In Africa, the winner was Mauritius with a 147% increase in searches. Cape Town was not far behind with 144%.
These were followed in third, fourth and fifth place by Cairo, Egypt (108%), Seychelles (45%) and Nairobi, Kenya (no percentage given).
Of Cape Town, Explore says: “Must-visit spots include the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Robben Island and the Cape of Good Hope.
“But beyond the popular sights and attractions, Cape Town has much to offer solo travellers, including walking tours of some of the city’s most vibrant neighbourhoods such as Bo-Kaap and Woodstock.”
On a global scale, Africa doesn’t make the top 20, which is largely dominated by cities in Asia. Hanoi is the global No 1 with a whopping 946% increase. Explore says it’s easy to see why the Vietnamese city is “the one to watch” for solo adventurers.
“Aesthetically pleasing and filled with ancient architecture, Hanoi [is] rich in culture with plenty of activities for solo travellers to enjoy, from browsing food markets and visiting historic temples, to wandering the colourful streets.”
Trends
Curious about Cape Town: City ranks 2nd in Africa for solo travel searches
Cape Town just misses being named the top 'emerging hotspot for solo travel in Africa', while on a global scale Asia dominates the top 20
Image: 123rf.com
Cape Town has been named the second top “emerging destination” for solo travellers in Africa, losing by a nose to Mauritius.
Saying it’s seen a surge in solo travellers joining its trips, UK-based adventure tour operator Explore Worldwide set out to identify which places are seeing the biggest uptick in interest from solo travellers, based on a comparison of the number of Google searches from one year to the next.
By looking at which destinations had seen the biggest jump in searches combined with the term “solo travel” over 12 months (from April 2022 to March 2023), Explore says it can reveal “the emerging favourite destinations for solo travellers”, which it ranked by continent and also globally.
Image: 123RF/freeartist
In Africa, the winner was Mauritius with a 147% increase in searches. Cape Town was not far behind with 144%.
These were followed in third, fourth and fifth place by Cairo, Egypt (108%), Seychelles (45%) and Nairobi, Kenya (no percentage given).
Of Cape Town, Explore says: “Must-visit spots include the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Robben Island and the Cape of Good Hope.
“But beyond the popular sights and attractions, Cape Town has much to offer solo travellers, including walking tours of some of the city’s most vibrant neighbourhoods such as Bo-Kaap and Woodstock.”
On a global scale, Africa doesn’t make the top 20, which is largely dominated by cities in Asia. Hanoi is the global No 1 with a whopping 946% increase. Explore says it’s easy to see why the Vietnamese city is “the one to watch” for solo adventurers.
“Aesthetically pleasing and filled with ancient architecture, Hanoi [is] rich in culture with plenty of activities for solo travellers to enjoy, from browsing food markets and visiting historic temples, to wandering the colourful streets.”
Image: 123rf.com
The top-five rankings by continent and the global top 20:
ASIA
EUROPE
NORTH AMERICA
SOUTH AMERICA
AFRICA
OCEANIA
WORLDWIDE
For the full details of the study, see here.
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