The festive season is upon us, and it is all systems go.
Thousands of holidaymakers flocking to Wild Coast beaches and seeking out East London’s festive parties have booked out most accommodation.
While in Nelson Mandela Bay it has been reported that several accommodation establishments were experiencing a substantial decline in bookings in the lead-up up to Christmas, further east, up the coast, hotels, guesthouses and backpackers said business was booming.
The Dispatch spoke to owners of a number of establishments in East London and on the Wild Coast who all expressed excitement at the upcoming holidays.
“We are pretty busy. The last week of December is the busiest,” said Premier Hotel Regent receptionist Kuselo Tshaka.
“We’ve seen a bit of an increase in bookings this year. We had a water polo team stay with us recently and we were booked up. We’re fully booked for the rest of the season and so are all our other Kat Leisure resorts,” Hotel Osner receptionist Chereesa Bowles said
The Schools Water Polo South Africa national tournament saw teams from all over SA flock to Buffalo City’s Joan Harrison swimming pool from Thursday until Monday.
“We’ve been quite full for the last few days with the water polo tournament and I think most of EL has been busy with that. We’re also full during the last week of December, and that’s a norm for us,” Vincent’s Princess Lodge owner, Sam Ramsay, said.
At Sugarshack Backpackers, situated only metres away from Eastern Beach, receptionist Phakama Dyum said they had been extremely busy since the beginning of December.
The Daily Dispatch was unable to get comment from the Buffalo City Tourism Hub, which was launched in October, as it was closed on Monday’s public holiday.
On Monday the East London beachfront was abuzz with families enjoying the Aquarium’s displays and splashing around in the Orient Pools which have now been filled up with water after standing empty last week.
Despite the recent Samwu strike that forced the temporary closure of the Aquarium for three weeks at the end of last month and beginning of December, it still attracted over 1,300 visitors in the time available in November and December, said BCM chief of marine services, Siani Tinley.
Nancy Kuria, who owns curio shop, African Curios next door, said business had been brisk.
BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said the city was up and ready, expecting to attract 20,000 people to the East London beachfront alone.
Border-Kei Chamber of Business director Les Holbrook said many holidaymakers were attracted to BCM because it offered an alternative holiday destination.
“People are tired of the Kruger National Park and the Garden Route and are looking for something different. A very strong attraction is the Wild Coast and East London often gets the overlap of visitors. Another big draw card is the many festivals we have at this time of the year,” said Holbrook.
“Our beaches and coastal areas are becoming very popular and places like Chintsa and Kidds Beach also attract a lot of people. There aren’t many places where a reserve like Inkwenkwezi and the Emerald Vale [craft] brewery are in such close proximity.”
Wild Coast tour operators said many of their visitors came from Gauteng, Free State and a few from Cape Town.
Horse riding, beach walks, and game drives were on their minds, said tour operators.
A receptionist at Mazeppa Bay Hotel said they were “inundated” with arriving guests. Manager Vanessa Fisher said all 46 rooms were booked until January 4.
The Kei Mouth Hotel Lodge was fully booked from Friday to January 4, said owner Julie-Anne Gower.
Haga Haga Hotel owner Sandy Chemaly said the 80-bed four-star establishment was was fully booked until January 13. “Although we have not had much rain, we are still coping with the water [problems].”
The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA) launched a new mobile appExplore Eastern Cape offering tourism information.
ECPTA CEO, Vuyani Dayimani said it would bring convenience to the traveller who would now have easy access to information at the touch of a button.
Nelson Mandela Bay tourism CEO Glenton de Kock, reflecting on their tougher state of affairs, said macro-economic factors such as unemployment, inflation and savings had consumers vigilantly watching their spending patterns...