What makes Cape Town widely visible?

What makes Cape Town widely visible?

The world’s most respected paper, the New York Times, named Cape Town the number one place to visit this year. The Mother City came ahead of Los Angeles, the Vatican and the Seychelles on the paper’s list of 52 places to visit in 2014. As the writer, Sarah Khan notes, it is a place to “meditate on freedom and the creative life that followed.”

Khan notes the city’s relation to Mandela’s freedom – and therefore the country’s, during the middle of the 90’s. As the design hub of the world, for 2014, it’s little wonder – with its natural beauty, diversity of people, etc. – that Cape Town would be number one.

But what else makes Cape Town so noticeable to the wider world and to tourists?

Table Mountain

The classic depiction of Cape Town is the large misty clouds rolling over Table Mountain. This expansive mountain range has weathered nearly 6 million years of erosion, and hosts 1,470 floral species within its tiny but rich expanse. It reaches 1,086m above sea level and is well-recognised as a symbol, appearing on all things symbolic and much signage in Cape Town.

Great White Sharks

From the top of the mountain, to the depths of the sea: Great White Sharks are regarded as the fiercest predators in the ocean. Despite there being on average only 100 shark attacks every year, about a third of that is attributable to White Sharks. As National Geographic reports: “They grow to an average of 15 feet (4.6 meters) in length, though specimens exceeding 20 feet (6 meters) and weighing up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms) have been recorded.” Cape Town offers tourists the unique opportunity to experience these beasts up close but within the safety of shark cages. There are few other places in the world where this is possible.

World Design Capital 2014

It’s not enough to be voted the number one place to visit in 2014, but Cape Town also bid and won World Design Capital for 2014. As the site explains:

“This prestigious designation is bestowed biennially by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). World Design Capitals recognise the value of design thinking, and are dedicated to using design as tool for social, cultural and economic development.”

This means that Cape Town will host numerous design related events, such as the International Design House Exhibition, International Design Policy Conference and an International Design Gala. Aside from a major increase in tourists and visitors, this means new and great opportunities for networking, creative collaboration, growth and so on, that will benefit locals needing a little help to be seen. There will also be greater chance for members of the local communities to be exhibitors, speakers, delegates, partners and suppliers.

All this benefits Cape Town, but also benefits the world. These are things Cape Town can be proud of, but which the world will want to participate in too.