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According to National Geographic Traveler, it originally chose Cape Town because it regarded the city as “one of the 50 most iconic and visited cities in the world”. Cape Town is one of the most recent cities to be posted onto the “Places of a Lifetime” website at http://www.nationalgeographic.com.
Says Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, the official tourism destination marketing organisation for Cape Town and the Western Cape: “To be acknowledged by such a well-known and esteemed travel publication online is indeed an honour for our city and province. It is not only a recognition of Cape Town and the Western Cape’s growing status as one of the world’s top tourism destinations, but also of our tourism industry and partners that work so hard to keep our city and province a top-of-mind destination.”
According to National Geographic Traveler’s website, the magazine decided to expand its “Places of a Lifetime” franchise online following its successful showcasing of 50 of the world's top destinations (“places that every curious traveller should visit in a lifetime”) in October 1999. The “Places of a Lifetime” site carries personal essays on top tourism destinations, as well as “a wealth of timely service information, from insiders' tips on the best places to stay and eat, to great books and music, to recommended walking tours”.
The section on Cape Town includes “My Cape Town”, an essay by Mary Watson, a Caine Prize-winning author who lives in Cape Town and teaches at the University of Cape Town, as well as inspirational travel information such as: