SummaryOpen the quick read
- Nelson Mandela Bay's Hobie, Humewood, and Kings beaches retained full Blue Flag status, while Bluewater Bay and Wells Estate secured pilot status.
- Humewood Beach joined an elite group of just three beaches nationally to maintain Blue Flag accreditation continuously for 25 years.
- Mayor Babalwa Lobishe highlighted the awards as essential drivers of the municipal tourism value chain and local job creation.
- Environmental groups remain sceptical over water quality criteria following periodic sewage spills along the beachfront.
- The metro prepares to host the Lifesaving World Championships, hoping recent infrastructure issues will not disrupt the international event.
The international Blue Flag signature of environmental, safety and accessibility excellence is still flying high in Nelson Mandela Bay.
And Humewood Beach joins an elite group of just three beaches nationally which has retained this status since the inception of the Blue Flag programme 25 years ago.
Hailing this good news on Wednesday, Bay mayor Babalwa Lobishe said she was delighted.
“Every Blue Flag that flies over our beaches represents a guesthouse that is fully booked, a surf school that is busy, a beachfront trader who makes a sale, and a young lifeguard who has a job.
“That is the tourism value chain we are protecting and growing.”
The Bay beachfront has not been free of problems including periodic sewage spills affecting Kings and Humewood beaches.
However, the respected Wildlife and Environment Society of SA, which manages the Blue Flag programme under the auspices of the international France-based Foundation for Environmental Education, decided these problems were satisfactorily addressed.
At its October 8 Blue Flag event in Hermanus, the society recognised 62 Blue Flags around SA's coastline, including full status for Nelson Mandela Bay’s Hobie, Humewood and Kings beaches, and pilot status for Bluewater Bay and Wells Estate beaches.
Hobie Beach was reserved for a further accolade as it has retained Blue Flag status for 25 years since the SA inception of the programme, together with Grotto Beach in the Western Cape town of Hermanus, and Marina Beach, on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
Lobishe said the metro had identified its beaches as “one of the critical enablers of economic growth, specifically through international water sports events, and tourism in general".
“The retained Blue Flag statuses clearly confirm the returns on the efforts we continue to make to keep our beaches at acceptable global standards.”
A Blue Flag is one of the most widely recognised coastal eco-labels in the world.
For travellers, tour operators and event owners, it serves as a trusted assurance of clean water, safety and quality facilities.
The mayor said that, in a highly competitive coastal tourism market, this recognition "differentiates Nelson Mandela Bay, supports destination marketing and strengthens the city’s case to attract visitors who stay longer and spend more".
Ironically, Bay watersports, tourism and environmental bodies have argued that while this is indeed the argument for maintaining the city’s beaches, this potential is being scuppered by the metro, which has failed to stop regular sewage spills polluting the beachfront and ocean including in the Hobie and Kings beach area.
In June, Gqeberha lost the prestigious Ironman event, which it had hosted for 21 years, with stakeholders pointing to crumbling infrastructure, a dysfunctional municipality and sewage spills as some of the reasons.
The city is due to host the Lifesaving World Championships from November 25 to December 14 at Kings Beach, and the hope is that the sewage spills that have in past months and years covered the adjacent carpark, and sometimes run onto the sand and into the sea, are a thing of the past.
Coastal Environmental Trust co-founder Dr Peter Schwartz said on Wednesday he was happy three Bay beaches had retained their Blue Flag status, because of what it meant for tourism.
"I'm sceptical that they have met all the international Blue Flag criteria — but if they have, then I'm happy.
"To improve things still further, the metro should publish their water quality test results for those beaches, twice a week in season, in The Herald."
An upbeat Lobishe, meanwhile, said the value of a Blue Flag beach extended well beyond the shoreline.
“Every visitor drawn to the city’s beaches supported a wide network of enterprises: hotels, guesthouses and bed and breakfast establishments; restaurants, cafés and beachfront traders; tour operators and registered tourist guides; surf schools, water sports and marine tourism operators; car hire, shuttle and taxi operators; and the events, conferencing and hospitality suppliers that service major occasions.
“I would like to call upon all those who have not yet confirmed their holiday destinations to choose Nelson Mandela Bay.
"They will enjoy world standard, warm beaches, and the friendliness of our people, which we are known for.
“As the summer holiday season approaches, the municipality encourages residents, visitors and holidaymakers to enjoy its beaches responsibly, to swim only where lifeguards are on duty, and to help protect the natural environment that makes Nelson Mandela Bay a sought-after coastal destination.”
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