[imagesource: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis]

Cape Town is the best place to come before you head all the way down South.

That’s how Cape Town’s mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, has positioned the Mother City in a new tourism campaign adding the city as the latest gateway for travelling to Antarctica.

More and more people are wanting to travel to the world’s most remote continent and with Cape Town’s unique location, going from the sunshiney beaches to the freezing cold within a five-hour flight is now not only possible but totally recommended.

Joined by Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities, Hill-Lewis took a day trip to the seventh continent from Cape Town on Monday, February 6, per Cape Town ETC.

You can see the two gents above and below:

Image: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis

Hill-Lewis said that it was “a privilege to witness the Antarctic’s pristine wilderness first-hand via a short flight from Cape Town”, going on to punt the city as the best spot to go forth and explore the chilly southern terrains:

“We want more people to choose our city as their preferred gateway to reach international scientific bases, or to experience the continent’s unique sustainable tourism offering. We are launching a new destination marketing campaign with a clear message – Cape Town is the best place to come before you head way down South. Where else can you go from sun and beautiful beaches to Antarctica in just 5 hours?”

It is also really convenient that all the accommodation materials, along with some of the equipment and supplies needed for a trip to Antarctica, are made right here in Cape Town, he notes:

“Visiting the world’s remote seventh continent is the closest anyone will come to experiencing life on another planet. Except this is our planet, and the only one we’ve got. Sustainable tourism holds not only economic and job creation benefits for our city as a gateway, but also enhances the viability of scientific research on the continent.”

Before, there used to be only four cities positioned well enough on the Southern Ocean to allow cargo and personnel to pass over to Antarctica.

From west to east, they were Punta Arenas in Chile, Ushuaia in Argentina, Hobart in Australia, and Christchurch in New Zealand.

Now Cape Town, South Africa has been added to that list.

Who wants to go freeze their “todgers” (and the like) as Prince Harry did?

Could be fun.

[source:capetownetc]