In a great month for Cape Town, the city has reaffirmed its status as one of the world’s top tourism destinations by being named Africa’s Best Travel Destination by World Travel Awards.

The World Travel Awards was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the world’s travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 17th anniversary, this award is seen as the travel industry’s ‘Oscars’ and the awards are regarded as one of the best endorsements for a travel product. This is the third consecutive year in a row that Cape Town has won this prestigious award.

Votes are cast by 183 000 travel professionals, which include travel agencies, tour and transport companies, and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe.

And as if this accolade were not enough, British Airways also announced last week that its passengers have voted Cape Town as their favourite international destination.

British Airway’s Commercial Manager in South Africa, Sue Botes, says demand for flights to Cape Town was on the rise even before the FIFA World Cup™ tournament, and the airline will be accommodating the increasing demand by offering an additional daily flight as of November 2010.
Cape Town Tourism CEO, Mariette du-Toit Helmbold says, “An additional daily British Airways flight is very good news for Cape Town’s tourism industry. Cape Town’s popularity has been rising steadily over the past few years, but with all of the positive 2010 FIFA World Cup™ coverage and word-of-mouth recommendations, the city’s popularity has sky-rocketed.

In November last year, Cape Town also won the 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award in the Best Destination category.