Cape Town - An early Christmas gift for Cape Town’s battered hospitality industry has come in the shape the city being named the world’s leading festival and event destination for the second year in a row.
Among the destinations Cape Town beat were Durban, London, UK, Dubai, the UAE; Sydney, Australia, Barcelona, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina and Cannes, France.
The award is from the World Travel Awards (WTA), a leading authority that recognises and rewards excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.
On hearing of the win, City mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the accolade was just further confirmation of Cape Town’s ability to host top-tier events successfully and at a level seen in many other parts of the world.
“It is also evidence of the appeal our City holds as an attractive global tourism location. What is even more humbling, is that this award is voted for by the public.
WTA founder Graham Cooke said: “Our world winners represent the best in global travel and tourism and my congratulations to each of them. They are all playing starring roles in leading the global travel and tourism recovery.”
Meanwhile, following the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant which led to the now lifted travel bans, Cape Town’s hospitality industry has through Cape Town Tourism launched a pocket-friendly campaign to encourage South Africans to visit Cape Town this summer.
Welcoming the move, Mayco member for economic growth, James Vos, said rebuilding tourism for the future remains a priority.
He said, tourism continues to be one of the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the outlook remains highly uncertain.
“Domestic tourism has restarted, and I am happy to report that there has been a splendid pick up in bookings since the beginning of our campaigns and offerings.
“We are now processing approximately 18 000 passengers and 170 flights daily at Cape Town International Airport.”