Cape Town- To boost tourists’ experience of the inner city, City Sightseeing Cape Town (the Red Bus) launched its new Urban Safaris tour which will enhance inner city travel and showcase the beauty of the Mother City in a whole new way.
Capetonians and visitors will soon have the chance to hop aboard a leopard print-covered bus for a unique safari-style tour.
The journey will travel from Long Street through the inner city and East City, offering a fresh perspective of Cape Town with a live guide.
The tour includes trips to the Castle of Good Hope, District Six Museum, South African Natural History Museum, and Company Gardens, among others.
On Friday 12 September members of the media and selected guests got a sneak peek as Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis unveiled the bus service at the Castle of Good Hope.
Claus Tworeck, City Sightseeing South Africa chief executive officer (CEO), said the service will be available early next month, in time for the tourism season.
“Cape Town is made up of many layers including art and culture and the people who live in the city and on the streets.
We want to peel back those layers and get visitors, both local and foreigners, to experience, taste, smell and see Cape Town. You’re not going to see anything that you see on a normal tourist post card. You will see things off the beaten track.”
Tworeck said they are ready to welcome visitors.
“People can get off at any stop and the next tour bus will collect them again. It will provide complete flexibility to the visitor to learn from the tour guide on the bus and then decide whether they want to get off the bus and explore and have fun.”
He adds that departure will take place from City Sightseeing Cape Town office based at 81 Long Street.
Hill-Lewis believes this new addition will help revitalise tourism in the inner city, an area he says has struggled to recover since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The mayor said the City is ready for a bumper tourism season.
“I am confident that we will smash the 1,5 million visitors mark which will be a first for Cape Town. That will be special for our city. Our job numbers have gone from 90 000 to 110 000 people working in tourism in Cape Town.”
Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Castle of Good Hope, explained the significance of the launch taking place at the castle.
“Launching it at the spot where the enslaved people were freed years ago is important in a process of inclusivity and recolinisation and making it an inclusive space for more people to engage with history and culture.”
From today (Saturday) City Sightseeing also added stop number 25, the Hout Bay-Sentinel Precinct, as a new stop on its Mini-Peninsula Blue Tour Route.
The Blue Route will feature two convenient stops in this dynamic area, inviting even more passengers to experience the stunning beauty and rich culture that Hout Bay has to offer.
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