Nelson Mandela Bay And The Garden Route Offer A Compelling Coastal And Nature Based Tourism Proposition

Statement by the Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Cllr Babalwa Lobishe:

Nelson Mandela Bay’s economic future will not be secured by potential alone. It will be secured by the deliberate work of connecting markets, attracting investment, strengthening local businesses and ensuring that the economic value generated by our city translates into meaningful opportunities for our people.

This is the direction in which Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is working, guided by our Integrated Development Plan, Tourism Master Plan and broader economic development and investment priorities.

The forthcoming introduction of Airlink’s direct scheduled service between Gqeberha and Mbombela, commencing on 16 November 2026, is an important example of the opportunities that become possible when improved connectivity, destination marketing and economic development are pursued together.

Operating three times a week between Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport and Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, the service will establish the first direct scheduled air connection between these two cities. It creates an opportunity to connect Nelson Mandela Bay’s coastal, cultural, marine and wildlife experiences with the internationally recognised tourism offering of the Kruger National Park region, while strengthening business travel between the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga.

For Nelson Mandela Bay, this is about much more than an additional flight. It is about opening a new commercial corridor, strengthening our position as a gateway to the Eastern Cape and Garden Route, and enabling tourism operators, accommodation establishments, transport providers, restaurants, attractions and other local businesses to reach new markets.

Our responsibility as a municipality is to ensure that improved access translates into economic activity within our city. We want visitors to experience Nelson Mandela Bay, stay longer, spend locally and return. We also want businesspeople and investors from Mpumalanga to see our city not simply as a destination to visit, but as a place in which to establish partnerships, explore opportunities and invest.

This approach is consistent with the Municipality’s long standing Airlift Programme, established in 2018 to strengthen air access through collaboration with aviation, tourism, government and business stakeholders. The programme reflects our understanding that competitive destinations do not wait passively for opportunities to emerge. They work with the private sector to improve accessibility, stimulate demand and create the conditions for sustainable route development.

Through the Nelson Mandela Bay Airlift Committee, we will continue working with Airlink, Airports Company South Africa, South African Tourism, provincial partners, organised business and the tourism industry to promote the route and explore opportunities for reciprocal destination marketing, tourism packages and business engagement.

The economic rationale is clear. Nelson Mandela Bay and the Garden Route offer a compelling coastal and nature based tourism proposition, while Mbombela provides access to the Kruger National Park and the wider Mpumalanga tourism economy. Connecting these complementary destinations creates scope for integrated itineraries that encourage visitors to explore more of South Africa, with Nelson Mandela Bay positioned as an essential part of that journey.

Our Tourism Master Plan recognises that growing tourism requires a coordinated approach to market access, destination promotion, product development and collaboration across the tourism value chain. The new route provides an opportunity to put that approach into practice, working with industry partners to convert improved connectivity into bookable experiences and measurable economic returns.

We are encouraged by the contribution tourism is already making to our local economy. The 2026 State of the Metro Address reported that tourism contributed approximately R12.8 billion to the local economy during 2024 and 2025. The 2025/26 cruise season also generated an estimated R111 million in economic impact, with 39 cruise vessels bringing 59,077 passengers and 22,994 crew members to Nelson Mandela Bay.

These figures demonstrate the economic significance of tourism and the importance of deliberately developing our destination’s competitive advantages. They also reinforce the need to broaden our tourism offering, strengthen partnerships and pursue opportunities that extend economic participation beyond established operators to small businesses, emerging entrepreneurs and township enterprises.

Our economic development agenda extends beyond tourism. Nelson Mandela Bay possesses strategic assets that can support a more diversified and competitive economy, including its two commercial ports, the Coega Special Economic Zone, its established automotive and manufacturing industries, and its position within regional and international trade networks.

Improved connectivity with Mpumalanga creates an additional platform for engagement between businesses operating across these economies. There are opportunities to explore partnerships in manufacturing, logistics, agriculture and agro processing, forestry, energy and tourism. The new passenger service is not a freight route, nor does it guarantee new investment. Its value lies in making business engagement easier and creating opportunities for relationships that could develop into commercial partnerships, supply chain connections and investment prospects.

We must be equally deliberate about ensuring that economic growth creates opportunities for local entrepreneurs and young people. Our R12 million, three year partnership with the Pan African Information Communication Technology Association is one practical intervention in this regard, supporting digital skills, entrepreneurship and enterprise development through an SMME support centre.

The Municipality’s broader economic programme is also reflected in the approximately R1.45 billion in investment facilitated and the 16,492 work opportunities reported through public employment programmes in the 2026 State of the Metro Address. These are important indicators of activity, but our task is to build on them and ensure that economic development becomes increasingly inclusive, sustainable and capable of supporting livelihoods.

Werecognise that investment confidence also depends on a municipality that works. Businesses need reliable infrastructure, efficient administration, predictable processes and a city that can support economic activity. Our economic ambitions must therefore advance alongside the work of improving municipal operations, strengthening infrastructure and addressing the challenges that affect residents and businesses.

The proposed Nelson Mandela Bay Aerotropolis forms part of our longer term vision to better integrate the airport with the surrounding urban and regional economy, including potential opportunities in logistics, aviation related activities, industrial development and commercial growth. The proposal remains subject to the required municipal processes and Council consideration. It represents a strategic direction that must be developed responsibly and aligned with airport planning, infrastructure requirements and our wider economic priorities.

Weare clear that economic development cannot be measured only by announcements, plans or the number of partnerships established. It must ultimately be measured by investment realised, businesses sustained and expanded, visitors converted into local expenditure, jobs created, and opportunities made accessible to communities that have historically remained on the margins of economic activity.

As the Municipality advances its Integrated Development Plan and economic development priorities, our focus is on connecting strategic planning with practical implementation. We must build on the assets we have, address the constraints that undermine competitiveness and work with all spheres of government, organised business, investors and communities to unlock the full potential of Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Airlink service presents an opportunity. Our responsibility is to help turn that opportunity into lasting economic value.

Weinvite tourism operators, accommodation establishments, tour guides, transport providers, restaurants, small businesses and the wider business community to engage with this development, identify opportunities for collaboration and develop products that will encourage visitors and investors to experience more of Nelson Mandela Bay.

Our ambition is to build a city that is not only attractive to visit, but competitive to invest in, productive to do business in and capable of creating meaningful opportunities for its people.

That is the economic future we are working towards: a connected, diversified and inclusive Nelson Mandela Bay, where strategic partnerships and municipal planning translate into tangible progress for residents and businesses.