The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is again pursuing its dream of building an international convention centre.
The council sat on Tuesday to consider a proposal to begin the next phase of planning for a R2.377bn facility that could attract 160,000 additional visitors a year and create thousands of jobs.
However, the report will now be tabled at an August council meeting.
The report recommended that the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) be appointed as the implementing agent for the project and be authorised to begin an investigative phase to identify the most suitable site, refine costs and prepare the development for private-sector investment.
The proposed international convention centre (ICC) would include a 1,200-seat plenary hall and 5,000m² of exhibition space.
It would be delivered through a public-private partnership model.
According to the report, Nelson Mandela Bay is losing out on major conferences and exhibitions because it lacks a venue capable of hosting large integrated events under one roof.
“The city cannot fully compete in the global business-events market because it lacks a world-class convention centre,” the report states, adding that existing venues were either too small, fragmented or unsuitable for certain events.
Officials said the Boardwalk remained the metro’s only venue capable of hosting a plenary of about 1,600 delegates.
However, its availability limited the city’s ability to attract some conferences.
Events with more than 600 delegates often have to be split across multiple venues, increasing costs and logistical challenges.
The proposal revives a project that has been on the city’s books for more than a decade.
The MBDA received a council mandate in 2013 to investigate an ICC at the old Boet Erasmus Stadium site, and a feasibility study commissioned in 2019 concluded that Nelson Mandela Bay lacked a venue meeting international convention standards.
Several potential locations are now under consideration, with the former Boet Erasmus Stadium, or Telkom Park, identified as the preferred option because of its size and accessibility.
Other sites include the Bayworld precinct, Kings Beach and a military base precinct.
The report also proposes that a multi-stakeholder task team shortlist three preferred sites before detailed assessments are undertaken.
Each site will be evaluated for development readiness, infrastructure requirements, environmental constraints, regulatory compliance, costs and construction timelines.
The metro’s long-term planning documents have for years identified an ICC as a strategic tourism and economic development project.
Previous municipal plans envisioned a convention centre near the beachfront and airport, while later planning documents included the Bayworld precinct as a possible location for an ICC-led mixed-use development.
In 2023, former MBDA chief executive Anele Qaba described the ICC as a “quick win” and said substantial planning work had already been completed.
The report states that the convention centre could become a catalyst for tourism, investment and urban regeneration, generating nearly 189,000 hotel room nights within five years and supporting between 1,500 and 2,700 permanent operational jobs annually, in addition to construction employment.
If approved in August, the MBDA will be required to return to council with a report on three shortlisted sites, including infrastructure requirements, investment potential, costs, timelines and recommended incentives to attract private-sector partners.
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