Having (mis)spent my high school years in the Friendly, Windy City, I was delighted to hear that Port Elizabeth is finally being given the recognition it deserves.
British Airways in-flight magazine High Life has named Port Elizabeth (in the Eastern Cape) one of the 50 Most Authentic Places on Earth in their November 2008 issue.
This is a coup for the ‘Friendly City’ which is so often overlooked, with Jozi, Durban and of course Cape Town forever stealing the limelight when it comes to special mentions for South African cities.
The panel of 18 judges who selected the 50 destinations includes Clive Aslet from Country Life, Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler, The Sunday Telegraph travel editor Maggie O’Sullivan and philosopher and author Alain de Botton.
But what exactly is meant by ‘authentic tourism’ – the latest buzzword in the travel and tourism industry? Does it only relate to far-flung, exotic places where very few tourists have ventured to date?
Not at all. According to the article, written by Mark Jones, (travel writer and regular contributor to High Life), an Authentic Destination is,
“…simply this: somewhere that’s comfortable in its own skin, however many outsiders visit.”
And what places are ruled out? Mark Jones again:
“Places that fake their own history. Places that hand their culture over to someone else’s because they think that makes more money. Places that over-package their natural attractions.”
Port Elizabeth was the only South African city to make the list, and was described in the article as a South African city “with diverse cultures, which isn’t dominated by tourists (whether domestic or international).”
Other places on the list include Soussusvlei (Namibia), Pench Wildlife Sanctuary (India), Salta (Argentina) and Leeds (England).
For AUTHENTIC Port Elizabeth accommodation, contact the Portfolio Online Reservations team, or browse our website.
What South African place do you think should have been added to the list?
Comment below!
(Images by exfordy. Creative Commons Licence)
