Cycle tour boosts tourism coffers
THE Herald VW Cycle Tour this weekend offers a welcome boost to the city's tourism coffers – with the event attracting more than 4000 visitors.
Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism chief executive Mandlakazi Skefile said the city was ready to welcome cyclists and spectators to South Africa's second oldest national classic cycle tour.
"This is a proud and exciting annual event which has a great economic impact as well as providing massive exposure for Nelson Mandela Bay. The event attracts over 4000 visitors to the city who frequent various tourism facilities," Skefile said.
The visitor foot traffic at the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment World, which hosts the Herald VW Cycle Tour Expo at the convention centre today, increased by 36% from 2012 to 38947 last year.
Skefile said the visitors figures showed the positive impact the event had on the city. "I would like to appeal to the industry and locals ... to offer support and a great experience to visitors and participants."
Boardwalk general manager Brett Hoppe said everything was in place for the weekend and that the centre would be ready for the influx of riders and supporters.
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber chief executive Kevin Hustler said tourism was a sector that held an enormous amount of potential to grow the Bay economy.
"The Herald VW Cycle Tour deserves the support of the people of this city for the exposure it provides and the potential revenue it generates. Tourists, and the money they spend, have the potential to bolster sales in and around the city. Events such as this generate interest in our city, and their success sets us up to become a sports tourism destination of choice," Hustler said.
The event started in 1986 with just 350 participants and has taken place every year since then.
It has shown sustainability in the industry by creating work for small businesses in both Port Elizabeth and Addo.
Two permanent employees work on the Hayterdale trails, building and maintaining the mountain bike route, with three additional people being brought in several months prior to the event for track preparation.
With the mountain bike event, 40 marshals are employed from Addo through farmers. In addition, 10 registration and administration staff are also employed.