Africa Outlook - Port Elizabeth Business Travel Guide

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Port Elizabeth

A walk on the wild and wonderful side

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The ‘windy’ and ‘friendly’ city bridges the most spectacular of natural beauty, with the most poignant of historical reference; all on the backdrop of one of the world’s most perfect swimming beaches Writer: Matthew Staff

Port Elizabe outh Africa has an embarrassment of riches to showcase to the millions of tourists who grace their shores each year, with few as impressive and dynamic as the coastal city, Port Elizabeth.

As one of the country’s largest cities situated in the Eastern Cape Province - nearly 800 kilometres to the east of Cape Town - the so-called ‘Friendly City’ has built its positive reputation as just that; an accommodating and sunkissed stretch of urban-meets-beach that brings holiday makers in, in their droves, and gives business travellers

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the perfect relaxing retreat when not in the boardroom.

Now part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, the 16 kilometre stretch acts as one of the country’s main seaports along Algoa Bay, yet away from the stunning beaches and warm seas there is plenty to see inland too.

Copious museums documenting the city’s chequered history are rare walls to a plethora of natural beauty that acts as the primary tourist attractions, and it is this walk on the wild side that the business traveller should look to take no matter how long the stay in Port Elizabeth.

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Facts and figures LOCATION

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Port Elizabeth

Containing “cultural and historical nuggets, and some of the friendliest folk in the country”, as southafrica. net’s Guide to South Africa enthuses, Port Elizabeth’s journey to its current state is every bit as eventful as the wider country’s has been, as one of the major cities driving settlements, political agendas and colonisations over the centuries.

Since the late 1800s, it has been recognised as its own Municipality (prior to forming part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality in 2000), but the reminders of tradition and historical significance remain throughout the area’s artefacts, population, language and landmarks.

When visiting Port Elizabeth, these facets are both

Country: Languages:

South Africa Afrikaans, English, Xhosa Area: 251 square kilometres Population (2011): 312,392 Currency: Rand Time zone: UTC+2 Dialling code: +27 Internet TLD: .za Climate: Oceanic Highest recorded temperature: 40.7 °C

humbling and fascinating in equal measure, but when analysing the key stats that will dictate the enjoyment of your stay in the city, you could be forgiven for not looking beyond the climate.

Despite being known as ‘The Windy City’ and officially having an oceanic climate synonymous with the coastal breezes that hit the shores, the subtropical nature of the region more than balances out the affliction to culminate in a warm, yet comfortable and less humid visit than you might experience elsewhere in South Africa, and certainly further into the continent.

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The business end

Given its attractions and pulling factors as a location, it probably comes as no surprise that its primary economic driver is through tourism.

The combination of safe and hospitable swimming beaches like King’s Beach and Hobie Beach, combined with numerous local historic landmarks like the Donkin Heritage Trail - which includes links to the Campanile bell tower, the city hall, the Donkin Reserve Park and Monument, and the old stone Fort Frederick - only scratch the surface of sights to behold when visiting Port Elizabeth.

Veering towards the central business district, however, and there is still an underlying current of economic acumen to be found; dominated in the skyline by the towering Eastern Cape post office headquarters.

From an industrial standpoint, historically, the majority of all regional trade came through Port Elizabeth, and while its coastal positioning still lends itself to import-export opportunities - especially in the oreloading and distributing domain - the city is now better known for being the home of South Africa’s motor vehicle trade.

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Housing the likes of General Motors, Ford and Continental, its natural bridge to wider international conglomerates leaves no shortage of opportunity for the world’s executive community to explore PE at some point in their careers; and once they arrive, it’s probable that cars and ore will be quite low down on their priority list.

‘From an industrial standpoint, historically, the majority of all regional trade came through Port Elizabeth’

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Fort Frederick

Donkin Monument

Port Elizabeth Horse Memorial

THE BOARDWALK CASINO IN POR T ELIZABE TH

The Boardwalk Casino in Port Elizabeth is the only licensed casino in the Nelson Mandela Bay area. Offering smoking and non-smoking facilities, The Boardwalk Casino is the perfect destination for non-stop excitement and entertainment.

+27 41 507 7777 www.suninternational.com/boardwalk/casino

OPEN 24 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK

SLOTS • TABLES • CHARTER CLUB SALONWWW.AFRICAOUTLOOKMAG.COM PRIVÉ • CASINO BARS 5

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Out and about With tourism as the city’s stable money generator, the lines inevitably overlap between what can be classed as Port Elizabeth business, and tourist hotspots.

The walking trail, Route 67, St George’s Park, The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, and whale watching opportunities all attract visitors in their thousands season after season, and you don’t have to travel too far outside of the main city confines to find more natural splendour such as the Zuurberg mountain range and national park either.

A comprehensive transport network helps to facilitate such comfortable gallivanting from attraction to attraction by either road or rail; although selfdriving is advised to enjoy the optimum experience.

