The South African city voted the best in the world
In the last three years, from 2023 to 2026, awards won by Cape Town and Johannesburg have clearly distinguished between the two cities, with Cape Town receiving more accolades in tourism and travel.
Cape Town has distinguished itself in consumer lifestyle rankings, earning numerous prestigious awards across multiple categories, including tourism, lifestyle, culinary arts, and environmental achievements.
In 2023, it was named the Best City in the World by the Telegraph Travel Awards and recognised by Time Out as the Best World City for Food for both 2024 and 2025.
The city also achieved a five-year streak as Africa’s Leading City Destination at the World Travel Awards from 2021 to 2025.
Recently, Cape Town was ranked 15th in the world according to the Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards, marking its fourth consecutive year of recognition since the onset of the post-COVID era.
At the same awards, it was named the 10th friendliest city in the world, making it the only African city to make both lists.
Cape Town also won the top award for Best Airport in Africa at the Skytrax World Airport Awards for 2024 and 2025, and it is frequently featured on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
While Cape Town has received more global awards than Johannesburg in recent years, Johannesburg has also been honoured for its role as Africa’s financial hub and technology centre.
Major financial institutions in Johannesburg, including Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), Standard Bank, and Absa, have received significant Business-to-Business (B2B) awards.
Notable honours include Global Finance Magazine’s designation of RMB as the Most Innovative Bank in Africa for 2024 to 2026 and Euromoney’s recognition of the Best Investment Bank in South Africa and on the continent.
This award was won by Absa in 2023, RMB in 2024, Standard Bank in 2025, and RMB, which swept both regional and national categories in 2026.
Johannesburg has also been recognised by Startup Genome as the leading Tech Startup Ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa for its ecosystem value and knowledge.
Culturally, it was ranked as Time Out’s seventh-best city in the world for nightlife in 2026, while also earning the title of the best nightlife in Africa.
Below are tables featuring some of the global awards received by Cape Town and Johannesburg over the last three years.
Cape Town
| Award name | Awarding entity | Year(s) awarded | Details |
| Best City in the World | The Telegraph (Telegraph Travel Awards) | 2023 | Ranked first place in the reader poll. |
| World’s Best Cities | Time Out Group | 2024, 2025, 2026 | Second in 2024, first overall in 2025, sixth globally in 2026. |
| World’s Most Beautiful City | Time Out Group | 2026 | First place for Most Beautiful City in the World |
| Best World City for Food | Time Out Group | 2024, 2025, 2026 | Over 95% of survey respondents praised the culinary scene |
| Africa’s Leading City Destination | World Travel Awards (WTA) | 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | Won the regional category for the 4th consecutive year |
| Africa’s Leading Beach Destination | World Travel Awards (WTA) | 2023, 2024, 2025 | Consistent winner across recent cycles. |
| World’s Leading Festival & Event Destination | World Travel Awards (WTA) | 2024 | Grand final global category winner. |
| Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination | World Travel Awards (WTA) | 2026 | Secured the regional title |
| Best City in Africa / Top 15 Best Cities Globally | Condé Nast Traveller (Readers’ Choice) | 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | Best City in Africa and 15th globally for the 4th consecutive year. |
| Best Airport in Africa | Skytrax (World Airport Awards) | 2024, 2025, 2026 | Best Airport in Africa for its 11th consecutive year. |
| Best Airport Staff Service in Africa | Skytrax (World Airport Awards) | 2024, 2025, 2026 | Top honours for staff service in Africa. |
Johannesburg
| Award name | Awarding entity | Year(s) awarded | Details |
| Most Innovative Bank in Africa | Global Finance Magazine (Innovators Awards) | 2024, 2025 | Awarded to Rand Merchant Bank (RMB). |
| South Africa’s Best Investment Bank | Euromoney (Awards for Excellence) | 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 | Absa won the award in 2023; RMB in 2024; and Standard Bank in 2025 and 2026. |
| Best Tech Startup Ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa | Startup Genome (Global Startup Ecosystem Report) | 2023, 2024, 2025 | Johannesburg-Pretoria hub ranked first in Sub-Saharan Africa. |
| Best City in the World for Nightlife | Time Out Group | 2026 | Ranked seventh globally and first in Africa |
| Best Airport Hotel in Africa | Skytrax (World Airport Awards) | 2024, 2025, 2026 | O.R. Tambo Airport retained its top regional ranking. |
| Gold Award for Digital Financial Innovation | New Generation Social & Digital Media Awards | 2025 | Awarded for Shyft’s digital forex app. |
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What about a mention for Germiston then?