Cape Town clinches title of Africa’s leading travel destination for 3 rd timein a row

Sunday, October 22, 2023

Cape Town has been named Africa’s Leading City Destination for the third year in a row by the World Travel Awards Africa. Furthermore, Cape Town International Airport and the Port of Cape Town were voted Africa’s Leading Airport and Cruise Port, respectively.

This string of accolades follows other recent recognitions, including a fourth-best big city in the world rating from Condé Nast Traveller’s 2023 Reader’s Choice Awards and being voted the world’s greatest city by readers of The Telegraph in July.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis expressed the City’s pride in receiving such distinguished awards.
He said, “We’re proud to receive continued recognition in these prestigious awards, confirming Cape Town as a leading tourism destination on the continent. The variety of experiences available to local and international visitors makes us a unique destination for travel and leisure. The tourism industry continues to breathe life into our regional economy, and global recognition only increases the numbers of tourists wanting to visit our city, creating more employment opportunities and boosting the local economy.”

He added, “We are committed to building on the gains we have made in growing a tourism industry that is boosting employment and investment opportunities. This means maintaining our efforts to land more flights, docking more cruise liners, hosting more events and conferences and supporting businesses to build products that are unique and world-class. Under the banner of this mission, I’ve just returned from a trade mission in the UK, where I met with airlines, tour operators and companies. Alongside this, the City and its partners will roll out clever campaigns that attract travelers and lead to increased bookings.”

Alderman James Vos, a member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth, emphasized the importance of tourism to Cape Town’s development, saying, “These awards are a testament to Cape Town’s rich diversity of assets that reveal and celebrate our people and products. It is gratifying to see that our aim as the City government to work with and alongside operators, businesses and communities to drive sustainable, authentic and varied travel experiences continues to resonate with tourists from all over the world.”

Cape Town has launched various marketing programmes targeted at luring tourists from important markets in preparation for the busy summer season. The ‘Choose Cape Town’ promotion, which can be seen at the airport and in the SAA Sawubona in-flight magazine, is one of them. A new travel campaign will be introduced in Brazil soon, coinciding with the commencement of direct flights between So Paulo and Cape Town.

The inaugural edition of ‘This Is Cape Town’ magazine is currently available in airport lounges around the country and is being given to passengers on Kenya Airways overseas flights to 40 locations worldwide. This comes on the heels of a sister city arrangement signed recently between Cape Town and Nairobi.

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