Hermanus is the Western Cape's Top Town

The people of the Cape have voted for Hermanus as the Western Cape's Town of the Year for 2008

South Africa’s whale capital, Hermanus, was recently announced as the Town of the Year in an SMS competition ran over three months by the Kaap-Rapport, the regional supplement to the Afrikaans Sunday newspaper Rapport.

There’s nothing quite like proud local support to boost a town’s confidence and enhance its positioning in the domestic tourism marketing arena, so a hearty congratulations to Hermanus from CapeTownMagazine.com!

The Kaap-Rapport competition acknowledges the tourism wealth of the province of the Western Cape, evidenced in its enchanting natural splendour, heartwarming hospitality and cheerful community life.

Hermanus will receive exhibition space on the Cape Town & Western Cape stand at the annual DSTv Getaway Show held in Johanessburg from 11 to 13 September 2009. The town will be able to market their tourism offering, as well as any new products or services, directly to outdoor, adventure travel and ecotourism enthusiasts.

“Hermanus is one of the towns which epitomises the Western Cape tourism experience. It has that one defining, unforgettable feature - the best land-based whale watching spot in the world – while at the same time offering the visitor a distinct mix of tourism options such as glorious beaches, its Hemel-en-Aarde wine route, adventure sport, and restaurant and accommodation choices to suit every taste and pocket."

"Winning this title will definitely assist the town even further in growing into a top-of-mind domestic tourism destination,” says Calvyn Gilfellan, Chief Executive of Cape Town Routes Unlimited.

This year saw the fourth successful Kaap-Rapport Town of the Year Competition. The publication’s almost 586 000 readers were asked to vote for their favourite town in the Western, Southern and Northern Cape by SMS or mail. Oudtshoorn, Hermanus and Robertson, all highly popular Western Cape tourism towns, were the three finalists and were judged by a panel consisting of representatives of Kaap-Rapport and co-sponsors, Cape Town Routes Unlimited and Van Loveren Winery.

“The beauty of the competition is really the powerful publicity it renders to the Western Cape’s tourism gems. Research has shown that the people of the Western Cape love traveling within their own province,” says Gilfellan.

Hermanus will receive its official Kaap-Rapport Town of the Year trophy, sponsored by Cape Town Routes Unlimited, at a formal celebration in February next year.

The previous winners of the competition were Mossel Bay (2007), Struisbaai (2006) and Langebaan (2004).

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