Cape Town was ranked as the best city in the updated Top 10 Cities in Africa and the Middle East list, according to one of the world’s biggest magazines, Travel + Leisure. This year’s World’s Best Awards survey was open for voting from January through May 2021, as destinations around the world were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period.
As South Africa’s embattled tourism industry looks ahead to the reopening of international travel – with pressure on source markets to drop pandemic-related restrictions – Cape Town stands ready to benefit from its recently won global acclaim.
Being voted as the best city to travel to in Africa provides a much-needed confidence boost to Cape Town and the international tourists who are looking to visit the Mother City. This adds to the positive signs of Cape Town International Airport showing the quickest post-lockdown rebound in passenger volumes.
Although Cape Town is ranked as the 20th best city in the world – out of 25 detailed by Travel + Leisure in between Triesta in Italy and Tokyo in Japan – it shines in the regional rankings.
In the Africa rankings, Cape Town comes first, followed by Marrakesh in Morocco. Fez and Essaouira, both in Morocco, also feature in the top ten, while Cape Town represents the only city in South Africa.
Cape Town’s accolades extent to the hotel category, claiming four out of the five spots in Africa.
Here’s the list of the top 10 cities in Africa and the Middle East
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Marrakesh, Morocco
- Jerusalem, Israel
- Fez, Morocco
- Dubai, UAE
- Tel Aviv, Israel
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Petra, Jordan
- Muscat, Oman
- Essaouira, Morocco
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