If you’re going to be travelling – whether it be locally or internationally – you know how unglamorous airports, lounges and planes can be.
Obviously you’re going to want the best that you can get, no matter how you’re travelling, so we think that it would be a good idea to check out the winners of the inaugural Cheapflights Travel Awards held recently in Cape Town.
The awards recognised the best South African travel and tourism
business and brands in a range of categories from the best local airports and airlines, to the best safari and
wine offerings.
South Africans casted their vote for their favourite travel brands and businesses over the past month, as
nominated by the South African Travel Massive blogger community.
With over 50,000 votes cast, Managing Director of Cheapflights Andrew Shelton said: “We were
overwhelmed by the response and the number of votes that came in for our first ever travel awards. We
want to thank everyone for participating, and congratulate them for being recognised as one of the top
performers in their category. South Africa is a premiere destination, with world class offerings, and it shows
in the numbers with international visitors to South Africa is growing by 30% year on year”.
Shelton was joined by a delegation of Cheapflights colleagues, who over the course of a three-day visit met
with a number of tourism industry stakeholders and partners to better understand the South African travel
market, and discuss the benefits of the Cheapflights metasearch products to both businesses and
consumers here. Cheapflights has seen a 69% increase in demand over the last 12 months, across its web
and app platforms, and revenue growth of 131% – evidence, he believes, of a growing wanderlust in the
Rainbow Nation: “The falling value of the Pound, and the increased competition that platforms like ours
bring to a market, are all good news for South African travellers. By giving them accurate and timely
information on the best value flights when they are searching, we help them to make the best choices –
simplifying what can be a daunting and confusing process, and giving them to confidence to make a
purchase.”
The winners of the 2016 Cheapflights Inaugural Travel Awards are:
Best Airport: OR Tambo International Airport
Best Airline Lounge: Emirates at Cape Town International
Best Local Airline: South African Airways
Best Airline in Africa: Air Namibia
Best International Airline: Emirates
Best Car Hire: Avis
Best Hotel Chain: Tsogo Sun
Best Independent/City Boutique Hotel: One & Only Cape Town
Best Attraction/Experience: Table Mountain
Best Safari/Lodge Experience: Sabi Sands Game Reserve
Best Wine Farm Experience: Spier in Stellenbosch
The 2016 Cheapflights Inaugural Travel Awards featured a keynote address delivered by Enver Duminy, CEO
of Cape Town Tourism, who provided insight into the current developments in Cape Town and surrounds.
Cheapflights.co.za also partnered with Africa Geographic and Travel Massive for the first time.
Further information about the Cheapflights South Africa Travel Awards winners can be found at www.cheapflights.co.za/travel-awards- 2016.