Cape Town declared Africa’s top travel destination

Another major travel industry award reaffirms Cape Town as one of the world’s greatest destinations

Basking in the glow of hosting a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the Mother City’s global reputation was given a further boost at the World Travel Awards.  Cape Town was declared Africa’s Best Travel Destination by World Travel Awards at a gala dinner held in Johannesburg on 07 July 2010. The title adds gravitas to the positive media and public perception the city has enjoyed both before and after the soccer event.

This is the third consecutive year in a row that the city has won this prestigious award. Cape Town’s latest accolade can be added to an already impressive list. In November last year, Cape Town won the 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award in the Best Destination category. It was further acclaimed as the World's Number Two City by Travel+Leisure magazine in 2009, while also winning the World's Best Entertainment/Lifestyle Destination award (Luxury Travel Awards 2009) as well as Best Tourism Investor City of the Year (AI Tourism Investor Awards 2009). In 2010 Forbes.com listed Cape Town as One of the World's Most Beautiful Cities.

The World Travel Awards, which were established in 1993, are seen as the travel industry’s ‘Oscars’. The awards are seen as one of the best endorsements for a travel product.

Cape Town Tourism CEO, Mariette du-Toit Helmbold, says, “These awards are an incredible endorsement; being recognised by the industry makes all the hard work we put into hosting the FIFA World Cup™ in Cape Town so worthwhile. We do believe that Cape Town is one of the greatest cities to live, visit, study and invest in. It’s a place of a lifetime, and it just keeps on getting better. We are looking forward to marketing Cape Town beyond the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and we are committed to working with all stakeholders in order to double the economic impact of tourism for the city by 2020.”

Alderman Felicity Purchase, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development and Tourism and Mansoor Mohamed, the City’s Executive Director: Economic, Social Development and Tourism received the award on behalf of the city.

“This recognition is very important as it reaffirms Cape Town’s global positioning as a highly attractive tourism destination. The city boasts one of the highest concentration of major events on the African continent which includes the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the Argus Cycle Tour, the Two Oceans Marathon and Design Indaba. The City of Cape Town will continue to use major events to attract visitors to Cape Town. Mega events such as the 2010 FIFA World Cup are valuable for legacy projects whereas major events provide the annual recurring benefits,” said Mohamed.

Alderman Felicity Purchase, Mayco Member Economic Development and Tourism for the City of Cape Town says: “Cape Town has again, over the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, demonstrated that she is not just a superb destination but also an experience not to be missed. The Mother City has once again exceeded our expectations and that of our visitors”.

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