Standing atop Table Mountain with the lights of Cape Town twinkling below him, a cool breeze moving past him, marketing manager for Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism Titus Chuene learnt that he was to become the proud father of a baby girl.
But this magnificent memory is not ultimately why he became the first person outside of the Western Cape to lend official support to Table Mountain’s New7Wonders of Nature campaign. Rather, he was sending a clear message to all South African’s to help put their country on the map.
“People need to understand that as a country, we don’t need to compete against each other, but instead complement one another. By putting Table Mountain on the map, we put South Africa on the map. It’s an honour for me as a South African to promote one of the top tourism icons in the world,” says Titus.
He believes the promotion of this campaign is the duty of every person in the country.
“We are doing some serious PR work to try and get as many South African’s behind the initiative as possible. We have written articles, we utilise time on different radio stations while also using our website and other e-marketing channels like Twitter and Facbook.”
For Titus, the only word that truly describes Table Mountain is “majestic”.
“The fact that you have close to a 360°view of the city is amazing. The mountain is tranquil, beautiful, and loaded with plant species you can’t find anywhere else in the world. And for me, nothing beats the view from the mountain facing Robben Island.”
Nelson Mandela Bay was the first metropolitan area outside the Western Cape to show support for Table Mountain and the New7Wonders of Nature campaign. Titus called on residents of Port Elizabeth to back the initiative, and because of this, was later made an official ambassador in early March.
The New7Wonders of Nature will be declared in November 2011.
