The Telegraph newspaper in the United Kingdom (UK) has named South Africa as the world’s best destination to visit.
Readers surveyed by the UK newspaper say South Africa is the world’s best tourist destination.
The right-wing paper gushes over the beauty of Cape Town, calling it “a supermodel at the foot of Table Mountain”.
It also hails the “fine vintages” of South Africa’s wine country and calls the Garden Route “a ribbon of road-trip nirvana”.
Kenya and Botswana also rank in the Telegraph’s top 10, at number seven and number 10 respectively.
Check out the full list below:
Country | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2015/16 | 2014 |
South Africa | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
New Zealand | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Maldives | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Japan | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Australia | 5 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Italy | 6 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 12 |
Kenya | 7 | 21 | 10 | 21 | 27 | 22 |
India | 8 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 26 | 19 |
Costa Rica | 9 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 20 | 24 |
Botswana | 10 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
Greece | 11 | 18 | 21 | 28 | 29 | 29 |
Sri Lanka | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 |
Mauritius | 13 | 25 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 13 |
Canada | 14 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 11 |
Seychelles | 15 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 7 | 16 |
Namibia | 16 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 14 |
Tanzania | 17 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 8 |
Vietnam | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 |
Thailand | 19 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 24 | 21 |
Norway | 20 | 23 | 36 | 35 | 39 | 44 |
Iceland | 21 | 27 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 27 |
Croatia | 22 | 31 | 25 | 23 | 30 | 31 |
Indonesia | 23 | 33 | 31 | 26 | 33 | 37 |
Jordan | 24 | 39 | 37 | 54 | 44 | 45 |
Peru | 25 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 9 |
Ecuador | 26 | 29 | 28 | 34 | 23 | 26 |
Portugal | 27 | 42 | 43 | 42 | 48 | 55 |
Argentina | 28 | 50 | 34 | 46 | 51 | n/a |
Spain | 29 | 48 | 51 | 49 | 45 | 51 |
Oman | 30 | 51 | 40 | 48 | 46 | 43 |
Barbados | 31 | 35 | 29 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
Chile | 32 | 32 | 23 | 29 | 32 | 35 |
Cuba | 33 | 45 | 27 | 27 | 19 | 18 |
Israel | 34 | 44 | 38 | 33 | 28 | 36 |
Malaysia | 35 | 53 | 55 | 45 | 57 | n/a |
United States | 36 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 13 | 10 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 37 | 46 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Colombia | 38 | 41 | 41 | 37 | 41 | 46 |
Brazil | 39 | 56 | 48 | 43 | 38 | 33 |
France | 40 | 58 | 56 | 55 | 50 | 49 |
Turkey | 41 | 34 | 52 | 58 | 59 | n/a |
Slovenia | 42 | 43 | 49 | 50 | 52 | n/a |
Philippines | 43 | 40 | 44 | 38 | 42 | 48 |
Zambia | 44 | 54 | 33 | 40 | 35 | 44 |
Zimbabwe | 45 | 86 | 54 | 79 | 79 | n/a |
Grenada | 46 | 64 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Mexico | 47 | 52 | 30 | 30 | 36 | 30 |
Austria | 48 | 59 | 53 | 53 | 47 | 42 |
Morocco | 49 | 68 | 67 | 74 | 90 | n/a |
Finland | 50 | 78 | 61 | 76 | 73 | n/a |
Saint Lucia | 51 | 61 | 47 | 47 | 40 | 38 |
Switzerland | 52 | 57 | 59 | 56 | 55 | n/a |
Singapore | 53 | 37 | 50 | 51 | 60 | n/a |
Cyprus | 54 | 60 | 63 | 60 | 63 | n/a |
Cambodia | 55 | 38 | 32 | 32 | 37 | 42 |
Egypt | 56 | 80 | 89 | 87 | 88 | n/a |
Montenegro | 57 | 74 | 57 | 57 | 68 | n/a |
United Kingdom | 58 | 65 | 76 | 68 | n/a | n/a |
Denmark | 59 | 70 | 66 | 64 | 74 | n/a |
Estonia | 60 | 79 | 69 | 77 | 76 | n/a |
Malta | 61 | 93 | 85 | 80 | 71 | n/a |
Sweden | 62 | 67 | 62 | 61 | 61 | n/a |
Ireland | 63 | 73 | 82 | 78 | 75 | n/a |
Poland | 64 | 75 | 80 | 71 | 81 | n/a |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 65 | 72 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 66 | 81 | 77 | 83 | 69 | n/a |
