The Mother City was placed 11th in the global Timeout.com brand’s “53 best cities in the world in 2022” list.
Compiled through a reader poll and in collaboration with a global network of editors and writers, Cape Town was rated for its good food, culture, mountains, beaches and nightlife.
Coming in ahead of London, New York and Madrid, among others, the city was described as “you can do it all in Cape Town” by the lifestyle news site.
The top 10 were Edinburgh, Chicago, Medellín, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Prague, Marrakesh, Berlin, Montreal and Copenhagen.
Cape Town also recorded growing recovery numbers with the international terminal at Cape Town International Airport recording an 87% two-way passenger recovery in July compared with the same period in 2019.
James Vos, mayoral committee member for Economic Growth, said: “Locals have long known that Cape Town is a triple-A-rated city, which in this instance refers to accommodation, attractions and aviation, signalling the strength of our destination value.
“Similarly, in June, the overall occupancy average in Cape Town’s accommodation establishments was 45.5%, which is fairly positive for mid-winter.
“With more events, cruise ships, and flights from the US, UK and Europe scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, Cape Town's tourism and hospitality industries can expect an even bigger influx of travellers.
“These positive updates are the result of hard work, collaboration and innovative campaigns by the City government and Cape Town Tourism, our official Destination Marketing Organisation,” said Vos.
Vos added that a recent report from the World Travel and Tourism Council found that the industry’s contribution to South Africa’s GDP could hit more than R554.6 billion over the next decade while creating 800 000 jobs.
“Our support for the tourism industry is largely driven by the massive economic spin-offs for businesses to benefit from increased bookings, more spending, job creation and extra investments.”