Port Alfred shines
Safe and buzzing with activities, Port Alfred is a gem on the tourism map,
Port Alfred’s reputation as a safe and vibrant place for families to live and holiday has been strengthened by collaboration across the region, and within the town.
The Sunshine Coast Tourism AGM held at the Royal Port Alfred Golf Club saw new board members elected, with the outgoing board revealing an array of successful projects aimed at making Port Alfred a better place to live and visit.
Port Alfred Tourism manager Sandy Birch highlighted the work that tourism has been doing to promote the town. Birch said they had a great year in terms of their funded projects with the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and Sarah Baartman District Municipality among their funders. A sign installed in Wharf Street welcoming visitors to Port Alfred was one of these projects. And with assistance, Sunshine Coast Tourism was able to launch websites for both Port Alfred and Kenton.
Birch said the team had visited local attractions so they could get to know them inside out. Special spots the area had to offer included Mansfield Game Reserve, Kleinemonde and the Kenton-on-Sea beaches.
“We have also upped our digital footprint,” Birch said. “I hope you are enjoying the newsletters we send out every week.”
The organisation was excited last year when they were able to incorporate Nanaga into their area.
Birch went on to tell the audience about local events and expressed appreciation for the support they receive.
“Events are coming fast and furious,” Birch said.
She made special mention of the university boat races that kick off this week.
Birch thanked the Board for their commitment.
“Not forgetting our members: without you, we would not have tourism,” she said.
Representing the Port Alfred Business Forum, Clinton Millard said they had been able to recruit beach patrollers who patrol from Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm. He said the beach patrols had made local beaches a safe place.
“It’s becoming a family beach which is what we really want. With that, the Lions have also come on board and donated five warning boards,” he said.
Millard said Port Alfred was one of the safest areas to live in comparison to other coastal towns. He said Multi Security had partnered with the police in joint programmes to uproot crime in Port Alfred.
“We have our crime under control,” Millard said.
Multi Security and the South African Police Service had launched two campaigns, Millard said.
SAPS’s campaign is called Community in Blue, to educate the community on how to avoid crime. Multi Security’s campaign is called Take Back our Towns.
“We are bringing SAPS into areas where we are having problems to use the power that they have to fix them,” he said.
Sunshine Coast Tourism Chair Rick Pryce said, “It is extraordinary to remind ourselves that at last year’s AGM we were talking about SA shifting to adjusted lockdown level 1, and being removed from the UK’s red list.
“This year we are able to report on business and tourism recovery, completion of tourism projects and planned projects for the year ahead,” he said.
Pryce also applauded Medolino Caravan Park’s improvements, describing the new additions as a wow factor.
“Within a year of purchasing the park, new owners Johnny Young and Suzan Coetzee have been awarded 4-star status,” Pryce noted. They have also created a successful farmers market, wedding venue, kiddies’ park, coffee shop and will soon be opening Paintball,” he said.
Pryce said they had also forged a great working relationship with Talk of the Town who support tourism campaigns such as the Sunshine Coast Unplugged photographic competition where a spectacular photograph of the area is uploaded to their social media pages and Talk of the Town publishes its choice in each edition.
Pryce thanked Millard for working with tourism to ensure that planned projects reach fruition. Sunshine Coast Tourism awarded their annual trophy to Millard and Multi Security.