PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - It appears that Covid-19's grip on the tourism industry is starting to loosen and in comparison with previous years, Plettenberg Bay has experienced some healthy growth over the past festive season. 

According to a survey conducted by the Plett Tourism Association, the sectors that saw high growth included accommodation, restaurants and tourism services, while other sectors, including tourism activities and retail, saw medium growth.

Plett Tourism chief executive Patty Butterworth explained that the hospitality sector is arguably the leading source of income for Plettenberg Bay, generating an average of R3,9b annually before Covid.

"Tourism contributes significantly to Plett's annual GDP and it is the largest employer in the town," Butterworth said.

South African travellers contributed to about 90% of the sector's income from October to December. 

"The majority of businesses in Plett have relied on that December trade to sustain them, and for many the survey showed that times had changed following the outbreak of Covid-19 and that a new type of traveller with different needs is emerging. South Africans have been conservative with travel during the traditional summer holidays.

"The bookings for accommodation in Plett during the period leading up to the December/January period were relatively conservative, however, there was growth from the previous year's figures."

Serviced accommodation

There was however high growth in the serviced accommodation industry. The data from the survey showed that in October, about 71% respondents had an average occupancy of 36%, in November 83% had an average occupancy of 83%, and in December 95% reported an average occupancy of 85%. 

Compared with 2021 figures during the same months, 71% of the survey respondents reported their bookings were up. About 95% reported a slow growth in average bed nights. 

Butterworth explained that they reported guests staying between two and three nights in October, two nights in November and five nights in December.

She said 76% of survey respondents reported guests were either young couples travelling independently or with children. "And, notably, 89% of respondents reported 38% of their guests were from South Africa and 43% were international."

Self-catering accommodation

In the self-catering accommodation sector, a similar picture emerged with 75% of the survey respondents reporting an average occupancy of 30% in the month of October, 75% had an average occupancy of 25% in November, and 75% had an average occupancy of 85% for December.

"In comparison with 2021 figures during those same months, 75% of the survey respondents reported their bookings were up. About 75% of survey respondents reported three to four nights as the average stay in October, three nights for November and seven or more nights in December." Most guests were domestic travelers.

Restaurants

Restaurants also saw high growth, with 85% of survey respondents reporting an average of 40% capacity for October, 93% reporting an average of 50% occupancy for November and 86% reporting an average of 85% occupancy for December.

Butterworth said 73% of respondents indicated an increase in capacity in comparison with 2021. "Again, worth noting is that 100% of survey respondents reported guests were a 50/50 mix from South Africa and international guests."

Tourism activities

Tourism activities experienced medium growth with the large majority of guests having been South Africans. CapeNature however reported a 157% increase in visitors at Robberg Nature Reserve in comparison with the same months in 2021.

Butterworth said tourism services - which includes catering, car rentals and eventing services - generally also saw a high increase in growth. "75% of survey respondents indicated they had an increase in service requests in comparison with 2021."

One of these is local chef and business owner Suzette Oberholzer, who does private catering and also services events, through Gather2Create. "We had a very busy season on all fronts and it seems the momentum is carrying into 2023," Oberholzer said.

Event organisers, retail

According to Butterworth, it was the first time that event organisers also participated in the survey, and 83% of those reported growth compared with events in 2021.

Retail outlets also reported an increase of 7,4% for October in comparison with 2021 figures, 10,3% for November and 8% for December.

"The good performance is attributable to many factors, including a push by regional and provincial tourism to attract more domestic tourists' movement, and an increase for the desire to travel after a three-year pandemic hiatus.

Lastly, the innovative marketing programmes conducted by individual businesses, and our own destination marketing, has allowed for increased visibility of Brand Plett," Butterworth said.

"The communication platforms we use, the variety of festivals and events and the launch of new products have all contributed to increased awareness."

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