PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The Plett Tourism Association has been appointed as Bitou Muncipality's local tourism organisation for the next three years, a contract that amounts to over R9m for the contract period.

Plett Tourism was the only organisation to submit a tender, called for in May, and was awarded the contract on 26 June by the municipality. Its tender amount was just over R3,9m, but the contract was given for R3,3m, Plett Tourism chairperson Bruce Richardson said. 

Richardson confirmed the award of the tender at Plett Tourism's AGM, held at the Beacon Island Resort on Wednesday 30 August, and said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is being established between Plett Tourism and the municipality. The MOU should be finalised by early next year.

Plett Tourism will be responsible for covering destination marketing, destination management and destination development, according to the contract. Richardson welcomed the fact that Plett Tourism now has a more secure security of tenure "which changes the game plan". 

There was also a requirement for Plett Tourism to supplement its funding through innovative projects and sponsorships.

"[The contract] is a huge milestone for us and has paved the way for us for an ongoing situation … and we are confident for the road ahead," said Richardson. In the meantime, Plett Tourism will operate according to its current business plan, but a new phase in tourism will commence in July 2024. Richardson added that relations between Plett Tourism Association and the municipality are now more comfortable, more positive and more constructive than it has been. "We look forward to extraordinary outcomes in future," he said.

Patty Butterworth, CEO of Plett Tourism, painted a positive picture about tourism arrivals in Plett, saying that "people are coming back to Plett". She admitted the past year had come with challenges that included the presence of a rival group, Plettenberg Bay Tourism, whose name caused much confusion in the industry.

She said there are processes in place to rectify this, but while Plett Tourism does not object to the function of a different organisation, "the name has to be changed".

Butterworth said Plett had overtaken George in the total number of booking confirmations, and the George general manager of tourism called her to congratulate her on this milestone. She said Plett is boxing above its weight both in the size of the market and the budget available to it.

One of the most exciting developments over the past year was that Plett had been named as one of three whale heritage sites (WHS) in South Africa (there are only seven in the world) by the World Cetacean Alliance. 

She said this indicates that Plett needs to concentrate on high value customers from niche markets. Plett Tourism's three-year plus strategy will be implemented in July 2024, with yearly business plans to be integrated with the new strategy.

The basis of this would be industry research, engagement and research with members to identify trends. She said Plett's prime position for future travellers was encapsulated in the Africa Travel Week post-WTM trends report. 

This was to "get ready to meet the younger luxury traveller, the intrepid adventurer, the eco-warrior, the pilgrim and those focused on sustainability, inclusivity and the needs of diverse communities".

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’