The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has launched a new tourism desk to help galvanise the sector as a key driver of socioeconomic growth in the metro.
The chamber says while the Bay is blessed with top-notch tourism assets, these are being undermined by neglect, and weak and fragmented efforts to leverage them.
Bay chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said on Thursday that the city needed to do more to enhance its tourism assets to lure more visitors and convince them to stay longer.
"We need to focus on improving how we take care of our wonderful existing assets, and how to show them off better than we are doing currently."
Van Huyssteen said she had recently participated in an organised excursion to Route 67 — the open-air public art and heritage walking trail in Central, inspired by the years spent by former president Nelson Mandela in public service and the anti-apartheid struggle — which formed part of the city's official tourism route.
"It's clear we need to get Route 67 back into shape.
"That's low-hanging fruit that can really make a difference."
She said the same approach should be taken with the Main Library, the only historic building in SA built as a public library and still being used for that purpose, and the Campanile, the 126-year-old bell tower erected to commemorate the landing of the 1820 British settlers.
"We need to clean up our tourism assets, where necessary repair them, and make them more safe and secure.
"By turning around the current neglect, we will have already given tourism a powerful boost."
She said the city's other tourism attractions included adjacent Algoa Bay, which was a certified Global Whale and Wildlife Heritage Area, the unofficial bottlenose dolphin capital, and subject of a current UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation world heritage site application by Wilderness Foundation Africa.
"Then there is mountain biking in the Baakens Valley, sporting events, manufacturing and agricultural heritage, biodiversity, the proximity to the Addo elephant park and other reserves, walking and hiking, and much more."
She said the friendliness of Bay residents and the area's favourable climate and natural beauty, could only go so far.
"Tourism needs to be taken much more seriously.
"It is a highly labour-intensive sector with strong multiplier effects through diverse economic sectors.
"Making it work has a ripple effect on business in transport, retail, arts and culture, personal services, financial services, real estate and construction.
"These strong economic and job creation impacts are the reason we are launching this desk."
Van Huyssteen said the need for a stronger focus on tourism was underscored by the sector’s significant contribution to the national economy.
In 2024, tourism directly contributed R361.7bn, or 4.9% to SA’s GDP, and supported more than 950,000 direct jobs, with a significant multiplier effect across sectors supplying tourism businesses.
“The national tourism sector has demonstrated a strong recovery since Covid, but we are not seeing the same trajectory in the Bay.
"Direct and indirect tourism employment here is estimated at about 18,500 jobs, while overnight visitor expenditure of about R6.2bn in 2025 represented only 3.1% of the metro’s economic value add."
She said the new desk would work particularly closely with the chamber’s beachfront, Walmer and Baakens Valley geographic clusters.
"The focus will include improving the visitor experience, developing tourism routes, products and experiences, strengthening destination messaging, supporting events and business tourism, improving skills and connecting tourism businesses to opportunities through the chamber’s broader network.
“The Bay has incredible stories waiting to be told.
"Too often, we overlook what is right in front of us.
"While we must confront what is not working, we also need to recognise, celebrate and promote what is working and turn our assets into memorable experiences that create local economic opportunity and jobs."
She said the chamber's new tourism economic development desk was supported by a group of private-sector partners, including City Lodge Hotels, First National Bank, Boardwalk Hotel and Casino and Coega Steels.
"Their involvement reflects the importance of collaboration between business and other stakeholders in unlocking the Bay’s tourism potential."