This was revealed as results were released for the TripAdvisor World City Survey 2014, in which Tripadvisor's users rated cities across a number of categories.
Only New York came in ahead of Cape Town for their restaurants and Tokyo for their hospitable people, confirming Cape Town as a place with fantastic value for money food offerings and where visitors are most likely to receive warm and friendly advice.
This welcome news correlates with the findings of Cape Town Tourism's in-destination summer visitor survey 2013/2014, which found that 92% of visitors polled about their stay in Cape Town said that friendliness of the locals stood out.
Speaking at the Global Media Face Off event at the recent Indaba 2014, the head of destination marketing for TripAdvisor Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Helena Egan, said that the number one reason people visit South Africa is for the people; "Everyone is friendly and it's a genuine friendliness. It comes from the heart. It's natural. The joy and happiness of the people are key to your destination success."
2,113 South African tourism-related businesses were awarded a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2014 with the lion's share of these being awarded in the Western Cape, where 1,169 accommodation establishments, restaurants and attractions were awarded the coveted certificate.
Velma Corcoran, executive for Marketing at Cape Town Tourism, shares the significance of these wins; "Any accolade awarded by destination users is a fantastic barometer for us. The fact that we have been voted second to New York as one of the world's top restaurant cities is truly a testament to Cape Town's talented and visionary chefs and restaurateurs. It is a moment to celebrate, and luckily Capetonians and visitors can do this at great value this winter as excellent specials abound. On behalf of the destination I would also like to thank each and every person who smiled at, assisted or shared their stories with our visitors. We are so proud to be Capetonian."
| Category | First place | Second place | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helpful locals | Tokyo | Cape Town | Lisbon |
| Friendliest taxi drivers | Dubrovnik | Tokyo | Singapore |
| Best taxi services | Tokyo | Singapore | Dublin |
| Cleanest streets | Tokyo | Singapore | Berlin |
| Ease of getting around | Vienna | Singapore | Berlin |
| Best public transport | Tokyo | Vienna | Berlin |
| Best value for money | Budapest | Lisbon | Hanoi |
| Comfort traveling alone | Singapore | Tokyo | Vienna |
| Best for shopping | Dubai | New York City | London |
| Best for hotels | Dubai | Cancun | Bangkok |
| Best for restaurants | New York City | Cape Town | Tokyo |
| Best for attractions | Rome | New York City | Paris |
| Family-friendliness | Stockholm | Singapore | Copenhagen |
| Best for culture | Rome | Vienna | Paris |
| Best for nightlife | New York City | London | Tokyo |
| Best overall experience | Tokyo | New York City | Barcelona |
