Welcoming the announcement, Western Cape minister of finance and economic opportunities, Mireille Wenger, says: "To have not one, but three of our stunning towns in the top 50 of the ‘100 Most Loved Destinations in the World’ is an outstanding accolade for the Western Cape. Congratulations to Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Hermanus for being recognised, and rightly so. I am hopeful that the exposure generated by this recognition will attract even more visitors to our shores to explore more of our many diverse towns, attractions, and offerings in the Western Cape.
"The Western Cape government will continue to collaborate with stakeholders across the tourism and hospitality sector to reach new heights, and attract more tourists so we can boost economic growth, which will create jobs in the province.”
Uncovering the 100 most loved destinations around the globe according to consumer sentiment, the study tracked more than 1.6 billion online conversations and content pieces publicly available, about 21,330 global destinations, to identify the top 100 most loved destinations around the globe.
Hermanus, Stellenbosch and Cape Town have been repeatedly spotlighted by international visitors - making it onto the ‘Most Loved Destinations in the World’ in 2021 as published by Tourism Sentiment Index.
The local sector recording significant growth in revenue, visitor numbers, and bookings when compared to 2021. Hotel occupancy for the Western Cape stood at 72% in December 2022, representing a full recovery rate of 106% when compared to December 2019 (68.1%).
The Average Daily Rate (ADR) exceeded December 2019 levels, recovering to 114% while revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) fully recovered by 121% against December 2019.
Celebrating the announcement, Wesgro CEO Wrenelle Stander, says: "Three Western Cape destinations being ranked in the top 50 out of 100 places globally is an impressive achievement. These three featured as part of five destinations representing the continent, indicating that we are competitive not only in Africa, but internationally too.
"Our latest survey data reveals that close to 90% of responding businesses were fully booked during December 2022, which further demonstrates the popularity of Cape Town and the Western Cape as a world-class tourism destination. We remain confident about the growth of our tourism sector this year."
