VENTURES AFRICA – Johannesburg and Lagos have emerged the most popular destinations in Africa with over 4.6 million expected visitors in 2013, according to MasterCard’s Third Annual Global Destination Cities Index.

The recently released index ranks Johannesburg as the highest on the continent both in total number of visits and international visitors totalling 2,544,013 and generating the sum of $2.7 billion, while Lagos will have 2,164,897 visitors which will generate about $922 million, the report showed.

Eleven other African cities were including Cape Town, Durban, Nairobi, Cairo, Casablanca, Accra, Beira, Kampala, Maputo, Tunis and Dakar, were rated on the Index.

The top three cities from which visitors to Johannesburg originate are London (299,000 people), Frankfurt (187,000 people), and Dubai (157,000 people).

Philip Panaino of the Division President of MasterCard South Africa, says that: “Four of the top five outbound destinations for Johannesburg travellers are within Africa. Maputo and Harare top the list; London comes in third, followed by Lagos and Windhoek.”

Lagos, which is referred to as an emerging city, has witnessed considerable growth in the past year following a fall in visits in 2010 and 2011. In 2010 and 2011, Lagos suffered a severe contraction, with visitor numbers declining by about 20 per cent each year, before recovering to around 6.9 per cent growth in 2012.

The MasterCard Index of Global Destination Cities is reached using the criteria of the number of total international visitor arrivals and the cross-border spending by visitors in the destination cities.

http://www.ventures-africa.com/2013/06/johannesburg-and-lagos-rated-africas-most-popular-destinations-mastercard/

The coming century is going to be a battle between Lagos and Johanesburg to inherit the the crown of Africa. Jo'burg has just announce it's own urban renewal program that's even more ambitious than Eko Atlantic. I have faith the coming governors will take Lagos further than Fashola. As a PDP guy, I would actually like to see ACN continue to run Lagos so that a change in parties doesn't take Lagos off course. Continuity is NEEDED.



It's time for other Nigerian cities to begin stepping up from their slumber as Lagos has been. Nigeria will never develop if Kaduna, Onitsha, Kano, Port Harcourt and Ibadan don't wake up

Jo'burg has just announce it's own urban renewal program that's even more ambitious than Eko Atlantic.

Interresting!, do you have more informations about this urban renewal program?

It's no big deal.
Both are economic capitals of their two respective countries.

Ikengawo: The coming century is going to be a battle between Lagos and Johanesburg to inherit the the crown of Africa. Jo'burg has just announce it's own urban renewal program that's even more ambitious than Eko Atlantic. I have faith the coming governors will take Lagos further than Fashola. As a PDP guy, I would actually like to see ACN continue to run Lagos so that a change in parties doesn't take Lagos off course. Continuity is NEEDED.



It's time for other Nigerian cities to begin stepping up from their slumber as Lagos has been. Nigeria will never develop if Kaduna, Onitsha, Kano, Port Harcourt and Ibadan don't wake up

what continuity are you talking about?
Do you know how long ACN have been the ruling party in lagos?
Imagine the infrastructure lagos would have with its huge IGR,if it had an infrastructure-oriented governor like akpabio.

Horus:

Interresting!, do you have more informations about this urban renewal program?

I think it's a $6.9 billion project,far bigger than "Eko atlantic" project.

It's very welcoming to know that after decades of rot and neglect, after lagos was written off, the world is watching and.responding to lagos state's strong efforts and urban renewal, the world is responding to credible and stable leadership, the world is responding to a supporting environment for investments and a fast developing world of fashion, food and.restaurants, entertainment, aquatic pleasures, international sports events and celebrity appearances, global attention to major infrastructures including Eko Atlantic, Eko energy city, manpower development and so on.

Like they say, with good land credible eadership, anything is possible. How I wish the same type of leadership is available elsewhere all over Nigeria

solomon111: what continuity are you talking about?
Do you know how long ACN have been the ruling party in lagos?
Imagine the infrastructure lagos would have with its huge IGR,if it had an infrastructure-oriented governor like akpabio.

To start with, Akwa Ibom has and spends more money in billions than Lagos state and still nothing significant to show for it..

Akwa Ibom with all that money and the largest budget in Nigeria = Infrastructures that wont't reach half a page on NL after posting your usual roads.


Below is your village infrastructure with the picture of your infrastructure oriented village governor stamped on his plastic water basket mini waterworks...

