Development in Jeffreys Bay is on the rise as the town sets its sights on being more than a summer holiday destination.
Jeffreys Bay Tourism chair Deon Freemantle said instead of attracting visitors during the high season it wanted to fill the gap with a more sustained traffic flow.
This has led to business owners planning numerous activities that will hopefully attract people all year long.
“We want to bring up the lows to a certain level throughout the year so that we can have a good turnout consistently,” he said.
“We’re trying to be visible and stand out from the crowd and it means creating an activity list such as horse riding, cycling and adventure sports.
“Jeffreys Bay was always focused on being a surf town but we want to be more than that.”
He welcomed recent developments in the town, saying they had created jobs.
“Jeffreys Bay is buzzing at the moment.”
This comes as Jeffreys Bay was recently named Town of the Year by Kwela , winning a year’s worth of advertising on the TV channel.
The Kabeljous Development at the old caravan park is under construction along the beachfront, with two units already built.
Another development, Town Lodge Jeffreys Bay, is also a new option for visitors coming to the coastal town.
Town Lodge owner Freddy Maseko said he had bought the property, which has eight bedrooms, because when he visited the town with his children two years ago he struggled to find accommodation.
Originally from Johannesburg, Maseko said he had spent nearly a week in his vehicle before finally finding accommodation.
“When I came here I saw there was a challenge with accommodation so I decided to buy this place and turn it into a bed and breakfast,” he said.
Maseko has lived in Jeffreys Bay for the past 18 months now.
“I took out a loan to buy the property and now I can’t open it because I’m still waiting for approval. People from overseas are calling, inquiring about booking, but I can’t do that or else the municipality will fine me,” Maseko said.
This is due to his rezoning application not being approved yet.
Kouga Business Forum vicechair Dries du Preez said the only way the economy in the region would grow was to bolster the tourism industry.
“There’s no doubt about it,” Du Preez said.
“We want tourists to come here and not just tourists who come for a weekend visit, but tourists who see potential and want to invest and contribute to the economy of the area.
“People want to stay here and develop here and we’re working closely with the municipality and they’ve sought the help of top-notch consultants to do evaluations to check our strong points and weak points,” he said.
Du Preez said the land debate on whether to amend section 25 of the constitution and expropriate land without compensation had a negative effect on development in the area.
“The environment for development is low. People are sitting on their money and it’s a very big negative for us because at a grassroot level we’re feeling this,” Du Preez said.
Jeffreys Bay Tourism official Estelle de Beer said it had just trained six locals to become tour guides in an effort to boost tours in the area.
“We’ve got adventure, we’ve got nature, we’ve got the ocean and world-class restaurants and people need to see that,” she said.
Among many other attractions in the area are Waky Waters water park at the Marina Martinique, but it opens only during the high season when the town has many visitors.