Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) has announced that its extensive maintenance work has come to a close and has officially begun welcoming visitors, racking in a total of 7000 ticket purchases within its first day of reopening.
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This comes just days after Cape Town’s favourite flat-topped mountain was sprinkled with a dusting of snow last week.
The highly-anticipated reopening marks the start of Tourism Month in Cape Town, with the Cableway’s lower station seeing a surge of activity as visitors arrived this morning.
One such visitor was none other than Cape Town Premier Alan Winde, who took to social media, exclaiming that ‘it’s a perfect spring day here on one of the Wonders of the World’:
Good morning, Western Cape! ☀️
It’s a perfect Spring day here on one of the Wonders of the World! 🌍🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/D2MEf67fZX
— Premier Alan Winde (@alanwinde) September 2, 2024
‘Over a million tourists visit the Cableway each year, and they have sold at least 7 000 tickets just for today,’ remarked Winde. ‘Last year we broke all tourism records with tourists coming into the Western Cape.’
The seven-week-long maintenance was the longest overhaul since the upgrade of the iconic tourist attraction in 1997. A team of Swiss engineers from the Doppelmayr-Garavanta Group, the original manufacturers who installed the cableway that year, was enlisted to ensure top-notch maintenance.
‘We’ve replaced the track ropes, overhauled the hanging and running gear and adhered to strict Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) specifications,’ said Executive Director of TMACC Selma Hercules. ‘Its all part of our ongoing commitment to safety, quality and excellence.’
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According to TMACC, the reopening also marks new operating hours, which will be in effect until the middle of December:
First car up – 8:30am
Last car up – 6pm
Last car down – 7pm
‘Tourism Month is our chance to shine,’ added Hercules. ‘We invite both locals and international visitors to rediscover the breathtaking beauty of Table Mountain and enjoy the best views in the city from our state-of-the-art cableway.’
And for those who have celebrated their birthdays during the past seven weeks (15 July to 1 September) of TMACC’s maintenance, it’s time to re-don your birthday hat, and grab your South African ID to redeem your birthday ticket for a free ride up one of the world’s ‘New 7 Wonders’.
Article originally published by Cape Town ETC.
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