For the 18th year running, Cape Town has once again been named a  winner in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards for 2019 taking the position of Top City in Africa and the Middle East.

Each year Travel + Leisure, a leading American travel magazine and website, showcases the best islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports and tour operators in their World’s Best Awards, as voted for by their readers.

In the category “World’s Best City in Africa and the Middle East” Cape Town comes in ahead of other top tourist destinations in the region like Tel Aviv, Cairo, and Marrakesh.

“For 24 years, our readers have been voting in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards. This annual franchise is a global collection of the top hotels, islands, cities, cruise lines, airlines, and more,” says Editor-In-Chief of Travel + Leisure, Jacqui Gifford. “Brands and properties from all over the world—from Peru to Japan, India to Italy, and right here at home in the United States—are recognized by our audience because they deliver on exceptional experiences, rooted in a sense of place. I congratulate all of this year’s winners, who have worked so hard to be among the world’s best.”

Commenting on the awards, CEO of Cape Town Tourism, Enver Duminy says, “Considering the difficulties we faced as the leading tourism destination recently, this award is fantastic news for the tourism industry. This underlies that the promise we make through our marketing is only as good as the authentic experiences that our industry passionately commits to and delivers all year round.”

Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, including Tourism, for the City of Cape Town adds, ”Cape Town’s position as one of the world’s leading travel destinations reaffirms our commitment to making tourism accessible and beneficial across our city. Awards like these are a great way for us to benchmark not only our levels of achievement but also allow us to see who the competitors above and below us are. They also importantly give us the opportunity to determine what we are doing right, and what we could improve on as a city.”