Experience your own city as a tourist

Today marks the launch of My Cape Town; a month-long celebration of Cape Town for Capetonians and a chance to be a tourist in your own city.

Today marks the launch of My Cape Town; a month-long celebration of Cape Town for Capetonians and a chance to be a tourist in your own city.

Now in its third year, the My Cape Town campaign is coordinated by Cape Town Tourism in partnership with major attractions like Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, the V&A Waterfront, Cape Point, City Sightseeing, and various other city attractions, all of which encourages locals to experience their city as a tourist would, often through new eyes. Cape Town Tourism will give away R355,000 worth of vouchers to Cape Town attractions through a series of competitions on local radio stations and in community newspapers (see list below).

The campaign also embraces coinciding initiatives with partners such as Creative Week Cape Town and Iziko Heritage Week, and offers its own celebratory My Cape Town concerts on September 25 and 27 to coincide with international World Tourism Day celebrations. In keeping with the Linking Cultures theme of World Tourism Day, Cape Town Tourism will be partnering with events such as Open Book Cape Town and the Out of the Box festival in a series of events, making September a jammed-packed month of activities.

โ€œMany Capetonians believe that because theyโ€™ve lived here all their lives they know the Mother City like the back of their hand, and they have experienced much of what our city has to offer, but thatโ€™s not to say that a diverse, ever-changing city like ours wonโ€™t surprise you every now and then! And still, there are many locals that have never been to the top of Table Mountain or to Robben Island. September is the month to do it and My Cape Town provides you with the opportunity to truly know and love your city,โ€ said Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism.

World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27 each year as a day demarcated by the United Nations World Tourism Organization to celebrate tourism and its extensive benefits to society, the economy, and environmental conservation. This yearโ€™s theme is Tourism Linking Cultures โ€“ a theme which truly reflects Cape Townโ€™s rich cultural heritage.

CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Mariรซtte du Toit-Helmbold, concluded: โ€œCape Townโ€™s long history has seen the mixing of peoples and cultures from its earliest days. As the โ€˜gateway to Africa,โ€™ contemporary Cape Town is one of the most diverse and tolerant societies in the world. We are blessed to have a history that proffers such a diverse range of indigenous peoples, but we also see many visitors from across the globe, throughout the year, which allows us to share knowledge and traditions. Cape Town is a city of inspiration for those who live in and visit it, and this tourism month we acknowledge the interaction between culture and tourism in achieving this appealing essence with a month-long celebration of everything Cape Town has to offer.โ€

Be a tourist in your city this September!

– Visit any one of Cape Town Tourismโ€™s Visitor Information Centers across Cape Town for more information about Cape Town activities and My Cape Town events.

– Visit www.capetown.travel/mycapetown for more information on My Cape Town specials and events.

– Look out for competitions in Peopleโ€™s Post, Tygerburger, City Vision, and Blitz, as well as on KFM, Bush Radio, Radio Zibonele, CCFM, Voice of the Cape, Radio Helderberg, and Radio Tygerberg, where you could stand a chance to win free family packs to Cape Townโ€™s top attractions.

Attached is a full calendar of events for World Tourism Month. Join us for:

– Creative Week Cape Town taking place September 9-18 at venues around Cape Town ( www.creativeweekct.co.za )

– Iziko Heritage Week taking place September 20-26 at various Iziko Museums ( www.iziko.org.za )

– Free My Cape Town concert at the V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre on September 25 ( www.capetown.travel/mycapetown )

– Free World Tourism Day and My Cape Town concert at the Cape Town Station Forecourt on September 27 ( www.capetown.travel/mycapetown )

Cape Town attractions taking part in the third annual My Cape Town campaign include: Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, City Sightseeing Cape Town, Cape Point and the V&A Waterfront, as well as the City of Cape Town Tourism Department, My CiTi Bus Service, Metrorail, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, SANParks, Robben Island, Creative Cape Town, Iziko Museums, Spur, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), and the Two Oceans Aquarium.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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