New7Wonder of Nature

Table Mountain one of the New7Wonders of Nature           Cape Town’s Table Mountain has been named as one of the New7Wonders of Nature along with the Amazon, Halong Bay, Iguazu Falls, Jeju Island, Komodo, and Puerto Princesa Underground River.  In 2008, Table Mountain was identified as one of 440 magnificent natural sites selected by the New7Wonders Foundation to enter the three-phase New7Wonders of Nature contest. In the second phase, Table Mountain made the 77 site shortlist before being publicly voted onto a final shortlist of 28 sites in July 2009. Today Table Mountain was selected as one of the final seven.  On November 7, 2011 Cape Town Tourism launched a bold new brand and marketing campaign for the city at World Travel Market in London. The new Cape Town campaign communicates every facet of what the city has to offer, from tourism and design, business and studies, to the rich diversity of people and it’s natural assets. It forms part of a comprehensive marketing strategy for Cape Town aimed at growing the demand for the Mother City by speaking to a wider audience in new and established international and domestic markets, while aligning with other sectors beyond tourism, complementing the city and region’s broader economic strategy and aligning with the mandate of the soon-to-be-established Economic Development Partnership (EDP). In addition, Cape Town Tourism has partnered with Johannesburg Tourism and Durban Tourism on a joint domestic marketing agreement that will offer affordable product and destination packages to and within these South African cities, as well as more robust event calendars across the board. The campaign also gave South African’s the chance to learn more about the mountain. Before the campaign, many people may not have known that Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains on the planet, estimated to be around 360 million years old. Table Mountain was named a World Heritage Site in 2004 as part of the Cape Floristic Region, the smallest and richest of the only six floral kingdoms on the planet. It supports natural forest and indigenous fynbos along with a variety of animals and birds, including 8,200 rare and endangered plant species. Table Mountain is the only terrestrial feature on our planet to have a constellation named after it. The southern constellation Mensa (originally Mons Mensae – Latin for “the table mountain”), was named in 1754 after the increasingly world-famous landmark in the then “Cape of Good Hope.” It was a symbol of hope for freedom fighters jailed on Robben Island. Table Mountain is a recognized as a global icon, visited by millions of people each year and attracting the attention of royalty, sports stars, and Hollywood celebrities. It is one of the most photographed sites in Africa.