The Western Cape Tourism department is mindful of the need to “encourage our locals to travel more within our cities (and towns). We need to reinvent our tourism sector and rethink the way we are doing things” Tourism MEC Alan Winde is reported to have said recently.

Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay are among coastal areas under pressure to refurbish, renovate and develop. Western Cape government's Tourism department has announced a seafront development plan incorporating and connecting Kalk Bay, Muizenberg and Gordon's Bay among others.

Previously disadvantaged communities seem to be targeted to become involved both as tourists and as proponents of tourism in their greater areas. Areas intended to benefit from upgrades to their tourism and entertainment infrastructure include Masiphumelele, Ocean View and Mitchells Plain.

Fish Hoek will be paired with Masiphumelele and Ocean View residents with the intention of making it a friendlier tourist destination. Formal stalls for craft work and displaying art in general will adorn the beach front.

Kalk Bay’s Main Road is to be revamped connecting communities previously affected by the Group Areas act. Muizenberg’s old retail and culinary district is to be refurbished and developed too.

Recently Tourism MEC Alan Winde referred to projects in Lambert’s Bay and Cape Agulhas as model examples of where communities previously excluded from decision making were given the opportunity to become part of the process in the upgrading of their surroundings. An area like Monwabisi is to be similarly the target of investment.

"We need to encourage our locals to travel more within our cities. We need to reinvent our tourism sector and rethink the way we are doing things," Winde said to the Cape Times.

The knock-on effect to properties in these areas is expected to be very positive. As upgrades take place for infrastructure and retail spaces, commercial nodes will increase in demand. Subsequently residential properties will find themselves on the up and up as areas improve and demand increases.

Meanwhile at the other extreme of the province next to the Eastern Cape Border, Plettenberg Bay’s ten-year-old plans to build a small boat harbour may be coming to fruition with an invitation to residents and interested parties to take part in an environmental impact assessment.

In March, Bitou council put pressure on Western Cape Marina Investments to take the small boat harbour project forward or lose the contract. WCM which won the tender in 2002, has finally released a document detailing designs to build the harbour in the Piesang River mouth, besides the Beacon Isle Hotel.

The developmentincludes construction of residential blocks on either side of the river with a commercial zone to replace the derelictedificewhich accommodatesthe Moby Dick restaurant and its adjacent buildings. The intention would be to transform Plettenberg Bay's Central Beach area into a modern waterfront with a broad tourist friendly appeal.

The Central Beach is to be developed, becoming the site of a number of residential and commercial properties some of them multi-storey buildings which will completely change the look and feel of the beachfront . Dredging of the shallow Piesang estuary will be mandatory if it is to be deep enough to accommodate boats and moorings, and the harbour is to be flanked by buildings up to seven stories high in some cases on the northern and southern banks of the river mouth. The proposedsmall boat harbour should also assist the operators of Plettenberg Bay's whale and dolphin watching as well as charter fishing operations.

The overall expectation is that the whole enterprise will be the much needed shot in the arm to the struggling local economy with regard to construction contracts as well as job and tourism opportunities. The overall value to the local property market is easy to underestimate given the long term nature of the developments. Though tourism may suffer in the short term those who get into the market early will benefit as the dust settles and beach front occupancy climbs.

Looking at another example of development of Western Cape beachfronts we turn to Mossel Bay. A few important developments in their area are likely to drawsubstantial capital as well as many people to Mossel Bay. Firstly Petro SA’s offshore latest drilling operations have received the go-ahead and work has started.

Another project is the refurbishment of The Point precinct. This is the pivot of Mossel Bay’s tourism industry. The Point is about to be confirmed as a Provincial Heritage Site. The intention is to see it become a World Heritage Site within the next five years. In the refurbishment plan a public square is in the offing as well as little carriageways and a museum.

A further development is to follow the successful model of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town by creating a much anticipated waterfront. The Mossel Bay Harbour, the smallest of fully functioning harbours in South Africa is to be transformed into a tourism focused node with retail development a top priority.

Local government seems very much on-board . Minister Alan Wilde spoke to a local estate agency assuring them that growth in the Mossel Bay was a priority. An estate agent at the meeting said: “His message was that people needed to bring tourism and business together to move forward and reach for new goals.”

Some astute investors are already buying up property suitable for renting here, in the knowledge that demand for such properties will increase. With Petro SA’s new projects will come new staff needing rental accommodation. This is expected to grow at 7% a year. The influx of professionals for this and the developments at the waterfront and harbour are expected by one estate agency to be a market that will grow by 4% a year, renting or buying. Also a 5% increase is expected for the conventional property market, including retirees and locals.

It’s clear that the Western Cape Provincial government is following the state’s lead in investing in local infrastructure. The CBD and wider City of Cape Town had a boost in infrastructure development in time for the 2010 world cup, now it’s the rest of the province’s turn.