‘Best is yet to come for the KZN South Coast’

THE nomination of Umtentweni in a national small town competition bodes well for the region, Ugu South Coast Tourism chief executive Phelisa Mangcu said yesterday.

The small town is up against St Lucia, Vryheid (KwaZulu-Natal), Hazyview, Nelspruit and Wakkerstroom (Mpumalanga) and Aranos, Gochas and Luderitz from Namibia in the Kwêla Dorp van die Jaar competition on DStv’s kykNET channel this month.

Mangcu said the town’s nomination indicated that the South Coast region was increasingly becoming a major player in the tourism space as Port Edward was shortlisted in the same competition last year.

“People are increasingly becoming aware that Ugu district (Port Shepstone and surrounding areas) has a lot to offer for tourists,”she said.

Mangcu added that the filming of the SABC’s Longest Date series in the region a few weeks ago was a feather in the cap for tourism authorities who worked tirelessly to market the region.

The adventure-dating competition showcased Mpumalanga when it first premièred in 2019.

The 13-episode second season was shot at various locations on the South Coast including Umzumbe; Oribi Gorge; Lake Eland Game Reserve and the KwaXolo Caves. It is set to première in July.

Mangcu said they wanted to show that the region has more to offer than just beaches, citing agri-tourism as one of the areas they would capitalise on marketing.

She admitted that while the tourism body had done well in marketing the region, it was up to municipalities to ensure that the towns kept their appeal by having infrastructure that was properly maintained.

The water supply problems over the past few months were a concern, said Mangcu. “We are pretty convinced that once the challenges are sorted out by municipalities, the region will see a greater influx of tourists …”

Ugu Chamber of Commerce’s Dr Lulamile Bodla said that the organisation was equally excited by the short-listing of Umtentweni and added that such publicity would create more business opportunities for locals.