The idea of African tourism conjures up images of wildlife safaris, exotic jungles and traditional indigenous tribes – Grahamstown definitely isn’t the first place that springs to mind.
The idea of African tourism conjures up images of wildlife safaris, exotic jungles and traditional indigenous tribes – Grahamstown definitely isn’t the first place that springs to mind.
Yet CNN Travel published a surprising list of urban African travel destinations at the beginning of the year with Grahamstown at number nine.
"Few people go out of their way to visit Grahamstown but those who stop by are invariably charmed by South Africa’s most appealing little center of academia," wrote Mark Eveleigh on the CNN website.
The social media have recently picked up on this news and some people have reacted with surprise at the city’s inclusion in a list of the top 10 African cities to visit on the CNN Travel website.
Meruschka, or @MzansiGirl on Twitter, said: "I did find that a bit strange, but I guess Grahamstown has its charm". Aileen Puhlmann @aileenmp responded: "yeah for one week a year ;)", referring to the National Arts Festival.
Indeed, the Festival was highlighted as one of the attractions Grahamstown has to offer.
"Humble little Grahamstown is South Africa’s arts capital and really springs to life for a fortnight each July when it hosts the massive National Arts Festival," the article read.
Other cities on the list included Khartoum in Sudan, Bulawayo in Zimbabwe, and Windhoek in Namibia – with the Algiers in Algeria topping the list.
