Essentially a tourism “passport” to a plethora of adventures, experiences and site visits across the region, the Nelson Mandela Bay Pass is an affordable, value-adding ticket to a smorgasbord of iconic attractions and hidden gems dotted across Port Elizabeth and its surrounds.
Launched by the Bay’s tourism authorities two years ago, the pass – a physical smart access card – enables both free and discounted access to more than 60 attractions and activities in the Bay and its outlying areas, with its purchasers being able to select a pass which best suits their needs.
The pass includes built-in flexibility, with a variety of options available for its users.
These include different price packages and packages valid for up to seven days.
From craft beer and gourmet burgers to wildlife experiences and game drives, the pass delivers experiences which combine scenic, historic tours and many of the exhilarating activities that have come to define what is arguably one of the most beautiful corners of the Eastern Cape, also known as the “Adventure Province”.
Some of the most popular experiences available through the pass include:
● Savour gourmet pleasures
An eclectic menu of dining experiences are available to food lovers of every taste in the city’s vibrant suburb of Richmond Hill, where an array of eateries and experiences line the area’s popular Stanley Street.
Trendy coffee shops, deli and speciality wine stores are also part of the suburb’s wide range of offerings.
● Coastal encounters
Port Elizabeth’s pristine beaches are among the region’s most important assets.
Three of these enjoy full Blue Flag status and attract vast numbers of visitors and a range of activities and sporting events all year round.
Their wide expanses of golden sands and warm waters are ideal for safe, sheltered swimming, and are ideal for a long list of water sports and beach leisure activities.
● Authentic social and cultural township tours
Broaden your inter-cultural understanding by joining an expert guide on a vibrant, authentic and interactive tour through local communities of Nelson Mandela Bay.
● Eco-marine safaris
Grab the rare opportunity to see 50% of the world’s endangered African penguin population in their natural habitat, Cape gannets, four dolphin species, including the largest bottlenose dolphin populations in the world, and four whale species, all in one bay.
Various other marine species and sea birds can be viewed through a number of boat charters available from the Port Elizabeth Harbour.
● Micro-breweries
The popularity of craft beer is rapidly increasing among beer connoisseurs.
This has seen an equally rapid growth of a craft beer industry in the Bay.
Experience a micro-brewery tour which includes visits to some of the trendiest new brewers, each of which brews its own carefully crafted recipes, using natural ingredients to create uniquely flavoured beers.
The city is home to a wide range of both craft beer and cider brewers.
● Historical treasures
Explore the wealth of heritage sites in the city centre and its immediate surrounds which abound with some of the finest examples of colonial and other architecture.
As the site of the arrival of the 1820 Settlers, the area offers a rare wealth of treasures.
● Addo Elephant National Park
As the only nationally declared wildlife reserve park in the world that lays claim to be home to the Big 7, the Addo park is also home to the largest density of African elephants on the planet.
While elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino and lions comprise the Big 5, that the great white shark and Southern Right whale are included within the park’s land and sea boundary has allowed the reserve to claim that it encompasses the Big 7.
● Route 67
Uniting arts, culture and heritage, Route 67 portrays 67 public art works symbolising Nelson Mandela’s 67 years of work for a nonracial democratisation in SA and includes 67 steps leading up to the second largest flag in Africa.
● Fun family escapades
Speciality activities include guided Segway beachfront tours, indoor climbing at Valley Crag Indoor Climbing Centre, recreational trampoline activities at Gravity Indoor Trampoline Park, indoor go-karting at Algoa Grand Prix and a VW Auto Pavilion automotive tour, among others.
● Scenic excursions
Bay economic development executive director Anele Qaba said the pass was introduced to counteract difficulties created by the large number and differentiation of stakeholders creating the tourist product within the urbanised area, on one hand, and the density of its physical structures and economy, on the other.
“Facing the growing saturation of the market of urban tourism, destinations are trying to find a competitive advantage through building separate products and creating an aggregated tourist experience,” Qaba said.
The main benefit of a destination pass was that it offered the tourism board and the players in the industry an opportunity to showcase their offering in an effective way, which had been shown to increase the attractiveness of the destination.
“It offers the possibility to include previously disadvantaged individuals and SMMEs in the programme on the same level as big players in the industry which normally would not be able to reach out to the potential customer,” Qaba said.
There are two types of Nelson Mandela Bay visitor passes – the five-in-one pass that allows users to access five activities over a period of three months, as well as an unlimited access pass where a card holder can access all activities included in the pass.
Prices for the unlimited access pass range from R400 an adult for one day to R800 for seven days.
The unlimited itinerary passes are valid for one day, two days, three days, and seven days, depending on the period wanted, but it has to be used consecutively.
At the end of the validity period or when one has visited all the attractions, the pass will expire.
The visitor pass is available at all five tourism offices around the metro.
This article is in partnership with Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism.