[img]http://www.uncommontransformation.tv/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/articles/borehole.jpg[/img]



^^^^^^^ This thread is not about that village rubbish and it's def not what the article is talking about. Wait till the next village infratsructure topic comes up and spew your rubbish..

I cant believe some doofus are celebrating this side comment by one 'Ventures Africa',Nigeria with a population of more than 150million people,it is quite natural that its economic capital shld even attract more visitors than even Dubai!i guess Lagos,if nt for gross neglect and grave corruptn from its governors both past and present,it should be competing with Kuala Lumpur,Bombai,Dubai,Bangkok etc!...i think People shld be disturbed by recent statistics that named lagos as one of the worst places to live on earth,we Nigerians knows that life,is at its lowest ebb in Lagos!many of its youths are either unemployed or unemployeable,Lagos is one big junk yard, human development is zero!i see some Nigeria cities doing better than Lagos in this regard wit no media hype!

Austine.E:
I cant believe some doofus are celebrating this side comment by one 'Ventures Africa',Nigeria with a population of more than 150million people,it is quite natural that its economic capital shld even attract more visitors than even Dubai!i guess Lagos,if nt for gross neglect and grave corruptn from its governors both past and present,it should be competing with Kuala Lumpur,Durban,Bombai,Dubai,Bangkok etc!...i think People shld be disturbed by recent statistics that named lagos as one of the worst places to live on earth,we Nigerians knows that life,is at its lowest ebb in Lagos!many of its youths are either unemployed or unemployeable,Lagos is one big junk yard, human development is zero!i see some Nigeria cities doing better than Lagos in this regard wit no media hype!

I don't even know where to start. Capital or no capital, it means nothing without credible leadership, without vision and policies to move the place forward as we post on NL everyday. Capital did not come up with all the major changes and infrastructures completed and ongoing in lagos state , leadership did. A capital with a bad and clueless with no vision or sense of duty means nothing it such wont show up in articles like the one we are discussing here.


The fact that you compared the smallest state in Nigeria with little money with real countries and national budgets means you either don't know what you are talking about, you are dishonest or it's just the same generic NL bad bele... either way, you made zero sense.

What is Kaula lampur to Jburg? What is Luanda to Jburg? Jburg is way better than those places and Lagos is still standing on the same scale with Jburg so that was a redudant, absurd and uneducated and mindless.


The fact that Lagos state in your own country beat many major capitals in Africa means a lot and should to every Nigerian. Lagos is still part of your country and you really should be happy for your country instead of killing yourself with bad bele...



There's got to be a better portion in life for you people than this silly and petty bad bele nonsense....

Eko Ile:


To start with, Akwa Ibom has and spends more money in billions than Lagos state and still nothing significant to show for it..

Akwa Ibom with all that money and the largest budget in Nigeria = Infrastructures that wont't reach half a page on NL after posting your usual roads.


Below is your village infrastructure with the picture of your infrastructure oriented village governor stamped on his plastic water basket mini waterworks...

[img]http://www.uncommontransformation.tv/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/articles/borehole.jpg[/img]



^^^^^^^ This thread is not about that village rubbish and it's def not what the article is talking about. Wait till the next village infratsructure topic comes up and spew your rubbish..

You're derailing by responding to trollers, you should have ignored that senseless post.

Ikengawo: The coming century is going to be a battle between Lagos and Johanesburg to inherit the the crown of Africa. Jo'burg has just announce it's own urban renewal program that's even more ambitious than Eko Atlantic. I have faith the coming governors will take Lagos further than Fashola. As a PDP guy, I would actually like to see ACN continue to run Lagos so that a change in parties doesn't take Lagos off course. Continuity is NEEDED.



It's time for other Nigerian cities to begin stepping up from their slumber as Lagos has been. Nigeria will never develop if Kaduna, Onitsha, Kano, Port Harcourt and Ibadan don't wake up

Those two cities have been slumbering for years. They've got the potentials to be great.

Thunder from neymar

Eko Atlantic:

You're derailing by responding to trollers, you should have ignored that senseless post.

You are right, I just had to shut him down and put him in his place..

