Iconic Table Mountain welcomes its 20-millionth visitor!
Federico Uribe Velasquez, the Cableway's 20-millionth visitor. Photos by Roy Barford
Federico Uribe Velasquez with Cableway CEO, Sabine Lehmann
Columbian filmmaker, Federico Uribe Velesquez, became the Table Mountain Cableway’s 20-millionth visitor when he bought his ticket on Thursday, March 25, 2010.
Valesquez, 41, was visiting Table Mountain for the first time when he was informed that he had made history. He smiled from ear to ear when Cableway CEO, Sabine Lehman, ran over to congratulate him at the ticket booth.
Cableway staff, who were on standby for the big moment, cheered loudly as members of the media took pictures of the delighted visitor, who immediately put on a T-shirt that announced his achievement.
Velasquez, however, seemed more excited about his opportunity to ascend Table Mountain, than he was about the fame that would follow as a result. Staring up at Table Mountain from the car park below, he told the media that he felt right at home, coming from a mountainous country.
“This place is so beautiful, it is amazing,” he said.
Velasquez is in South Africa filming a documentary about the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, which starts in June.
Lehman informed him that Table Mountain had been short-listed to become one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. He responded that he would definitely be casting his vote and that he’d ensure all his friends and family in Columbia did the same.
The Cableway recorded its millionth visitor in 1959 and its 11-millionth visitor in 1997, when the new rotating cable car was introduced. About 9-million people have since travelled on the rotating cable cars, introduced in 1997.
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