South African Tourism and the Nelson Mandela Foundation have partnered in a unique initiative that will allow for all South African’s and visitors from outside the country to experience some of Nelson Mandela’s favorite travel spots and the places he enjoyed visiting.
As part of the Nelson Mandela Centenary celebrations, South African Tourism has identified 100 experiences, attractions and destinations around South Africa that have strong historical and social ties to his life.
This tourism-focused initiative, will be launched at this year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba, Africa’s largest travel trade show which will take place from 8 to 10 May.
Often respectfully referred to by his Xhosa clan name Madiba, Nelson Mandela was a global icon who was adored all around the world as intensely as he was at home, spent much time travelling to, and living in various parts of our beautiful country, creating memories and inspiring hope for those around him.
As a result, the chosen 100 experiences, attractions and destinations depicts the story of his journey, which has become familiar to the global community.
This showcase of South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s memory can be found on the Madiba’s Journey App, which allows users to view the attractions on a map, build their itineraries and share their own journeys on social media. Visitors can also experience the emotion and relevance of each location through audio, text and image galleries. The app also offers real-time weather information, distances and details of nearby attractions.
“The significance of launching this initiative at Africa’s Travel Indaba is to commemorate the lifetime of service Nelson Mandela gave to South Africa and the world”, says SA Tourism COO Sthembiso Dlamini.
“His commitment to and vision for South Africa is aptly tied to our journey as one of the key players in South Africa’s economic discourse: bringing socio-economic value to communities, and continuously forging partnerships with various organisations that provide SMMEs in the tourism sector with intensive training, mentoring and upskilling.”
To this end, Tourism Month celebrations in September will take place in the Eastern Cape, Nelson Mandela’s province of birth. In a bid to encourage travellers to explore some of the attractions dearest to Madiba’s memory, Nelson Mandela Centenary content and deals packages will be made available on South African Tourism’s owned platforms.
Delegates who will be at the trade show, which is aptly themed “Africa’s Stories, Your Success”, can expect to be immersed in a number of experiences that pay homage to Madiba’s layered and nuanced life. They’ll journey through some of the most notable places associated with his life such as the Eastern Cape where he was born, Vilakazi Street where he lived as a young lawyer, the Nelson Mandela Capture Site where he was found and detained, and finally, Robben Island where he spent almost two decades as a political prisoner.
Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation described this initiative as one that will “take Madiba’s legacy to another level both in South Africa and globally in terms of recognising his values of transformation and unity”, adding that it is “important to build a value based society because that was in line with Madiba’s vision for our continent”.
“I also want to thank SA Tourism for their role in ensuring that we portray the legacy of Nelson Mandela during this special centenary year,” concluded Hatang.
Additionally, please find thesetwo links to recent media statements released by the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) announcing former US President Barack Obama will visit Johannesburg in July to deliver the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture to honor the Mandela centenary.
Issued by W!T on behalf of South African Tourism
For more information on South Africa’s rich and diverse offerings visit www.southafrica.net, follow @SouthAfrica on Twitter and @VisitSouthAfrica on Instagram and Facebook.
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