Yesterday a historic partnership deal was signed between the two cities of New York and Cape Town.
Now, we’re not expecting a sudden influx of bagels to flood the Mother City, nor a stream of gatsbys to head in the opposite direction, but the new alliance is seen as a major boost for tourism and relations between the two cities, where Cape Town Tourism CEO, Enver Duminy, along with NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon, officially confirmed the agreement at a signing ceremony on Wednesday.
In his speech, Dixon said “Today, we are proud to sign a first-ever partnership with Cape Town, one of the world’s most iconic and beautiful cities. New York City and Cape Town share a lot in common as capital cities of culture, cuisine and design, and we look forward to cultivating this productive tourism relationship in the year ahead.”
Meanwhile, Duminy confirmed “This announcement has been years in the making, but at the outset it was clear that New York is the ideal city for collaboration with Cape Town. We’re greatly encouraged by this tourism twinning agreement, after all, a city with a global reputation for world-class tourism is acknowledging that we have just as much value to offer the global traveller. We look forward to this partnership and to sharing the benefits with our communities.”
On average, thirty percent of African visitors to the Big Apple are South African, and with travel now expected to increase between the two destinations, this number is likely to rise significantly. City of Cape Town branding will be promoted on LinkNYC and bus stops throughout New York, while upcoming campaigns are being planned to encourage locals to make the trip over the Atlantic.
Photography Juliette Bisset Photography
