Port Elizabeth is a popular tourist holiday destination. Shark Rock Pier, a prominent installation on the shoreline of Port Elizabeth's Summerstrand precinct, is the city's most famous landmark.
Port Elizabeth is a tourism gateway city for big five game viewing, South Africa's national's arts festival, outdoor recreation, adventure tourism and numerous nature conservancies, including the Baviaanskloof mega-reserve.
A highlight in Port Elizabeth's history was the first flight to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town in 1917, made by Major Allister Mackintosh Miller. At that time, this was considered a long distance flight, and it heralded the start of the civil aviation industry in Port Elizabeth.
This flight and many more has been captured on canvas by Ron Belling and is on display at the Ron Belling Art Gallery.