Table Mountain honour gives tourism a big boost

By Lelethu Mquqo
12 November 2011

Table Mountain has been named as one of the provisional winners for the World’s New 7 Wonders by the Swiss Foundation.

The historical African landmark made it onto the short list after an intense campaign by the City of Cape Town for people to vote.

Other sites that made the list are the Amazon rainforest and Argentina’s Iguazu Falls.

The Swiss Foundation says the list may change and final winners are due to be announced at the end of 2012.

Meanwhile, South Africa stands to gain approximately R1.4-billion-Rands per year in increased tourism revenue over the next five years.

This is likely to be the spin-off from Table Mountain’s naming as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature by a global poll last night.

Accounting firm Grant Thornton estimates that South Africa can expect over 100 000 additional international tourists due to the increased exposure.

The voting calculation still has to be independently verified.