Events like cycle tour keep rolling in

WHILE easing into the new year and recovering from the festive season influx of visitors to Nelson Mandela Bay, NMBT has already been quick off the mark and represented the city at a number of workshops, meetings, conferences and taken part in various activities around the city.

The organisation has already been part of hosting or promoting major events like the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and The Herald Cycle Tour. These all contribute in NMBT’s drive to market the city as a preferred tourism destination.

“No sooner had Afcon finished and we were busy with the next drawcard event, The Herald Cycle Tour. Remarkably it was the 28th tour this year. Amazing that it has been held for so many years and successfully so. It certainly is an event that assists us market the city as being event friendly and bike friendly. It brings to the fore all the various support structures in the Bay that work together to make events so successful,” NMBT CEO Mandlakazi Skefile said.

The race, which took place on the first weekend of February this year creates a sense of longer holiday, Skefile said, “It’s at the end of the official Summer Season and extends the holiday period after schools re-open. It is a family focused event so many people travel from all over the country to participate and the entire family can join in.”

NMBT supported this event by hosting an information desk during registration and provided branding at the event.

“We also facilitated meetings with the organiser and affected tourism members during the road closure period. This shows that our members are accommodating and welcome events of this nature in the city. It is all made possible by the good communication and relationships between event organisers, NMBT and its members,” said Skefile.

Looking back at experiences during the summer season that left lasting memories, Skefile said Route 67 and Arts Walk certainly sprung to mind. Skefile took her own children on the Route 67 tour in December, “They thoroughly enjoyed the outing. This  shows that we need to get our children out there and encourage them to love the city for all it has to offer. It is important that they understand the heritage and the importance of preserving the history related to our city. They will become our future ambassadors!”