For more information, visit: www.nmbt.co.za, www.awehness.org and #sharethebay
Smart pass to a plethora of adventures and hidden gems
Image: Supplied
Essentially a tourism “passport” to a plethora of adventures, experiences and site visits across the region, the Nelson Mandela Bay Pass is an affordable, value-adding ticket to a smorgasbord of iconic attractions and hidden gems dotted across Port Elizabeth and its surrounds.
Launched by the Bay’s tourism authorities two years ago, the pass – a physical smart access card – enables both free and discounted access to more than 60 attractions and activities in the Bay and its outlying areas, with its purchasers being able to select a pass which best suits their needs.
The pass includes built-in flexibility, with a variety of options available for its users.
These include different price packages and packages valid for up to seven days.
From craft beer and gourmet burgers to wildlife experiences and game drives, the pass delivers experiences which combine scenic, historic tours and many of the exhilarating activities that have come to define what is arguably one of the most beautiful corners of the Eastern Cape, also known as the “Adventure Province”.
Some of the most popular experiences available through the pass include:
● Savour gourmet pleasures
An eclectic menu of dining experiences are available to food lovers of every taste in the city’s vibrant suburb of Richmond Hill, where an array of eateries and experiences line the area’s popular Stanley Street.
Trendy coffee shops, deli and speciality wine stores are also part of the suburb’s wide range of offerings.
● Coastal encounters
Port Elizabeth’s pristine beaches are among the region’s most important assets.
Three of these enjoy full Blue Flag status and attract vast numbers of visitors and a range of activities and sporting events all year round.
Their wide expanses of golden sands and warm waters are ideal for safe, sheltered swimming, and are ideal for a long list of water sports and beach leisure activities.
● Authentic social and cultural township tours
Broaden your inter-cultural understanding by joining an expert guide on a vibrant, authentic and interactive tour through local communities of Nelson Mandela Bay.
● Eco-marine safaris
Grab the rare opportunity to see 50% of the world’s endangered African penguin population in their natural habitat, Cape gannets, four dolphin species, including the largest bottlenose dolphin populations in the world, and four whale species, all in one bay.
Various other marine species and sea birds can be viewed through a number of boat charters available from the Port Elizabeth Harbour.
● Micro-breweries
The popularity of craft beer is rapidly increasing among beer connoisseurs.
This has seen an equally rapid growth of a craft beer industry in the Bay.
Experience a micro-brewery tour which includes visits to some of the trendiest new brewers, each of which brews its own carefully crafted recipes, using natural ingredients to create uniquely flavoured beers.
The city is home to a wide range of both craft beer and cider brewers.
● Historical treasures
Explore the wealth of heritage sites in the city centre and its immediate surrounds which abound with some of the finest examples of colonial and other architecture.
As the site of the arrival of the 1820 Settlers, the area offers a rare wealth of treasures.
● Addo Elephant National Park
As the only nationally declared wildlife reserve park in the world that lays claim to be home to the Big 7, the Addo park is also home to the largest density of African elephants on the planet.
While elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino and lions comprise the Big 5, that the great white shark and Southern Right whale are included within the park’s land and sea boundary has allowed the reserve to claim that it encompasses the Big 7.
● Route 67
Uniting arts, culture and heritage, Route 67 portrays 67 public art works symbolising Nelson Mandela’s 67 years of work for a nonracial democratisation in SA and includes 67 steps leading up to the second largest flag in Africa.
● Fun family escapades
Speciality activities include guided Segway beachfront tours, indoor climbing at Valley Crag Indoor Climbing Centre, recreational trampoline activities at Gravity Indoor Trampoline Park, indoor go-karting at Algoa Grand Prix and a VW Auto Pavilion automotive tour, among others.
● Scenic excursions
Bay economic development executive director Anele Qaba said the pass was introduced to counteract difficulties created by the large number and differentiation of stakeholders creating the tourist product within the urbanised area, on one hand, and the density of its physical structures and economy, on the other.
“Facing the growing saturation of the market of urban tourism, destinations are trying to find a competitive advantage through building separate products and creating an aggregated tourist experience,” Qaba said.
The main benefit of a destination pass was that it offered the tourism board and the players in the industry an opportunity to showcase their offering in an effective way, which had been shown to increase the attractiveness of the destination.
“It offers the possibility to include previously disadvantaged individuals and SMMEs in the programme on the same level as big players in the industry which normally would not be able to reach out to the potential customer,” Qaba said.
There are two types of Nelson Mandela Bay visitor passes – the five-in-one pass that allows users to access five activities over a period of three months, as well as an unlimited access pass where a card holder can access all activities included in the pass.
Prices for the unlimited access pass range from R400 an adult for one day to R800 for seven days.
The unlimited itinerary passes are valid for one day, two days, three days, and seven days, depending on the period wanted, but it has to be used consecutively.
At the end of the validity period or when one has visited all the attractions, the pass will expire.
The visitor pass is available at all five tourism offices around the metro.
This article is in partnership with Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism.
For more information, visit: www.nmbt.co.za, www.awehness.org and #sharethebay
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