Table Mountain has made it into the final round of the New 7 Wonders of Nature contest beating the Atacama Desert in Chile, the Azure Window in Malta and the Rock of Aphrodite in Cyprus for a spot on the shortlist.
The top 28 wonders from around the world were announced today by the New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland. The finalists include legendary sites such as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Grand Canyon in the USA and the Amazon in South America.
Table Mountain must now compete for a place among the top 7 wonders to be announced in 2011.
We were really excited when our mountain made it through to the list of 77 sites which were voted in by the public. And we are now delighted that the judges have shown their appreciation for this World Heritage Site and given Table Mountain a chance to compete against other incredible natural phenomenon, said Sabine Lehmann, CEO of Table Mountain Cableway, who, together with Table Mountain National Park, formed an official supporting committee to champion the mountain's cause.
Table Mountain is the one of only two African sites to have made the prestigious list, along with Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The much-loved landmark beat fellow contender Sossusvlei in Namiba in round three of the international competition.
The campaign is run by the New7Wonders Foundation which is based in Zurich, Switzerland and works to document monuments and conservation efforts worldwide.
Candidates in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign are clearly defined natural sites that have neither been created by nor significantly altered by humans for aesthetic reasons.
The choice of the 28 official finalists was advised by the New7Wonders panel of experts under the leadership of Prof. Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO.
Thank you to all the people who voted Table Mountain onto the top 77 list. Now that we are in the final list of 28, we will put all our energy behind drumming up support from around the world to see that Table Mountain makes it to the final 7, said Lehmann.
A number of South African celebrities and sports stars showed their support for Table Mountain in the earlier round. The Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, comedian Marc Lottering, radio DJ Natalie Becker and the Proteas cricketers all cast their vote for Table Mountain
Voting for the New 7 Wonders of Nature, as chosen by popular vote from the 28 finalists will now resume and continue throughout 2010 and into 2011 when the Official New 7 Wonders of Nature will be announced.
People who voted in the initial stage to name the top 77 site must now vote again in the final phase to name the top 7 sites.
To vote for Table Mountain visit www.new7wonders.com or call 0041 77 312 4041 and select Table Mountain's four-digit code 7725.
Calls to the New 7 Wonders Swiss mobile voting number will cost R3.29 a minute in peak times (7am - 7pm) and R2.92 a minute off-peak (7pm - 7am).
The New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign aims to raise awareness of the incredible variety and beauty of nature around us. The Foundations slogan says, If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it!. The awareness and tourism income means that these natural treasures can be better preserved for future generations.
For information contact the Cableway on 021 424 0015 or visit www.new7wonders.com