The pretty isle of Mauritius hosted the African and Indian Ocean leg of the World Travel Awards (WTA) last night, Sunday 2 June. The award ceremony and gala dinner celebrated top African brands, and designated this year’s winning destinations, resorts and brands.
Hundreds of industry leaders flocked to Sugar Beach – A Sun Resort, near the white sandy beaches of Flic-en-Flac on the west coast. Mauritius itself was awarded the Indian Ocean’s Leading Adventure Tourism Destination.
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Overall, Kenya was touted Africa’s Leading Destination, no doubt thanks to its incredible national parks, wildlife and safari offerings. Kenya’s tourism board also received the top accolade on the night.
South Africa, however, did very well, particularly in the Cape. Table Mountain was voted Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction. Cape Town International Airport won in the category for the leading airport, with Ethiopian Airlines receiving flying colours as the leading airline on the continent, and Air Mauritius for the Indian Ocean.
In the hospitality categories, South African enterprises scooped up three awards. Here are the top three places you should stay:
– Hilton Hotel & Resorts (Africa’s Leading Hotel Brand)
– Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa (Africa’s Leading Boutique Hotel)
– Legend Golf Resort & Spa, South Africa (Africa’s Leading Sports Resort)
Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Image: Sergey Pesterev.
Other winners in this category include Botswana’s Pangolin Chobe Hotel for Africa’s Leading New Hotel, and Tanzania’s Thanda Island for Africa’s Leading Luxury Island. The Transcorp Hilton Abuja was also voted Africa’s Leading Business Hotel, however Nairobi holds the title as the leading business travel destination.
In greener news, the Seychelles are the Indian Ocean’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination. The Maldives is still the most romantic, however, and the Indian Ocean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination.
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