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Accolades rain down on the Mother City
Best of Cape Town Awards
The V&A Waterfront, Cape Town’s top attraction
© South African Tourism
Did you know?
Cape Town is a member of the BestCities Global Alliance, which guarantees quality service levels for conference organisers.
The year 2008 was mind-blowing for Cape Town with tourism related awards streaming in for the city and members of its accommodation sector. Here are some of these Best of Cape Town awards:
- The readers of the UK Telegraph voted Cape Town as their favourite city outside Europe. (They also named South Africa their 3rd favourite country outside Europe ).
- In Condé Nast Traveller's Readers Choice, Cape Town was named top city in Africa/Middle East, and 4th in the world.
- Our Mother City also appeared on the list of the 10 top Global Sustainability Centres, an honour coming from the USA Ethisphere Institute.
- The Winchester Mansions in the seaside suburb of Greenpoint appeared in the ‘Top 100 Best Value Awards' by Budget Travel Magazine and website TripAdvisor, a poll of world's most reliable hotels with an average rate of US$250 or less.
- The gracious Steenberg Hotel in Constantia was declared "Best Luxury Hotel in Africa' by TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Awards.
Local institutions and media consistently honour Cape Town too. Cape Town related tourism awards in the last 12 months include:
- A vote for the Protea Hotel Fire and Ice in Tamboerskloof as the ‘Best New Hotel Development', from the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, which runs the Hospitality Investment Awards.
- Radio station Good Hope FM awarded the Vineyard Hotel & Spa the ‘Best of Cape Town Hospitality Award.'
Calvyn Gilfellan, chief executive of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, a tourism destination marketing organisation, recently observed that this spate of tourism-related Cape Town awards indicated that despite the city being a long-haul destination, it remained a highly aspirational travel destination for international tourists. This is all the more encouraging, given that the current worldwide credit crunch is forcing holidaymakers to seriously consider more affordable travel options.
Travel tips & Planning info
Who to contact
Cape Town Tourism Tel: 021 487 6800 E-mail: capetown@tourismcapetown.co.za Web: www.tourismcapetown.co.za West Coast Tourism Tel: 022 433 8505 E-mail: tourism@wcdm.co.za Web: www.tourismcapewestcoast.o.za Cape Winelands Tourism Tel: 086 126 5263 E-mail: info@bolanddm.co.za Overberg Tourism Tel: 028 214 1466 E-mail: info@capeoverberg.org
How to get here
Cape Town can be reached by air internationally and from all major South African centres.
Around the area
Wine, olives and great cuisine in the Winelands, fishing villages up the West Coast, shipwrecks and fynbos in the Overberg, attractions galore on Route 62.
Tours to do
The most popular tours in Cape Town include the Table Mountain cable car, Cape Point Tours, Township Tours, the City Centre Walking Tour, and visiting Robben Island.
Get around
Hire a car, call for a taxi or hop on a bus. The city also has a train system.
What will it cost
Half-day tours from R330 pp; full day tours from R550 pp; 2-3 day tours with accommodation from R3000 pp, Attraction entrance fees, from R5 - R170 pp.
Length of stay
To see the basics of the Western Cape, a good 2 weeks is recommended.
What to pack
Sunblock in the summer and a heavy-duty raincoat in the winter.
Where to stay
Cape Town has a very well-developed accommodation sector spanning every category and grading of hotel.
What to eat
Cape Malay delicacies such as spicy bobotie and syrup-laden koeksusters, as well as seafood, of course.
What's happening
Perennial events are the J&B Met horse races (January); Cape Argus Cycle Tour (March); Two Oceans Marathon (April) and the International Jazz Festival (April)