City Encourages Residents To be Tourists This September

The city made international headlines in January, securing the top spot on the prestigious New York Times list of 52 Places to Visit and was voted the top holiday destination by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper for the year.

The theme for World Tourism Month this year is: ‘Tourism and Community Development’, focusing on the ability of tourism to empower residents and provide them with skills to achieve change in their local communities.

One of the city’s emerging cultural tourism hotspots, and the venue for this year’s signature Tourism Month event, is the Guga S’thebe Cultural Centre in Langa. The centre attracts approximately 1 000 international tourists per month, and locals are encouraged to pop in for a rich cultural experience.

‘The month of September offers us the perfect opportunity as residents to focus on our natural beauty and the many attractions we have on offer in Cape Town. I am particularly pleased that Tourism Month highlights the very many free things to explore in Cape Town. I would like to encourage each and every Capetonian to explore at least one tourist attraction or activity this month as a home-grown tourist to Cape Town,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Economic Development, Councillor Garreth Bloor.

Top free and affordable things to do in Cape Town:

• Take a scenic train ride from the Cape Town CBD to Simon’s Town with the railroad running parallel to the sea, offering beautiful views of the deep blue ocean on the one side and the stunning Steenberg Mountains on the other.
• Take a picture at one of the four yellow frames, positioned across Cape Town. As part of World Design Capital 2014, these massive frames have been erected to give different viewpoints of our own New7Wonder of Nature, Table Mountain, and offer great photo opportunities. The frames are positioned at Lookout Hill, Khayelitsha; Signal Hill; Eden on the Bay, Blaauwberg; and at the V&A Waterfront.
• Explore the great outdoors by hiking on one of the many free trails on the various mountain ranges and nature reserves across the city. Table Mountain offers a wide range of hikes and walks up the mountain and there is also a hike up Lion’s Head during the full moon.
• Enjoy a true township cultural experience at the Guga S’thebe Arts and Culture Centre in Langa. The centre consists of the old Pass Office Museum and the old Post Office building, which together make up the Langa Cultural Precinct. There are a variety of crafters who sell their colourful paintings, beads and pottery.
• Visit one of the many museums, which unlock a world of marvels and interesting facts. For a small fee or donation, visit the Iziko Museums which include the South African National Museum, the Slave Lodge and the Bo-Kaap Museum, but don’t forget the District Six Museum and the Cape Town Holocaust Centre.
• Visit one of the 16 City of Cape Town nature reserves situated all across Cape Town, from the northern suburbs, to the south and up the West Coast. All of these reserves only ask a small entrance fee and offer a vast variety of recreational activities, including fishing, kayaking, birding, hiking, swimming and even sandboarding.
• Take a walk along the Sea Point Promenade, sit on a bench, buy an ice cream, watch the ships in the distance and stay to watch the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean. There are also a number of children’s playgrounds running the length of the promenade as well as a chlorinated sea-water swimming pool complex open to the public at the Sea Point Pavilion. The view from the pools is spectacular, out over the Atlantic Ocean.
• Relax in a one of the many free parks which are perfect for walking your dog, a picnic with friends and family, or stretching out with a book and playing with your children. Popular parks include the Company’s Garden in the CBD, the Green Point Urban Park, Rondebosch and Maynardville Parks in the southern suburbs, the Durbanville Rose Garden in the north, and Westridge Park, Khayelitsha Wetlands Park and Zandvlei Recreational Park on the Cape Flats.
• Browse one of the bustling markets, like Greenmarket Square in the CBD, the Montebello Design Centre in the southern suburbs, or the Milnerton Market for a collection of second-hand items. For some tasty flavours, visit one of the popular food markets like the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay, or the Market on the Wharf at the V&A Waterfront.

The City will host a series of events at the Guga S’thebe Arts and Culture Centre in Langa on 18 and 19 September, including a panel discussion on the role of tourism in community development.

In celebration of World Tourism Month, the City has compiled a calendar of events in collaboration with the tourism industry, sector bodies and communities. With so much to do and see, locals are certainly spoilt for choice. Some of the events on the cards are as follows:

• An e-Tourism Africa Summit, to be attended by some of the world’s leading online tourism and travel experts including representatives from Facebook, Trip Advisor, Expedia, Twitter, Google and a fresh new set of local and international innovative speakers and solutions, takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on 4 and 5 September.
• SANParks will be offering residents free entry into the majority of their parks from 8 to 12 September as part of the annual SANParks Week.
• The ORANGE Africa Cup of Nations 2015 Final Round Qualifier between Bafana Bafana and reigning AFCON champions, Nigeria, takes place at the Cape Town Stadium on 10 September.
• Creative Week Cape Town, an annual celebration of creativity, innovation and culture, which includes the Loerie Awards – a showcase of Africa and the Middle East’s best in brand communication – takes place from 13 to 21 September.
• The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon takes place over the weekend of 20 to 21 September. It includes a Peace Run – a high-spirited 4,2 km fun run that serves as a community-building event. It is an opportunity for families and friends, businesses, schools and other community groups to band together and enjoy being part of one of Africa’s most prestigious athletic events. The flat route circles the attractive green space of the Green Point Urban Park and Biodiversity Garden.
• The inaugural Oceana Hout Bay Sea Food Festival, celebrating Hout Bay, life and seafood, takes place from 24 to 28 September.
• The Cape Town Fringe, an exciting new performing arts festival modelled on some of the world’s most iconic events, runs at venues across the city from 25 September to 5 October and includes music, theatre, performance art, and comedy.
• An international rugby test match between South Africa and Australia takes place at the Newlands Rugby Stadium on 27 September, which is World Tourism Day.

via Cape Town Green Map

PHOTO CREDIT: Explore Rondevlei Nature Reserve ©Arne Purves