01/09/2026
THE END OF AN ERA, AND NEW BEGINNINGS AT PLETT TOURISM
After nearly 15 years of proudly serving this beautiful town and the greater Bitou area, we have some important news to share.
As many of you know, the Plett Tourism Association reached the end of its three-year Service Level Agreement with Bitou Municipality on 30 June 2026. We submitted a bid, alongside other applicants, for the new tourism tender on 19 June, with the assurance from the Municipality that the tender would be awarded on 1 July 2026.
After six weeks of delay, the Municipality announced that the tender had been cancelled and that a new tender would be issued, with submissions due on 2 September.
After very careful consideration of the new tender requirements and the options available to us, it has become clear that the parameters and timelines of the new bid make it impossible for Plett Tourism to participate . Without a mandate, funding or certainty around the future, the Association can no longer continue operating in the way it has historically done.
Our existing financial resources will sustain operations until the end of September. Since June, we have continued to work for Plett without income or an official mandate, because we believe strongly in the destination and in the work that has been built over many years. Very difficult decisions about our operations and staffing have consequently had to be made, and our physical office at Melvilles Corner will close on 1 September .
However, we do not believe that the work, platforms, relationships and destination presence built over the years should simply disappear as a consequence of this interruption.
With the support of our members and the broader tourism industry, we intend to do everything we can to maintain a strong destination presence through the coming season.
What lies ahead will be a pared-down and more focused version of Plett Tourism, with the immediate intention of keeping our digital platforms active, continuing to communicate with visitors and the tourism industry, maintaining our website and online presence , and doing what we can to support the businesses and destination we care so deeply about.
This will not be possible without support from the tourism sector in Plett. Over the coming weeks, we will share a plan of action for the next phase of Plett Tourism , including a new membership model designed to make participation accessible to businesses of all sizes.
Right now, our priority is simply to do the right thing for our members and for Plett. We have much to protect.
In the first half of 2026 alone, our digital platforms generated more than one million views. Our membership base, database, websites, social channels and marketing assets have continued to provide significant reach and value for the destination and its businesses.
Tourism remains one of the key economic drivers of our town. It creates employment, supports small businesses, attracts investment and contributes to the broader community. The need for a strong, professionally managed destination tourism function remains . If anything, that need has become more important. We believe there is an opportunity to develop a proper, sustainable structure for the next version of Plett Tourism, shaped in partnership with the industry itself.
That process should not be rushed. Early in 2027, we will invite our members and the broader tourism sector to participate in the planning and development of a relaunch of the Plett Tourism Association , informed by industry needs, how it can be sustainably funded, and what structure will best serve Plett into the future.
So, while September may mark the end of Plett Tourism as we have known it, it will not mark the end of the Plett Tourism Association . We want to listen to our members, understand what the industry needs, establish a smart and sustainable funding model, and build something that is fit for the future.
Thank you for believing in and supporting the Plett Tourism Association over the years, and for giving us the privilege of representing and promoting Plettenberg Bay to the world.
With deep appreciation,
Plett Tourism Association
Board and Management
More information will continue to go out to our databases, as it becomes available.