Authorities plan to turn
Johannesburg into Africa's New
York


City mayor Parks Tau says the 10-year
scheme, which is set to cost some $10
billion, will lead to a "new era" for
Johannesburg and its 4.4 million
inhabitants.
Plans are on the cards for an
extensive new road and railroad
network, better houses and revamped
buildings to spruce up the city,
originally built on a gold rush in the
late 19th Century.
The inspiration for change is the
cosmopolitan New York City in the US,
with its attractive bridges, roads and
efficient subway network and parks.
"We are re-inventing the city of
Johannesburg," Tau said. "We are
turning this city into a New York of
Africa," he added.
Officials say the project will correct
urban planning dating back to white
minority rule, which pushed
designated black areas to the outskirts
of the city, with poor access to
transport and other infrastructure and
services.
"This is a major step in reversing the
inequalities caused by the apartheid
regime," Tau told AFP.
In some cases, commuting between
the city centre and northern suburbs
currently takes up to nearly two hours.
A network of enhanced public
transportation enabling people in
outlying areas to make connections by
trains, buses and taxis will be
established, together with cycle paths.
Alison Todes of the University of
Witwatersrand's School of
Architecture argues that the time has
come for an efficient transport system
that will also help reduce the city's
carbon footprint.
"The city is quite spread out and a lot
of people use private cars. Less travel
time and less cars on the road will
also be good for the environment,"
Todes said.
The launch three years ago of a high
speed train service linking
Johannesburg and the administrative
capital Pretoria was a milestone in
providing efficient public transport.
But the train serves limited routes and
high fares make it inaccessible to the
bulk of the working class, who rely on
crowded privately-run minibus taxis
and ageing state-owned metro trains.
"Our economy is growing, so we saw
a need to prioritise investment on
infrastructure to boost the economic
capacity of the city," Tau said.
The city will finance the renovations
from its own coffers.
Despite its established wealth,
boasting the largest concentration of
dollar millionaires in the country, parts
of Johannesburg are dirt poor.
Clusters of palatial homes protected
by gates and electric fences stand
side-by-side with sprawling slums that
have no running water and sanitation.
Nearly half a million of
Johannesburg's population lives in
informal housing. Some have been on
a waiting list for state-subsidised
houses for 15 years.
Almost a fifth of the total renovation
budget will be channelled to low-cost
housing schemes dubbed "corridors
of freedom".
"Housing is the biggest challenge
facing the city. We can't claim to be a
world class African city when we still
have people living in poor
conditions," Tau said.
Building improvements will also reach
into the inner city, which has seen an
exodus of large businesses due to
decay and high levels of crime.
Business giants like the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange, Africa's largest
bourse, left the once-thriving central
business district for northern suburb
Sandton – now the continent's richest
square mile.
Many mining firms and banks joined
the exodus to the north, though a few
have started moving back.
"It is our goal to create a safe,
business-friendly environment," Tau
said.
In 2009, closed-circuit surveillance
cameras were installed in areas
around the inner city to help fight
crime.
But the main opposition Democratic
Alliance (DA) party worries that the
municipality will not be able to
monitor spending adequately, amid
daily reports of public sector
corruption.
For the past three years the city has
failed to get a clean bill of health from
the country's auditor general.
"We don't dispute that it is a great
investment, but we need assurances
that public funds would be handled
efficiently," DA spokesman Mmusi
Maimane said.
"My main concern is that there is no
capacity to handle such a huge
budget," he said.



www.timeslive.co.za/lifestyle/travel/2013/06/09/authorities-plan-to-turn-johannesburg-into-africa-s-new-york

^^^^^ Sounds good...
We are ready for that competition...

Well IMO the coming of kim kardashain, chris brown ,alica keys and others is one of the reasons why more foreigners are trooping into lagos!! Let's keep inviting them!!

ekoile&his lagos thread is getting boring this days...smh

Horus:

Interresting!, do you have more informations about this urban renewal program?

Search for AwodwaGyanOniwe, a terrible south african based ghanaian troll who was spamming nairaland with pictures and details of the project some weeks ago (I hope he or she has been permanently banned). You'll see lots of pictures and details of the project on his/her profile.

Eko Ile: ^^^^^ Sounds good...
We are ready for that competition...

Indeed we are.

Zet72: ekoile&his lagos thread is getting boring this days...smh

Really?! Some people actually get bored of progress and development! Wow.
No wonder some cities, states in Nigeria are stagnant or underdeveloping.

