South Africa comes on top in another global award
South Africa earned several accolades in Wanderlust’s recently published Reader Travel Awards, including gold in one category.
The annual awards are decided by votes from readers of Wanderlust, the UK’s longest-running travel magazine, and feature several categories related to travel and international vacations.
In its ranking of the most desirable countries in the world, South Africa placed third, behind Japan in second and Costa Rica in the top spot.
South Africa also received gold in the awards in the Most Desirable Destination for Nature & Wildlife category.
Wanderlust noted that this award was fitting for South Africa, due to its variety of natural landmarks and tourist attractions.
“In the year Kruger National Park marked its 100th anniversary, it’s perhaps fitting that one of Africa’s great pioneers of conservation takes the top spot in this category,” the magazine said.
“South Africa remains a benchmark for wildlife travel, due in part to the sheer variety on offer, from the red dunes and black-maned lions of the Kalahari to tracking rhinos on foot in the bushveld and cruising the wetlands of iSimangaliso.”
Other countries in this category included Brazil and Australia in second and third place, respectively, while Kenya placed fourth.
The global recognition was decided by votes from over 250,000 Wanderlust readers, with more than 8.2 million votes cast.
The awards are intended to “celebrate the best destinations, tour operators and travel brands, including the most sought-after countries, cities, islands and regions in Europe and around the world,” Wanderlust said.
Along with South Africa itself being named in two categories, Cape Town was listed as the third most desirable city in the world.
The Western Cape capital placed behind Argentina’s Buenos Aires in second place and Tokyo, Japan, in first place.
In last year’s edition of the Reader Travel Awards, Cape Town placed fourth in the same category, representing a one-place climb.
A meaningful award
Cape Town Tourism noted that the recognition from Wanderlust is particularly meaningful due to the awards’ methodology and the magazine’s stature.
“The Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards are decided entirely by public vote, with no expert panel behind closed doors,” Cape Town Tourism noted.
“That makes them the UK’s largest consumer-voted travel awards, celebrating the most desirable countries, cities, islands, regions, tour operators and travel brands.”
The tourism group added that recognition from UK travellers was particularly meaningful for the city, with residents of the country accounting for a large share of its tourism.
“For Cape Town, the UK remains its largest international source market, making recognition from the readership of a leading UK travel publication especially meaningful,” Cape Town Tourism said.
In 2025, Cape Town had approximately 211,000 international visitors from the UK, a 17% jump from the prior year.
International visitors have also become a major part of Cape Town’s tourism economy in recent years, with over 1.5 million travellers from around the world arriving in the city in 2025.
Tourism plays a large part in supporting the city’s economy, with an estimated 106,000 people employed in the sector, representing 6.2% of Cape Town’s total employed population.
The industry also adds roughly R23 billion in gross value to the city’s economy.
City of Cape Town spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said the award helped boost the city’s profile on the international stage.
“Recognition like this helps keep Cape Town front of mind for international travellers, creating opportunities for more bookings, more visitor spend and more jobs for Capetonians,” he said.
He added that the city would be working towards improving its ranking, saying, “Bronze looks good on us, but gold would look even better.”
Loading ...