12-09-2014: Joburg – Explore, Experience & Enjoy!
Joburg Tourism is supporting the September Tourism Month festivities in the renowned Maboneng Precinct - one of the city’s most exciting urban destinations – using the opportunity to entrench its Explore Experience & Enjoy Joburg campaign and to highlight the city’s extensive calendar of lifestyle and leisure events.
The “Love Joburg” tagline is being introduced with the objective of instilling civic pride amongst locals, as well as promoting awareness of the City’s fabulously diverse tourism appeal, which includes not only tourist attractions, but the myriads of events on offer throughout Joburg.
“Joburg’s calendar of signature lifestyle events takes off in September, which also heralds the beginning of spring, when people get out of doors to embrace life Jozi style,” says Tshidi Mlaba, Deputy Director, Destination Marketing. “The number of events celebrating music, food, fashion, entertainment and living the good life is quite mind-boggling – and the pace is sustained until the end of summer. Arts Alive, Joy of Jazz, Joburg Day, the Soweto Wine Festival and the Joburg City Festival are just some of the events to look forward to in September, with plenty to follow! Joburg’s pace is hard to beat and September is wonderful time to remind locals and visitors that it is the most happening destination on the continent!”
Two Decades of Tourism Growth in Johannesburg, Africa’s Most Exciting City
Tourism month is also an ideal time to reflect on the phenomenal growth in tourism product development and visitor arrivals in Johannesburg.
Now proudly taking its place as Africa’s second largest city, there is always something new to get excited about in Joburg, which is growing at an unprecedented rate – constantly and continuously transforming itself. This extraordinary city is seen not only as the economic hub of the Continent, but also as offering a plethora of cultural, leisure, sporting, fashion and lifestyle activities that is fast making it the leading destination for both leisure and business tourists.
The past 20 years have been especially exciting for the burgeoning and subsequent boom of the tourism industry and there’s no indication that things will be slowing down any time soon!
The figures bear this out. According to the third annual MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index released in June 2013, Johannesburg is set to be the most popular destination in Africa, with a projected 2.54 million international visitors expected to visit the city in 2013.
Despite a marginal 5.5% increase in the number of international visitors from 2012, Johannesburg’s substantial 53.6% growth in international visitors from 2009 to 2013 has propelled it into the Index’s top 20 fastest growing cities globally.
Johannesburg also comes out tops in Africa in terms of international visitor spending, with US$2.7 billion estimated to be injected into the city during 2013, a slight increase (1%) on 2012’s expenditure.
While a vast number of these visitors arrive for business reasons or events, ever increasing numbers are staying to sample and experience Joburg’s fascinatingly diverse, urban tourism and lifestyle scene.
Although only 128 years old, Joburg boasts layer upon layer of interesting, arts, culture and heritage – from its ancient palaentological and anthropological history to its farming, Boer War and mining boomtown past, and of course, not forgetting its significance in the more recent struggle history.
The development of the tourism scene in Joburg over the past twenty years has seen a dramatic increase in the number of precincts, museums and attractions to highlight the city’s fascinating story, developed by both the public and private sectors.
Vilakazi Street in Soweto, the Maboneng Precinct to the east of the CBD, as well as Braamfontein further north, are just some of the lively neighbourhoods and precincts which have come into their own over the past decade or more.
Myriads of outstanding new heritage sites have been brought into being include the Origins Centre at Wits, the Apartheid Museum at Gold Reef City, the award-winning Liliesleaf Farm, the Hector Pietersen and Chancellor House Museums and the epic Constitution Hill complex, home to South Africa’s Constitutional Court.
These are just the tip of the iceberg and a number of routes have been developed to take in the City’s diversity in terms of themes and attractions, including arts, cuisine, Indian and Chinese heritage, adventure and nature.
Johannesburg is increasingly being perceived in the global community as a destination of choice for investment, commerce and tourism. An international survey of perceptions about the world's 50 premier cities shows a significant improvement in perceptions about the City.
The 2013 Anholt-GfK Roper City Brand Index is now ranking Johannesburg in 44th position, from a 45th ranking. However, the City has shown the second biggest improvement in perceptions among the 5 000 people in 10 developed and developing countries who participated in the survey.
BUSINESS EVENTS - ALL ROADS LEAD TO JOBURG
• Joburg boasts impressive business events credentials in anyone’s book. Aside from all the major international business and sporting events hosted here since the mid-90’s, Joburg is home to an ever-increasing hotel inventory and an abundance of superb convention facilities, all supported by a well established and growing service sector and impressive infrastructure.
• This includes unique transport features like the Gautrain, Rea Vaya BRT and of course, OR Tambo International Airport, which is the country’s most important travel hub. Over 55 international airlines link Johannesburg to major centers worldwide, making it one of the easiest to access on the African continent.
• The City of Johannesburg can comfortably host any event - from small, professional meetings to mega global conferences and sporting events. There are approximately 130 venues in Johannesburg, varying in capacity, including the four biggest which are capable of accommodating over 5000 delegates. Moreover, we have the accommodation stock to match – from ultra deluxe hotels to b&b’s. We can do it all!
