PLETTENBERG BAY — Plett Tourism announced the closure of its operational offices on 3 September 2026, warning that its remaining financial reserves could sustain only limited administration until the end of that month.

On 5 September, the association announced its withdrawal from Bitou Municipality’s reissued tourism tender.

Its three-year service level agreement with the municipality had expired on 30 June without a successor agreement or interim extension in place, leaving it without the mandate and funding needed to maintain its previous operations.

Two successive tourism tender cycles were cancelled and reissued without a clear public explanation. The cancellations raise questions about the municipality’s procurement planning and its handling of the transition between contracts.

The August re-advertisement, reference SCM/2026/93/PD, sought a service provider to perform Local Tourism Organisation functions through 30 June 2029. These included destination marketing, destination management and destination development. Bids closed on 2 September.

The disruption comes ahead of the summer season, when accommodation establishments, restaurants, guides and activity operators depend on visitor spending. Destination promotion and industry coordination help those businesses attract customers beyond their individual advertising efforts.

The outstanding accountability questions concern who authorised the cancellations, what changed in the tender requirements and what provision Bitou made to maintain tourism services while procurement continued.