Eko Ile:


I don't even know where to start. Capital or no capital, it means nothing without credible leadership, without vision and policies to move the place forward as we post on NL everyday. Capital did not come up with all the major changes and infrastructures completed and ongoing in lagos state , leadership did. A capital with a bad and clueless with no vision or sense of duty means nothing it such wont show up in articles like the one we are discussing here.


The fact that you compared the smallest state in Nigeria with little money with real countries and national budgets means you either don't know what you are talking about, you are dishonest or it's just the same generic NL bad bele... either way, you made zero sense.

What is Kaula lampur to Jburg? What is Luanda to Jburg? Jburg is way better than those places and Lagos is still standing on the same scale with Jburg so that was a redudant, absurd and uneducated and mindless.


The fact that Lagos state in your own country beat many major capitals in Africa means a lot and should to every Nigerian. Lagos is still part of your country and you really should be happy for your country instead of killing yourself with bad bele...



There's got to be a better portion in life for you people than this silly and petty bad bele nonsense....

Durban as mentioned in my last post was an over-sight,i ve since corrected it,but i didnt remember mentioning Luanda in my previous post!however,you are trying very much to sound reasonable and patriotic but i wld imagine if a place like Akwa-ibom,Onitsha or say Kano was mentioned as one of the cities to watch-out,i can imagine the venom you wld spew!you know what,in this forum your name stinks with tribal odour!'you ve descended into moral abyss'apology to Abati.

homesteady: Well IMO the coming of kim kardashain, chris brown ,alica keys and others is one of the reasons why more foreigners are trooping into lagos!! Let's keep inviting them!!

lord of little things!...while others discuss ideas,you discuss people!i guess you are either 16 or below!

solomon111: what continuity are you talking about?
Do you know how long ACN have been the ruling party in lagos?
Imagine the infrastructure lagos would have with its huge IGR,if it had an infrastructure-oriented governor like akpabio.

Well, that's a good point too but Lagos has a specific plan right now and should stick to it. To be honest Fashola is not infrastructure ambitious but he's a good long term planner.

At the same time Lagos's success is not attributed to the government. The hardest working most ambitious people from all over Nigeria to go Lagos and only 1% of what you see in the city is government built and owned. New York City is the same, but i still like Fashola's long term thinking and wouldn't want it derailed.

Joburg plan
http://www.joburg.org.za/index.php?option=com_content&id=126&Itemid=9

What I like is that it focuses on rebuilding the inner city instead of adding a 'better' extension.
Lagos has enough funds to do the same! Eko Atlantic is nice, but if mainland isn't modernized the flood of business to Eko will turn mainland into another Ibadan (which was devalued with the flood of business to Lagos)

Austine.E:

Durban as mentioned in my last post was an over-sight,i ve since corrected it,but i didnt remember mentioning Luanda in my previous post!however,you are trying very much to sound reasonable and patriotic but i wld imagine if a place like Akwa-ibom,Onitsha or say Kano was mentioned as one of the cities to watch-out,i can imagine the venom you wld spew!you know what,in this forum your name stinks with tribal odour!'you ve descended into moral abyss'apology to Abati.

1. You are still making no sense and it doesn't matter what country you you compare with. You did mentioned Dubai, but Dubai's operating budget is $60 billion while Lagos is $3.5billion and it's the same story with all the countries you mentioned.

2. Why should I even take you seriously after comparing a little state inside Nigeria with such meager budget with sovereign countries and sovereign budgets? Your logic was unreasonable, elementary and childish.

3. It's a big deal to be on the same stage with the best city in Africa and as a Nigerian, you should be very pround instead of your silly tribal and ethnic worries.

4. This is not about Akwa Ibom and so far there is no basis for any consideration like this topic so save your Akwa Ibom village for similar village topics.


Bring the most sensible and the most productive part of your brain to the next discussion because right now, you really sound like a true born dullard..

Austine.E:

lord of little things!...while others discuss ideas,you discuss people!i guess you are either 16 or below!

Na wa oh!! Can't I be entitled to my own opinion again?? Besides what I said is correct, it is one of the reasonSSS

Now
that lagos state is stagerring height by height, side by side with
africa best city i mean j burg. Its sounds cool but what baffles me
the most is the case of these ibo pple who will later claim they own
lagos. Fustrated brain washed good for nothing pple

We keep progressing, while the haters keep hating.

Good thing we have an ACTION governor and not a thief who only knows how to get votes based on tribalism or religion like so many others.