Cape Town was ranked top, above destinations such as Sydney and Macchu Picchu, which were in second and third respectively. However, what it says about the hospitality of Cape Town holiday accommodation is as important as what this means for the future of the Cape Town tourism industry.
It is important to note that the poll questioned people about their most visited destinations as well as the places they would most like to visit. This way the poll measured both hospitality and desirability. This speaks volumes for the state of Cape Town holiday accommodation as well as the city's attractions and services.
This good news comes on the back of what many operators felt was a fairly average summer season after many Cape Town holiday accommodation owners experienced a spike during the World Cup last year. Many of the holiday accommodation operators were hoping for another spike caused by the word-of-mouth advertising spread by those who visited during the July period. Cape Town holiday accommodation facilities felt that these expectations weren't met.
Of the Cape Town holiday accommodation owners polled by Cape Town Tourism, 44% felt that the 2010/2011 season failed to meet its expectations with the majority reporting occupancy numbers of between 51 and 80%.
This result also came only days before the Tourism Indaba, which is considered one of the top three industry-related events in the world and the largest of its kind in Africa. Industry leaders would be using this event to ride what ripples are left of the 2010 World Cup and politicians would be using the platform to show the sceptics that the FIFA event was not the waste of money many taxpayers felt it was. It may be too early to say whether or not the results of the poll are a direct result of the World Cup, however. One would need to take a closer look at the poll and the demographic that answered it, it should also be noted that Cape Town has always hovered around the top of this poll so it is no big surprise that it has finally been ranked number one.
Whatever the factors leading to election to the top spot, however, one can be sure that this is good news for Cape Town holiday accommodation owners and tourism operators. It indicates that those that have visited had a positive experience and would recommend it to friends and family - and as any marketer knows, this is the most powerful form of marketing. The top ranking is also a powerful endorsement of the government's tourism ministry, the Cape Town local council and services, Cape Town tour operators and Cape Town holiday accommodation.
"These awards honour the world's best destinations as decided by those judges who really matter - travellers themselves," said Emma O'Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson.
Article published courtesy of FZP Apartment Rentals.
