Johannesburg maintains top billing as Africa hub

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Johannesburg in South Africa is the second largest city in Africa, with more than three million people calling this bustling metropolis home.

Whether you are on business, in search of a cultural encounter, an adrenaline rush or simply want to relax and unwind for a few days, the city of Johannesburg has everything you’re looking for and more.

If you are travelling to Johannesburg, geographically fairly centrally located, you’ll find yourself in the biggest urban metropolis and largest transport hub for local, cross-border and international travel in South Africa.

As an extension and amplification of their explore, experience and enjoy Johannesburg campaign, the Johannesburg Tourism team is utilizing its Indaba platforms to promote the richness of the City’s urban tourism offering.

“Given the time and budget constraints of modern life, this ‘72 hours’ tagline is intended to communicate why visitors need to spend more time in Africa’s most vibrant and exciting metropolis to best discover its fascinating, complex and colourful appeal,” explains Tshidi Mlaba, Deputy Director, Destination Marketing.

While the majority of visitors to Johannesburg arrive for business reasons or events, ever increasing numbers are staying to sample and experience the city’s fascinatingly diverse, urban tourism and lifestyle scene, Mlaba said.

However, Mlaba noted given the competitive nature of global economics, the challenge remains to continually grow visitor numbers, while increasing length of stay, spend and the spread of tourists throughout the City.

During the past 20 years Johannesburg has experienced phenomenal tourism growth in areas like Vilakazi Street in Soweto, the Maboneng and Braamfontein Precincts, to mention a few.

All this creative development has added enormously to Johannesburg’s colourful heritage and cultural vibrancy, which is fascinating in its complexity.

Added to this are massive infrastructural advances like the Rea Vaya and Gautrain, which are facilitating new and exciting ways for both locals and visitors to explore and experience the city.

While the Johannesburg Tourism team is utilizing its Indaba platforms to promote the city’s multi-faceted urban tourism appeal, it will also be sharing the City’s spatial development plans which are set to impact positively on the city’s booming tourism industry.

Dubbed ‘Corridors of Freedom’, this spatial development vision in line with the City’s Growth and Development Stragegy, (GDS 2040) was unveiled by the Executive Mayor, Clr. Mpho Parks Tau during his 2013 State of the City address.

This massive transit-oriented development initiative to redefine, redesign and re-stitch the city is creating a new future in which residents live closer to their workplaces, and ‘work, stay and play’ in the same place without have to travel long distances.

The shape of the future city involves the creation of well-planned transport arteries - or Corridors of Freedom - linked to interchanges where the focus is on mixed-use development - high-density accommodation supported by office buildings, retail development and opportunities for leisure and recreation.

“This bodes well for the development of the tourism industry across the seven regions of Johannesburg, facilitating viable economic development across all sectors - including tourism,” explains Mlaba.

The Corridors of Freedom brings opportunities to increase the tourism footprint throughout Johannesburg, opening up previously marginalized nodal pockets, creating employment, SMME development and stimulating a vibrant second economy.

By EABW Reporter, Saturday, May 17th, 2014


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