Cape Town named 11th best city in the world, signalling destination strength

23 August 2022

Statement by Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth

Cape Town has yet again come in at a high ranking on a global list of the best cities in the world.   

The global Timeout.com brand gave Cape Town the 11th spot in its '53 best cities in the world' list, coming in ahead of London, New York and Madrid, among others.

Compiled through a reader poll and in collaboration with a global network of editors and writers, the Mother City was rated for its good food, culture, mountains, beaches, and nightlife with the lifestyle news site proclaiming 'you can do it all in Cape Town'.

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. In all three categories, we are recording fantastic recovery numbers with the international terminal at Cape Town International Airport recording an 87% two-way passenger recovery in July compared to the same period in 2019.

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.

Through the numerous City initiatives supporting the development of small businesses, we are helping local 'tourismpreneurs' to seize on the economic gains to be made in the holiday season.

A recent report from the World Travel and Tourism Council recently 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 spinoffs for businesses to benefit from increased bookings, more spending, job creation, and extra investments. 

End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office