#SharetheBay with Craig Duffield of Mosaic Tourism

After qualifying as a culture and field guide, Duffield began putting tours together, and so Mosaic Tourism was born.

Craig Duffield, founder, Mosaic Tourism

The operator offers a variety of options within the Nelson Mandela Bay area including heritage, nature, beach, arts and culture, sport, and entertainment tours. This diversity of its tourism offering, says Duffield, is exactly what makes the area so unique. From ocean and land-based safaris to hiking trails and mountain biking, most of these tours are within 35 minutes of Port Elizabeth.

Diverse offering

"From a holiday destination point of view, if you come for multiple nights, it just gives you such opportunity to have a diverse experience, so you shouldn't get bored. You go out in the morning, you do an ocean cruise possibly seeing whales, dolphins, sharks, penguins, seals; in the afternoon you go to a game reserve - you get the chance of seeing the Big 7 (Lion, Leopard, Cape Buffalo, Elephant, Rhino, Great White Shark and Southern Right Whale). The next day you can go to the beach, enjoy snorkeling or scuba diving. I think this diversity is a unique thing we've got in our city," says Duffield.

He believes that while there is so much on offer, there are certain things you just have to do in order to experience the true spirit of Nelson Mandela Bay. Number one on his list is the Addo Elephant National Park. Apart from being able to witness a spectacular gathering of over 450 elephants, along with the rest of the Big 7, the park is also home to myriad birds, spotted hyena, eland, kudu, zebra, and red hartebeest.

Addo Elephant National Park

Second on Duffield's list is Route 67, an arts, culture and heritage tour featuring 67 public artworks symbolising Nelson Mandela's "67 years of dedication to the freedom of South Africa." One of the most interesting of these art pieces is 'Harmony in Nature' by Dominique Guillot in collaboration with Pumlani Kwayiyo, Mxolisi Malcolm Madela, Jane Du Rand and team. The work, found in front of The Athenaeum, makes use of an old technique incorporating optical illusion and mathematics.

Also on Duffield's must-do list is a boat cruise in Algoa Bay to experience the area's rich marine biodiversity, including the largest breeding colony of African penguins in the world, and a number of dolphin species. Other not-to-miss experiences include historical and township tours of the metro.

Tourism has massive potential

Duffield agrees with the CEO of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, Mandlakazi Skefile, that tourism has the potential to surpass even the automotive industry as an economic driver in the region. "I think the industry has massive potential. It's still a hidden treasure as a whole because of all its wonderful diversity. If you have to tell most South Africans that Port Elizabeth has the highest population of Black-Footed Penguins, or that we're the dolphin capital of the world, they wouldn't believe you... People just don't know, so I think if government starts putting more money into tourism, creating more awareness, and advertising and promoting it, it certainly can surpass the automotive industry."

Scuba dive along the Nelson Mandela Bay reefs.

Other ways in which government can assist the private sector in promoting and growing tourism in Nelson Mandela Bay, according to Duffield, are streamlining the red tape and dealing with illegal guiding.

"Some of the red tape is really prohibitive," says Duffield. "For example, one of them is trying to get certain permits for vehicles. For whatever reason, they put tourism and taxi operators in the same category, so you've got to jump through the same hoops and you have to wait really long periods of time to get your permits for your vehicles... There should be a separation between the two and I think they are moving in that direction."

Dealing with illegal guiding is important to protect the product, says Duffield. "With illegal guides, you don't know what they're sharing with tourists and that might have a negative impact on their experience and then they go away and tell other people and it has a knock-on effect."

Positive momentum

A change in local government has, however, brought with it positive momentum, says Duffield. "They've just been listening, and now they're starting to assimilate what they've heard and so I'm looking forward to where they're going. At the moment they're doing all the right things, having considered the short time they've really had. I think we feel like we're being heard now."

67 Beaded Quotes is part of Route 67.

Recognised by TripAdvisor and the Lilizela Tourism Awards, Mosaic Tourism differentiates itself from other tour operators in the Nelson Mandela Bay area by offering a personalised, tailored experience. For more info, go to www.mosaictourism.co.za.