Residents share the love for tourism

16 October 2020
Residents share the love for tourism

Word of mouth is worth its weight in gold and the #ShareTheBay competition showcased the city from a unique perspective. This was said by Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism chair Shaun van Eck on Friday, at the #ShareTheBay ambassador awards at the Sun Boardwalk Alcove.

“Word of mouth is the new gold. The content entered into the competition will be invaluable for us,” he said.

The #ShareTheBay competition encouraged residents to explore their city after the hard lockdown and showcase all it had to offer on social media.The competition ran throughout Tourism Month in September with each week having a specific theme, along with the categories of best artwork, picture and video.

“Our biggest asset is our locals and they stood up for this competition. If just 10 people tell someone about what the Bay offers they will then tell another 10 people.” Van Eck promised to leave people speechless when the city’s township tourism development plan was released in the next 10 days. “Our plan will be the market leader. It will be a privilege to be part of it.”

Reflecting on the city’s tourism month campaign, municipal marketing manager Siphokazi Ngombane said #ShareTheBay aimed to boost tourism after the lockdown. “The competition encouraged locals to create awareness of product offerings in Nelson Mandela Bay themselves through the content they created and sharing it with their friends and family.”

The themes included:
Week 1 was used to focus on iconic buildings, landmarks, and people associated with the Bay;
Week 2 shifted to wildlife and nature made up of the city’s fauna, flora, landscapes, beachfront and hiking trails;
Week 3 turned to heritage and culture with historical buildings, cultural activities, entertainment, museums; and 
Week 4 was based on food and entertainment.

“We wanted to create awareness of all the products offered in Nelson Mandela Bay,” she said. She said the competition educated residents on the importance of tourism. This, she said, was done by strengthening communication and partnerships between the municipality and the private sector.

“We set out to obtain quality media coverage for our city to create awareness to increase bookings, spending, and lengths of stay in the city.” She said the best people to share their experience of the Bay where the residents themselves. “They generated contented that told unique stories of how our locals see the city.” 

Speaking at the event, economic development political head Marlon Daniels said tourism was vital and helped drive investment. “it is all about brand awareness and we have several projects in the pipeline that will boost tourism,” he said. 
The projects include the planned Tower of Light precinct that will include a 27-storey tribute to honour former president Nelson Mandela at St George’s Park and a life-size sculpture of the world icon at Shark Rock Pier.“These projects will also create some much-needed jobs. These projects will also bring in investments.”

The city’s economic development head Anele Qaba said the competition was done to assist the tourism sector. “We will work with the private sector to boost tourism as the local government can’t do this alone.”  


The winners for the first week were Sabelo Nakani (artwork), Penny Cronje (picture) and Stuart Gilmer (video). Sakumzi Nyendwana won for his artwork in week two, along with Ayesha Cantor (picture) and Matthew du Plessis (video).  For week three it was Ross Langtree (artwork), Lilian Zeelie (picture) and Matthew du Plessis (video). For the last week, it was Abelang Mosweu (picture), Faatimah Mall (picture) and Bulelwa Qupe (video). 


 This article is in partnership with Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism. For more information, go to: www.nmbt.co.za. #NelsonMandelaBayTourism, #Sharethebay