Condé Nast names Cape Town world’s best city for food

Cape Town has claimed the coveted title of Best City for Food in the World in the 2024 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.

The ranking comes after 575,048 votes were cast by readers in the 37th annual survey, placing Cape Town ahead of some of the world’s best-known culinary destinations.

With a score of 95.65, Cape Town outshone Milan, Italy, which came second with 95.20, and Valencia, Spain in third place with a score of 95.00, to secure the top spot.

Tokyo took the fourth spot while Porto, in Portugal, was fifth.

Cape Town’s vibrant culinary scene, which blends rich SA flavours with international influences, seems to have struck a chord with food lovers globally.

The recognition highlights the city’s transformation into a global gastronomic hub.

Cape Town’s accolade is complemented by another prestigious achievement as three SA hotels made it into the World’s Best 100 Hotels ranking. They are Tintswalo Boulders Boutique Villa, The Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel and Cheetah Plains.

The honour is part of a larger recognition of the city’s thriving tourism and hospitality industries. Condé Nast Traveller enlisted 750 writers and hotel professionals from around the world to narrow down a list of 700,000 hotels to only 100, highlighting the elite 0.014% of global accommodations.

In addition to its culinary and hotel industry successes, Cape Town has further solidified its status as a world-class destination. The Port of Cape Town was named Africa’s Leading Cruise Port, while Hotel Verde earned the title of Africa’s Leading Green Hotel. Cape Grace was recognised as Africa’s Leading Luxury Hotel, and One&Only Cape Town received the prestigious title of Africa’s Leading Luxury Resort.

Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy was proud of the city’s success. “Winning Africa’s Leading City Destination 2024 for the fourth year in a row is a reflection of the exceptional efforts put into promoting the city as a premier travel destination,” he said.

“The achievements speak to the dedication of everyone involved in showcasing Cape Town to the world.”

MMC for economic growth James Vos emphasised the city’s sustained global appeal. “Cape Town’s wins at the World Travel awards reaffirm our consistent drive in maintaining and growing awareness of the incredible city. The accolades prove the success of our work in keeping Cape Town top of mind for every type of traveller all over the world.”

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