Pretoria - Western Cape Tourism MEC Alan Winde has urged South Africans to vote for Table Mountain in the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign.
Winde has been named as an ambassador for the campaign. "I am thrilled to be an ambassador of this campaign because Table Mountain rocks! According to a study by Grant Thornton, if it becomes one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, tourism to our destination could increase by 20 percent.
"This would generate an additional R1.4 billion in revenue every year and support employment opportunities for around 11 000 people," said Winde.
The campaign is a process to select the seven best natural sites in world, with Table Mountain remaining as one of the 28 finalists out of an initial list of 440 sites in 220 countries.
Winde urged residents, with just over four months left of the four-year campaign, to vote for Table Mountain if it is going to make it on the final list.
"We are up against stiff competition, including Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia, and we are currently not in a winning spot. However, I am confident that if Western Cape residents display their trademark team spirit and get behind this campaign, we can still climb to the top of the list."
New 7 Wonders campaign manager, Fiona Furey, said on Tuesday that it was time for all South Africans to "get behind their mountain," adding that Winde has shown support for the Vote for Table Mountain campaign since 2009.
People can vote by SMSing "Table" to 34874 or by voting online at www.votefortablemountain.com.
The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be announced on 11 November 2011.