In regards to accommodation, again the best advice would be to shoot for as spectacular a view as possible, with a whole host of hotels, lodges and guest houses lining the waterfront.

From there, the trek to your first port of call should be limited as you explore Algoa Bay in all its glory, whether it’s fishing, surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling or sailing you’re into.

“The city is an outdoor-lover’s paradise, so don’t miss out on boat cruises, diving opportunities, a visit to the Seaview Predator Park, an excursion to Bayworld (which incorporates an oceanarium, museum and snake park), or a trip to the lush forests of the Kragga Kamma Game Park,” southgafrica.net says. “Topping the fun stakes is the Boardwalk Casino and Entertainment Complex, where shops, eateries, an amphitheatre and casino keep patrons entertained for hours.”

If history and education is more appealing then the Red Location Museum - ‘that portrays both the horrors of institutionalised racism and the heroic efforts of the apartheid movement’ - is a humbling reminder of a history that all of South Africa remembers so vividly. The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum and a large metal cut-out of the great leader further compounds the hark back to former decades that Port Elizabeth rightly acknowledges.

Sport is another cultural facet deeply ingrained into the fabric of the city; its multi-tiered Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium a flagship venue and legacy from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Above all though, arguably the most popular of all attractions are situated a little outside of the main city. Venturing further out into Nelson Mandela Bay presents the chance to see the ‘Big Seven’ of the animal kingdom.

Lions, rhinos, buffalo, leopards and elephants are joined by the great white shark and the southern right whale in the bay waters just off Addo Elephant National Park to present an opportunity almost unparalleled elsewhere in the world.

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Shamwari Game Reserve

The 75 kilometre trip out of Port Elizabeth is well worth it to see the oft-lauded World’s Leading Safari and Game Reserve and Conservation Company.

With a core focus on the management, development and rehabilitation of a natural habitat and ecosystem, Shamwari Game Reserve is the must-see feature of the region and stands as an example to the rest of the planet in showcasing how to balance public input and attraction with natural sustainability.

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Tel. +27 (0) 42 203 1111 www.shamwari.com

5-star accommodation

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Safari activities

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rhinocarhire.co.za (+27) 21 3001910 info@rhinocarhire.co.za

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Addo Elephant National Park

Kragga Kamma Game Park

Continuing along the natural theme, Kragga Gamma Game Park equally plays host to the key attractions from the animal kingdom; white rhino, buffalo, cheetah, giraffe, zebra and many more out in plain sight for those who visit the safari.

“Take a drive in your own vehicle through the park on the wellmaintained roads (no need for 4x4) and enjoy viewing the game in any weather conditions from the comfort of your car,” the site’s website states.

“For those [who enjoy] really close encounters, choose the two-hour guided tour in an open Landrover with a professional guide providing you with interesting information on the animals and the historical background to the area.”

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Completing the triad of natural exploration, Addo Elephant National Park may not be as hotly sought after as the previous two but is actually the third largest national park in South Africa at 1,640 square kilometres.

Attracting more than 120,000 visitors each year, international tourists make up more than a half of these, so you certainly won’t be alone when heading out there, and can even elongate your stay by checking in to one of their various accommodations.

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FNB Eastern Cape Wine Show

“The 2nd FNB Eastern Cape Wine Show takes place at the Boardwalk Convention Centre on Thursday and Friday 28th and 29th July 2016. PE wine lovers should make it a date night for an evening of great wine tastings. Engage with winemakers or their marketing representatives while tasting an array of more than 150 of South Africa’s best wines.” - Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism

Art and culture is a common theme throughout the year in Port Elizabeth

THE MAIN EVENTS National Arts Festival

“Organised by the National Arts Festival team, Africa’s largest and most colourful cultural event offers a choice of the very best of both indigenous and imported talent.

“The Festival incorporates the following: • Children’s Festival • SpiritFest • ThinkFest • WordFest • Jazz Festival • Film Festival • Fingo Festival “While many come to take in the arts, others simply want to be here for the spectacle or to market products ranging from tie-dyed T-shirts and

woven rugs to handmade jewellery and customised telephones. The festival operates out of the 1820 Settlers National Monument and is organised by the Grahamstown Foundation.

“Every year for 11 days Grahamstown’s population doubles, as people flock to the city for a feast of arts, crafts and sheer entertainment.”

- Grahamstown & Frontier Country www.grahamstown.co.za/events/ national_arts_festival Date: 30 June - 11 July, 2016 Time: 9am-late Venue: Grahamstown Website: www.nationalartsfestival.co.za

Date: 28 July - 29 July, 2016 Venue: Sun Boardwalk Convention Centre Contact: +27(0) 861 915 8000 Website: http://www.nmbt.co.za/events fnb_eastern_cape_wine_show

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BusinessTravel Guide ENQUIRIES jake.aldridge@outlookpublishing.com

+44 (0)1603 959 669

joe.palliser@outlookpublishing.com

+44 (0)1603 959 676