• Joburg Convention Bureau's winning streak of successful bids continues unabated, as the city continues to make its mark as Africa's foremost business, meetings and events destination. The ever-increasing line-up of high profile international events won for Joburg includes:
21st General Meeting of the International Mineralogical Association (2014)
21st World Orchid Congress & Exhibition (2014)
Africities Summit (2015)
CIDESCO World Congress (2015)
IPRA World Congress (2015)
The Summit on Healthy Ageing (2015)
Junior Chamber International / JCI (2016)
• In terms of its international ICCA Rankings, Joburg’s placement is showing continuous improvement – moving up 6 places from 142 to 136 in 2014. [This was after 2013’s dramatic improvement in ICCA rankings – an astounding 92 places - from 234 to 142 in the world!]
How to Explore, Experience & Enjoy Joburg in 72 hours!
JOBURG’S TOP ATTRACTIONS – DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT EXPERIENCING:
City Sightseeing Bus: www.citysightseeing.co.za
Travel with City Sightseeing's hop-on hop-off red bus to all Johannesburg and Soweto's top tourist attractions – one of the best ways to explore Joburg at your own pace.
Origins Centre : www.origins.org.za
A museum in Africa for the people of the world – offering visitors a unique experience of Africa’s rich complex and mysterious past.
Gold Reef City: www.goldreefcity.co.za
Experience Africa’s greatest entertainment Theme Park created around an authentic 19th Century Gold mine at Gold Reef Theme Park.
Johannesburg Zoo: www.jhbzoo.org.za
The Joburg Zoo is one of the most popular local and tourist attractions situated in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Founded in 1904 and covering 81 hectares , Joburg Zoo houses over 320 species, totaling about 2000 animals; it is open to the public 365 days a year.
The SAB World of Beer: www.worldofbeer.co.za
The SAB World of Beer ranks as one of South Africa’s top two tourist experiences, offering nearly 50 000 visitors a year a uniquely memorable encounter with the magic of beer and brewing.
Montecasino: www.montecasino.co.za
Located in Fourways, north of Johannesburg , Montecasino is known for being Gauteng's number one entertainment destination.
Apartheid Museum: www.apartheidmuseum.org
The first of its kind, this museum illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid. It is a beacon of hope, showing the world how South Africans are coming to terms with their oppressive past and working towards a future that they can all call their own.
The Struggle Route including:
• Mandela Family Museum: www.mandelahouse.com
• Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication: www.waltersisulusquare.co.za
• Hector Pieterson Memorial & Museum: www.joburg.org.za
• Liliesleaf Farm: www.liliesleaf.co.za
• Constitution Hill: www.constitutionhill.org.za
Did You Know?
• Joburg, the economic powerhouse of Africa, was founded in the heydays of one of the world's biggest and richest gold rushes - earning it the name of Egoli meaning 'place of gold'.
• As the most powerful commercial centre on the African continent, Johannesburg generates 16% of South Africa's GDP and employs 12% of the national workforce. Its infrastructure matches leading first world cities, yet the cost of living is far lower. The city is recognized as the financial capital of South Africa and is home to 74% of Corporate Headquarters. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) rates as one of the top 20 exchanges in the world in terms of market capitalization.
• Key industries and areas of innovation in Johannesburg include a multiplicity of commercial and creative activities – from banking and finance, gold mining, manufacturing and health sciences to transport, business services and outsourcing, information and communication technologies, automotive, television, film and creative industries, to mention but a few.
• Johannesburg offers plethora of cultural, leisure, sporting, fashion and lifestyle activities. The City’s legendary shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife is complimented by fabulous weather as well as an astonishing array of facilities which add to its appeal as a destination.
Some Fast Facts about Johannesburg
• The greater Joburg metropolis covers an area of 2300 square kilometres, making it larger than Sydney, London and New York – and similar in size to Los Angeles.
• Johannesburg is home to 4.6 million people, the majority of whom are aged between 19 and 39.
• Founded 128 years ago in 1886, Joburg is one of the world’s youngest major cities – and the only one not founded on a major waterway (bay or large river).
• During this time, it has been rebuilt four times – starting out as a tented mining camp, it evolved into a town of tin shanties, followed by four-storey Edwardian brick buildings and then a city of modern skyscrapers.
• South Africa’s only stock exchange, the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE), rates as one of the top 20 top exchanges in the world in market capitalization.
• There are 10 million trees in Joburg, making it the world’s largest man-made, urban forest.
• Johannesburg has approximately 150 heritage sites, half of which are national monuments.
• An amazing 40 percent of all the world’s human ancestor fossils have been found in areas close to Joburg.
For more information, please visit www.joburgtourism.com or www.joburg.org.za
Ends
Released by: Laura Vercueil : PR & Communication Manager
Johannesburg Tourism
Tel: +27 11 214 0700
Email: laurav@joburgtourism.com
Info Line : 0860 333 999
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Johannesburg Tourism is a destination marketing organisation, dedicated to promoting tourism growth in the City. Its primary function is to promote Johannesburg as a business, lifestyle, sport and leisure destination, both locally and internationally. Its operations include running a Convention Bureau, a Visitor Services Bureau, as well as co-ordinating city-wide tourism marketing programmes, tourism information gathering and analysis.
Johannesburg Tourism has three offices:
Joburg Tourism Head Office, Parktown North
Tel: +27 214 0700
Soweto Tourism Information Centre
Tel: +27 11 342 4316
Park Station Tourism Information Centre
Tel: +27 11 333 1488
Operating hours 08:00 – 17:00 Monday - Friday
Info Line 0860 333 999
www.joburgtourism.com
