Cape Town Tourism is proud to announce that Cape Town has been voted as Africa’s Leading Festival and Event Destination 2020 at the World Travel Awards.
“In a year in which our biggest events were cancelled and during a time when we have been unable to really showcase our talents in this regard, it’s wonderful to know that voters from across the globe have confidently voted for Cape Town as the winner of this category,” says Enver Duminy, CEO of Cape Town Tourism. “This really goes to show that, throughout the years, Cape Town has consistently impressed with its ability to host world-class festivals and events.”
Cape Town’s most recognised and biggest festivals and events include the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the Cape Town Cycle Tour, the Two Oceans Marathon, the Cape Town Marathon, Design Indaba, Cape Town Fashion Week and more.
This is not the first time that the Mother City has won this award, which further highlights the consistent high standard of event and festival management and hosting that takes place in the city. This award will also go a long way to ensuring that Cape Town remains a top choice for those wanting to host an event in South Africa and Africa.
Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities & Asset Management, including tourism, notes that there is a lot of work that goes into being recognised on such a level.
“Events play a crucial part of our local tourism and business industry. Together with Cape Town Tourism, the City of Cape Town is constantly working to ensure that Cape Town remains top of mind as a destination for those wanting to live, play, work, study, visit or invest. It’s only through our hard work together that we are able to be named Africa’s Leading Festival and Event Destination and can celebrate this reward knowing that we have really battled as an industry over the past few months.” he concludes.
According to the World Travel Awards, despite the incredible challenges faced by the tourism industry over the course of 2020, this year’s World Travel Awards nomination programme “has reported record visitor traffic and engagement from the public voter. This shows that as the global recovery begins, the appetite for tourism has never been as keen and offers hope and much needed encouragement to us all.”
Duminy adds: “As we accept this award, we are reminded that our events industry has been all but decimated as a result of COVID-19 and the lockdown. This industry is such a crucial part of our local economy. We are determined to remain the leading events destination in Africa and this means that we all need to be dedicated to playing by the rules in order to limit the spread of the virus and we need to ensure the safety of those who attend events in our City. We need to not only be the best destination to host an event, but also the safest and best managed when it comes to controlling the spread of COVID-19.”
“We would like to thank the World Travel Awards and everyone who voted for us to win this award. We are eternally grateful and we cannot wait to host the world in Cape Town in the near future once again,” he concludes.