United Arab Emirates | 67 | 97 | 92 | 93 | 99 | n/a |
Czech Republic | 68 | 88 | 84 | 72 | 80 | n/a |
Hungary | 69 | 82 | 74 | 65 | 70 | n/a |
Netherlands | 70 | 77 | 79 | 84 | n/a | n/a |
Bahamas | 71 | 83 | 64 | 66 | 72 | n/a |
Latvia | 72 | 107 | 94 | 90 | 87 | n/a |
Cape Verde | 73 | 102 | 105 | 101 | n/a | n/a |
Uruguay | 74 | 101 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Jamaica | 75 | 76 | 68 | 59 | 56 | n/a |
Germany | 76 | 95 | 90 | 86 | 82 | n/a |
Trinidad and Tobago | 77 | 87 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Slovakia | 78 | 106 | 99 | 96 | 95 | n/a |
China | 79 | 92 | 86 | 73 | 58 | n/a |
Romania | 80 | 100 | 97 | 88 | 96 | n/a |
Andorra | 81 | 114 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Lithuania | 82 | 96 | 91 | 95 | 85 | n/a |
Albania | 83 | 115 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Panama | 84 | 111 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 85 | 108 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Dominica | 86 | 121 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Vatican City | 87 | 105 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Belgium | 88 | 113 | 103 | 102 | n/a | n/a |
Dominican Republic | 89 | 103 | 87 | 75 | 84 | n/a |
Saudi Arabia | 90 | 119 | 109 | 113 | n/a | n/a |
Bulgaria | 91 | 112 | 98 | 98 | 102 | n/a |
Luxembourg | 92 | 118 | 104 | 107 | n/a | n/a |
Serbia | 93 | 116 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Monaco | 94 | 109 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Gibraltar | 95 | 123 | 106 | 105 | n/a | n/a |
Qatar | 96 | 124 | 108 | 112 | n/a | n/a |
Myanmar | n/a | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Nepal | n/a | 22 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 25 |
Bhutan | n/a | 4 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Uganda | n/a | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Uzbekistan | n/a | 28 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Madagascar | n/a | 30 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Georgia | n/a | 36 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Laos | n/a | 47 | 39 | 41 | 31 | 28 |
Falkland Islands | n/a | 49 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Ethiopia | n/a | 55 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Russia | n/a | 62 | 70 | 63 | 77 | n/a |
Lebanon | n/a | 63 | 42 | 44 | 78 | n/a |
Fiji | n/a | 66 | 45 | 36 | 54 | n/a |
Bolivia | n/a | 69 | 73 | 81 | 49 | 71 |
Guatemala | n/a | 71 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Ukraine | n/a | 84 | 83 | 94 | 97 | n/a |
Nicaragua | n/a | 85 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Belize | n/a | 89 | 65 | 70 | 64 | n/a |
Mozambique | n/a | 90 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Taiwan | n/a | 91 | 88 | 82 | 67 | n/a |
The Gambia | n/a | 94 | 75 | 85 | 89 | n/a |
North Macedonia | n/a | 98 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
South Korea | n/a | 99 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Tunisia | n/a | 104 | 102 | 109 | n/a | n/a |
San Marino | n/a | 110 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Eswatini | n/a | 117 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Honduras | n/a | 120 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Liechtenstein | n/a | 122 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Macau | n/a | 125 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Bahrain | n/a | 126 | 107 | 111 | n/a | n/a |
Bermuda | n/a | n/a | 46 | 39 | 25 | 23 |
British Virgin Islands | n/a | n/a | 58 | 52 | 43 | 41 |
Greenland | n/a | n/a | 35 | 31 | 34 | 54 |
Cayman Islands | n/a | n/a | 60 | 62 | 53 | n/a |
Turks and Caicos | n/a | n/a | 72 | 67 | 62 | n/a |
Hong Kong | n/a | n/a | 71 | 69 | 66 | n/a |
US Virgin Islands | n/a | n/a | 96 | 91 | 86 | n/a |
Papua New Guinea | n/a | n/a | 81 | 92 | 92 | n/a |
Puerto Rico | n/a | n/a | 93 | 89 | 93 | n/a |
Belarus | n/a | n/a | 100 | 100 | 104 | n/a |
Venezuela | n/a | n/a | 95 | 99 | 107 | n/a |
Pakistan | n/a | n/a | 78 | 103 | n/a | n/a |
Moldova | n/a | n/a | 101 | 106 |