Unlike traditional tourism awards or surveys, the Tourism Sentiment Index (TSI) sources data from more than 500,000 online, peer-to-peer communication platforms, including all major social networks and review sites, to deliver the clearest picture of what people are talking about and writing about when it comes to travel, tourism, and the hottest destinations around the globe.

The latest TSI data is in, with five African destinations proving to be crowd favourites. It is no surprise that the Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius and Zanzibar stood out as winners for beach holidays, while South Africa’s Stellenbosch, Cape Town and Hermanus were ranked highly for their food, restaurants and wildlife, respectively. 

We asked travel industry and destination experts to weigh in on the accolades and share things you probably didn’t know about the African destinations currently feeling the love. 

Cape Town – home to cuisine over 350 years old

Cape Town restaurants regularly feature in The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards – with Fyn Restaurant earning the plum spot of 37 in 2022. 

Robert More, custodian and CEO of MORE Family Collection, who recently launched Upper Union Restaurant in Cape Town, notes that Malay Cape Cuisine has become synonymous with fine dining in the Mother City. “Chefs are drawn to the complex combination of strong, spicy and aromatic flavours. It’s no surprise that Malay cuisine is used and interpreted in many Cape Town restaurants, including Upper Union, which is a perfect addition to our globally inspired menu,” says More.   

“During colonial times, many Malaysian, Indonesian and East African slaves who were taken to the Cape in the 17th and 18th centuries had limited access to their traditional ingredients and therefore had to improvise. This has resulted in a cuisine which is solely unique to the Cape, and steeped in history and tradition,” says More.