Cape Town listed as one of Forbes' most beautiful cities
Popular website Forbes.com has published its list of the “World’s Most Beautiful Cities” for this year, and Cape Town has been included, along with cities such as Paris, Vancouver, Sydney, Florence, Venice and London.
Cape Town was praised for its “manageable size,” and for leaving minimal ecological footprint.
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Cape Town to host Fortune/Time/CNN Global Forum
| Suze Orman: Might visit Cape Town along with dozens of other high-profile people during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ |
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Cape Town will host some of the world’s most influential people during the three-day Fortune/Time/CNN Global Forum, which takes place during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Between June 26 and 28, Time 100 members including United States President Barack Obama, media mogul, Oprah Winfrey, actor, Brad Pitt and finance expert, Suze Orman, could be visiting the Cape Town International Convention Centre, along with Fortune 500 members, among them the heads of Exxon Mobil, Wal-Mart, Ford and General Motors.
Time 100 is an annual list of the world’s most influential people from different professions, while Fortune 500 is a list of the most influential business people in the United States.
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Cape Town will bid to become World Design Capital
Cape Town used this year’s Design Indaba, to launch their campaign to become the World Design Capital in 2014.
The prestigious status of World Design Capital is designated biennially by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), to cities that are dedicated to using design for social, cultural and economic development.
Cape Town is bidding to become the World Design Capital in 2014. The title would give the city a chance to highlight its achievements and aspirations, through a yearlong programme of design-led events and activities. Titleholders Seoul and Helsinki will organise such programmes this year and in 2012 respectively.
A senior delegation from Cape Town has just returned from Seoul, where delegates attended the World Design Cities Summit. The Cape Town team consisted of Cape Town Partnership deputy CEO, Bulelwa Makalima Ngewana; Cape Town Tourism’s marketing head, Lianne Burton; and Alderman Felicity Purchase, from the mayor's economic development and tourism office.
The delegation’s fact finding mission included the signing of a Design Declaration, undertaking to recognise design as a core competency and an asset to the city, as well as to share the vision of improving the city’s happiness index and develop it through design.
Cape Town Tourism and Cape Town Partnership invite anybody wanting to get involved in the bid to register their interest on http://www.capetown2014.co.za/.
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Code formed to address over-pricing
Cape Town’s tourism industry stakeholders are unified in their efforts to combat damaging international perceptions of SA as “an expensive destination”, ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
In a bid to translate commitment into action, Cape Town Tourism formulated a Code of Responsible Pricing for Cape Town.
The Code is endorsed and will be implemented by the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Cape Town Routes Unlimited, FEDHASA (the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa), SATSA (the South African Tourism Services Association), The Portfolio Collection, Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa, Backpackers South Africa and SAACI (the South African Association for the Conference Industry).
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Cape Town celebrates 100 days to go
About 570 school children from around Cape Town, as well as 80 guests, celebrated the 100th day before the 2010 FIFA World Cup ™ by diski dancing outside Cape Town Stadium on Tuesday.
The children, aged between eight and 16, came from gymnastics groups around Cape Town. They danced and cheered enthusiastically, despite immense heat. They were lead by singer and dancer, Amanda Maartens, of Cape Town band Coda.
Cape Town Tourism’s Destination Marketing Manager Lianne Burton said that it was “great for young Capetonians to have a sense of pride and a sense of responsibility”.
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Cape Town ready for 2010 FIFA World Cup™
FIFA this week announced that Cape Town Stadium is “perfect,” and is confident that the city will be 100% ready to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ by June 11.
According to the Cape Times, FIFA secretary general, Jerome Valcke, said Cape Town was currently 80% ready for the big event.
The newspaper reported that phase one of the Grand Parade upgrade is now complete. Grand Parade will serve as one of Cape Town’s fan parks during the event, and will accommodate about 25 000 people.
Greenmarket Square has also been upgraded and will feature a stage by the end of March.
Cape Town has undertaken numerous other upgrades in order to efficiently accommodate hundreds of thousands of tourists. These include:
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A R311-million upgrade for Green Point Common, including a nine-hole golf course and upgrade to public recreational areas, due for completion in March.
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A R2.3-billion upgrade for Cape Town international Airport, including a R1.6-billion new terminal building, a five-storey parkade and pedestrian subways and underpasses, which will be completed by March.
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The R610-million M5/Koeberg Interchange, due for completion by the end of April.
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Integrated Rapid Transit stations, which will be complete by the end of April. These include 43 new buses for the inner-city loop, as well as airport and stadium shuttles.
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A R418-million upgrade for Cape Town Station, the first phase of which will be complete by June.
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A significant upgrade for Granger Bay Boulevard, including landscaping and lighting.
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The widening of the M3 outbound lane.
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Cape Argus Cycle Tour
The Cape Argus Cycle Tour attracts up to 40 000 cyclists and many more spectators each year.
This year the race takes place on March 14. The route follows a circuit around the scenic Cape Peninsula, including the famous Chapman’s Peak Drive.
The event first took place in 1977, when 500 riders participated. Times have improved considerably since then, and many cyclists now complete the 109km route in less than three hours.
In 2007, 87-year-old Japie Malan finished the race, proving that age is just a number and that you’re never too old to live your dreams.
Read more about the history of the race here.
To be part of this thrilling event in 2010, as a rider or spectator, diarise the following dates:
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March 5 – 12 Tricycle and Junior Tour Registration (Canal Walk)
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March 6 – 7 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Mountain Bike Challenge
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March 11 – 13 Cape Argus Lifecycle Expo and Cycle Tour Registration
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March 13 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Tricycle and Junior Tours
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March 14 Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour
To register, contact the organisers on +27 (0) 21 763 7960, or email info@cycletour.co.za. You can enter online, with a credit card, but no EFT payments or direct deposits are accepted.
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The Cape Epic
This eight-stage mountain bike race draws some of the best off road cyclists from around the world.
This year’s event takes place from March 21 – March 28 and covers a total of 722 kilometers around the Western Cape, starting at the Diemersfontein Wine Estate near Wellington.
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Two Oceans Marathon
Runners training for the Two Oceans Marathon have just a few weeks left to prepare. Race day is April 3, 2010, and entries close on March 3, 2010.
The race was first held in 1970 with just 26 runners. Since then it has become a favourite challenge for South African and international runners. Now, close to 26 000 runners participate.
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Entertainment
Sir Elton John live at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Music legend Sir Elton John will be performing live at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden on March 24 and March 25.
He has sold more than 200-million records worldwide, during a career that has spanned four decades.
Read more.
The Fugard Theatre
It is the opening season of the Fugard Theatre, which is named after celebrated South African playwright, Atholl Fugard.
For more information about the Magic Flute showing at the Fugard Theatre, click here.
Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts
Some of South Africa’s most prominent musicians will be performing at Kirstenbosch every Sunday during March.
The Summer Concert series ends on April 4, 2010, so be sure to catch these top South African performers before then:
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Goldfish (March 7)
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The Dirty Skirts (March 14)
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The Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (March 21)
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Watershed (March 28)
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Tidal Waves and Tumi Molekane (April 4)
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