Kenya – with its tantalising cocktail of epic savannah landscapes, immense herds of wildlife and palm-fringed beaches – has been voted ‘Africa’s Leading Destination’ by the World Travel Awards.

The news was unveiled during the inaugural Africa Winners Day, with World Travel Awards – the global initiative to recognise and reward excellence in travel and tourism – honouring the best from across the continent.

Kenya’s thriving capital, Nairobi, was also named ‘Africa’s Leading Business Travel Destination’, and Kenyatta International Convention Centre collecting ‘Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre’).

Cape Town was declared ‘Africa’s Leading Festival & Event Destination’ and its majestic Table Mountain picked ‘Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction’.

The fascinating South African city of Durban was voted ‘Africa’s Leading City Destination’.

In the hospitality sector, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club’s unique comforts in the shadow of the mighty Mount Kenya helped it to the title of ‘Africa’s Leading Hotel’, while Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, South Africa picked up ‘Africa’s Leading Boutique Hotel’. Aberdare Country Club, Kenya was voted ‘Africa’s Leading Green Hotel’.

In the aviation sector, Ethiopian Airlines lifted ‘Africa’s Leading Airline’, while ‘Africa’s Leading Airport’ went to Cape Town International Airport.
Kenya Airways picked up both ‘Africa’s Leading Airline - Business Class’ and ‘Africa’s Leading Airline - Economy Class’.

The results follow a year-long search for the world’s top travel, tourism and hospitality brands.

Votes were cast by travel industry professionals and the public, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named as the winner.

Graham Cooke, founder, World Travel Awards, said: “Our winners represent the very best of Africa’s travel and tourism sector and my congratulations to each of them.

“They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges.”

He added: “The World Travel Awards 2020 programme received a record number of votes cast by the public.

“This shows that the appetite for travel and tourism has never been stronger and bodes well for the industry’s future as the global recovery begins.”

Other winners include Serengeti National Park (‘Africa’s Leading National Park’); Thanda Island, Tanzania (‘Africa’s Leading Luxury Island’); Shambala Private Game Reserve, South Africa (‘Africa’s Leading Private Game Reserve’); and The Oberoi, Marrakech (‘Morocco’s Leading Hotel Suite’).

Winners

Breaking Travel News earlier caught up with LAM - Mozambique Airlines andAbsolute Zambia Safaris to find out how it felt to have won.

For a full list of winners, take a look here.

More Information

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry.

Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Each year, World Travel Awards covers the globe with a series of regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.

For more information about World Travel Awards, visit the official website.