Joburg receives another international accolade

This time, the City has been voted the coolest city south of the equator by a top United Kingdom magazine.

The London-based GQ magazine, which boasts a monthly readership of 1.2 million, said although there are many ‘cool cities’ south of the equator ripe for one’s travel considerations, Joburg is the best place to visit at the moment.

GQ fashion editor, Nick Carvell, asserts that although Joburg might not boast white sands and pristine beaches, it can hold its head high as it has ‘a clever way’ of making up for a loss of nature’s endowments.

“Though South Africa’s first city lacks in beaches, it more than makes up for it with a seriously buzzing urban landscape packed with superb bars, inventive restaurants, cool hotels and one of the world’s most exciting theatre, art and music scenes – not to mention a safari just outside [the City’s boundaries] if you want [to] get some time with the country’s most recognisable furry residents,” writes Carvell.

GQ’s glowing write-up comes hot on the heels of the City winning the prestigious C40 Cities Award, which the City won in the finance and economic development category.

In September last year, the Global Financial Centres Index ranked Jozi as the number one city in Africa and 33rd most economically powerful metropolis in the world based on business environment, financial sector development, infrastructure, human capital, reputation and other general factors.

Johannesburg ranks 12th out of 25 destinations on the 2015 Africa list in TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Destination Award and is the only South African city to have made it onto Travel + Leisure’s 50 standout destinations last year.

Joburg’s Maboneng Precinct was named one of the World’s Coolest New Tourist Attractions last year by Travelandleisure.com while the City walked away with the Rough Guide’s number one position as the top city to visit last year.

Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development, Colonel Ruby Mathang, said the numerous international and local awards that have come Joburg’s way were the real returns of the City’s investment in infrastructure and world-class facilities.

Mathang added that tourism was a powerful transformative tool as it contributed to job creation, growth and economic development, and also impacted positively on the entire tourism, leisure and hospitality value chain.

Details: www.joburgtourism.com