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- Cape Town might not be recognised as SA's economic powerhouse, but it has been crowned Africa's best city brand.
- Cape Town owes its title as the continental leader to its status as Africa's most visited city, thanks to its natural beauty, stunning coastline, mountains, and diverse culture.
- Johannesburg, Cairo, Casablanca, Lagos and Nairobi also made it to the top 100 best-branded cities list.
- For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page.
What is the best city to live in or visit in South Africa, or even better, Africa? It's Cape Town, says the latest Brand Finance City Index. This year's index ranked Cape Town as the 60th best-branded city in the world, with a score of 62.9 points out of 100.
This put Cape Town ahead of cities like Istanbul, Moscow, Cairo, Rio de Janeiro, and 12 places ahead of Johannesburg. Cape Town was also hot over the heels of Mexico City, Beijing and Marseille in France. The Finance City Index was based on a global survey of 15 000 members of the general public conducted in April 2023 in 20 countries.
The Index, which named London the best city brand in the world, followed by New York and Paris, gave Cape Town the title of the continental leader because of its status as South Africa's most visited city. It added that the Mother City natural beauty, stunning coastline, mountains, and diverse landscapes make it one of the world's most attractive tourist destinations, and it has built a high reputation as a destination to visit.
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Furthermore, Cape Town's rich cultural heritage was ranked 33rd in the world because of its diverse, multicultural, warm hospitality, and adventurous attractions. It also ranks 15th for affordability and 18th for nice weather, further enhancing its popularity among tourists worldwide, even as South Africa's attractiveness and economic health have taken a severe strain from load shedding and other crumbling infrastructure problems in the past two years.
At number 72 out of 100 cities, Johannesburg became the third-best African city to live in. Brand Finance blamed its higher crime rates compared to other areas in South Africa for the lower score of 59.7 out of 100 points. However, like Cape Town, the City of Gold also ranks highly for future growth potential, at 25th globally. It is also widely recognised as the economic powerhouse of South Africa and a significant financial and business hub in Africa. Johannesburg also scored some points for its robust economy, larger and more skilled workforce, and many universities.
Other African cities that made it to the top 100 were Cairo (67th place), Morocco's Casablanca (76), Lagos (90) and Nairobi (94).
