to host the  2018 Ironman 70.3 kilometer World Championships is testament to the faith that the international sporting fraternity has in the ability of the city to host such an important event. The city is up against Nice in France and Budapest in Hungary which are also current hosts to the 70.3 Ironman championships. Nelson Mandela Bay joined the top 3 finalists out of a total of 11 bids.

Expected to attract almost 4000 athletes from around the globe the Ironman World Championships are one of the most important events on the international triathlon calendar and could set the region amongst the world's top sporting destinations if implemented successfully.

Split over two days and with more than 16 000 visitors including participants, officials, press and spectators from overseas expected in the city, world international sporting events of this calibre present a possibility to boost the tourism economy for Nelson Mandela Bay and the Eastern Cape where the attention from the world and international media is priceless. 

The 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship will be a two-day event, like the 2017 edition – with the professional women and age-group women racing on one day and the professional men and age group men racing on the other. Beginning in July 2017, athletes from around the world will earn the right to compete in the 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship by qualifying at any of the more than 100 IRONMAN 70.3 events globally. IRONMAN expects approximately 190,000 registered athletes to race at over 100 events in the global IRONMAN 70.3 Series during the 2017 season in locations such as Australia, Brazil, Malaysia and China to qualify for the 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. In addition, each age-group winner at the 2017 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship will automatically qualify for the 2018 championship.

With more than 80 percent of service providers having come from the Metro for the full Ironman South Africa event that was recently hosted in the city, it is clear that most of the revenue that is generated as a result of hosting events of such magnitude remains in the city, this will lead to a greater increase to the economic impact to the destination. 

The long-term investment in accommodation, tourism facilities, transport and infrastructure which comes from preparing for the event also leaves a legacy of improved world class sporting venues and infrastructure for the city, thus opening up more tourism opportunities for the region. This is already evident following the significant investment the city made during the 2010 FIFA World Cup when NMB was one of the host cities for the games. In turn, the legacy transferred to the community resulting in social cohesion and public participation with initiatives such as sports academies being funded and developed to promote the various sporting codes hosted in the city.

In addition to the economic and legacy benefits, the hosting of such events contributes to the alleviation of one of the major challenges faced by Nelson Mandela Bay as a tourist destination, which is seasonality. International sporting events such as the Ironman World Championships are a great opportunity to close the gap where tourism figures decline outside of the traditional high season, while at the same time promoting the destination and encouraging travel in both the domestic and international markets. 

As part of NMBT's mandate to grow the tourism industry as an all year round major contributor to the economy of Nelson Mandela Bay, the hosting of international events of this nature is part of a tourism authority's growth strategy. Because of the moderate climate, the city is well placed to host international events throughout the year and it is imperative that we package our offering to appeal to international event organisers - both as a tourist destination and a mega event host city.

The athletes, their families and spectators who will visit Nelson Mandela Bay during this event will have the unique opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful and historically significant places in the world. Currently hosting the Standard Bank Ironman African Championship, the course in Nelson Mandela Bay and the city of Port Elizabeth has athletes utilising the beautiful surroundings of Hobie, Humewood and Kings beach where unbelievable crowds come out in masses to line Marine Drive and create an unbelievable atmosphere.  

While fishing, surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling, whale watching and sailing will be enjoyed by the visitors, the city also prides itself on being the Home of the Big 7 which includes lions, rhinos, buffalo, leopards, and elephants alongside the southern Wright whale and great white shark in wildlife a stone’s throw away from the metropolitan.