Happy Capetonians propel the Mother City to world’s best city status – Time Out’s Andrew Hallett

Each year, Time Out surveys thousands of city dwellers across the globe to compile their annual ranking of the world's best cities. For 2025, Cape Town, South Africa, has been crowned the world's best city. While many might assume this accolade is due solely to its natural beauty and the attractions nestled in the shadow of Table Mountain, Andrew Hallett, the Content Editor of Time Out South Africa, shared with Biznews in an interview that the top spot was secured largely due to the remarkable sense of contentment among Capetonians. It was the overall level of happiness among Capetonians that bumped New York from the top spot. For those concerned about locals being priced out of enjoying the city to the fullest, Hallett assures that Time Out offers plenty of tips for experiencing the city without breaking the bank. And what could Cape Town do to make it more attractive to tourists? He suggests improvements to public transport..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here..The seventh BizNews Conference, BNC#7, is to be held in Hermanus from March 11 to 13, 2025. The 2025 BizNews Conference is designed to provide an excellent opportunity for members of the BizNews community to interact directly with the keynote speakers, old (and new) friends from previous BNC events – and to interact with members of the BizNews team. Register for BNC#7 here..If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..Watch here.Listen here.Highlights from the interview ___STEADY_PAYWALL___.In a recent interview with BizNews, Andrew Hallett, Content Editor of Time Out South Africa, discussed why Cape Town was crowned the world's best city for 2025. Time Out's annual ranking is based on 44 criteria, including happiness, affordability, liveability, and overall city vibe. Hallett emphasised that the high level of happiness among Capetonians—97% of locals surveyed expressed satisfaction with living and working in the city—was a major factor in its rise to the top, surpassing cities like New York, which held the top spot the previous year..Cape Town's success was attributed not only to its stunning natural beauty but also to the pride and contentment of its residents. Hallett highlighted that Cape Town has become an attractive destination for digital nomads, which has, however, led to rising costs. To address this, Time Out focuses on promoting affordable experiences for locals, such as free cable car rides on birthdays and recommending budget-friendly activities..The recognition has had a positive impact, with locals expressing pride and international attention potentially boosting tourism and the economy. Hallett also pointed out areas for improvement, such as public transportation, which could make the city more accessible and affordable for both locals and visitors. Looking forward, Hallett is optimistic about Cape Town's continued success and Time Out's expansion into other South African cities like Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria..Edited transcript of the interview .Linda van Tilburg (00:02.456) .Every year, Time Out unveils its list of the 50 best cities in the world, and for 2025, Cape Town in South Africa has taken the top spot. We have Andrew Hallett, the Content Editor of Time Out South Africa, with us in the studio to explore the reasons behind it. Hi, Andrew, and welcome to BizNews..Andrew Hallett (00:31.057) .Thank you very much. Good to be here..Linda van Tilburg (00:33.516) .I'm in Cape Town at the moment, so it's not hard to see why it's such a popular city, but what specific features or aspects of Cape Town do you think stood out and earned it the top spot on your list?.Andrew Hallett (00:47.372) .I'll give you a bit of background on how Time Out comes to these decisions. So, this is the seventh year of the Time Out survey of global readers and experts. This year, 18,500 people were surveyed, along with 100 of Time Out's global experts. Using 44 criteria, including happiness, affordability, liveability, and city vibe – that kind of thing- they determined the best cities in the world based on survey data. Cape Town scored very high in happiness. .My stats aren't the best—hence why I'm not a mathematician—but if I remember correctly, 97% of Capetonians that took part in the survey said they were happy to live and work in their city, which is a fantastic boost for the city to get that kind of result.Linda van Tilburg (01:54.592) .So, it's basically the locals' happiness that influenced the rankings—locals went out and voted?.Andrew Hallett (02:01.605) .Yes, 100%. So, it was all city dwellers from around the world who were surveyed, not tourists and to see that 97% of Capetonians are happy to live and work in Cape town is a big deal. .Linda van Tilburg(02:17.333) .That is a big deal. Which other cities were close?.Andrew Hallett (02:21.645) .New York came first last year, and it was quite a big thing for the mayor of Cape Town when came second last year to New York. This sparked a bit of rivalry. With Cape Town now taking first place, I met with the mayor last week, and he mentioned he sent a WhatsApp to New York's mayor to do a bit of bragging, saying, "I told you we were coming for you." The top five were Cape Town, New York, Bangkok, Melbourne, and London..Linda van Tilburg (02:58.559) .Wow, they are all quite expensive cities. .Andrew Hallett (03:03.961) .Yes. Although I haven't unfortunately visited all those places, but I understand that. The world right now is becoming more expensive everywhere unfortunately. It's exciting to see Capetonians happy, as global news coverage isn't always favourable for Cape Town. Seeing that the locals are happy proud to part of the Cape Town ecosystem and living here is a pretty big thing for me..Linda van Tilburg (03:42.419) .I saw an article from a South African journalist suggesting that digital nomads should go home because they were driving up costs in Cape Town. What can authorities do to ensure the city remains affordable for locals?.Andrew Hallett (04:03.813) .Cape Town, in some ways, has become a victim of its own success. It is because we have so much going for us, the city and the people. It's always going to be a very attractive, especially with favourable exchange rates for digital nomads to come and work. So, it's a fine line, I suppose, to keep it affordable. Our goal at Time Out is to cater to locals and tourists alike by highlighting not just tourist hotspots, but affordable, local spots too. We show the best places that you can go to, the affordable places that you can go to, how you can experience your city over and above places like the Waterfront or those kind of places. We do our part, I think, in trying to make sure that we're showing off what locals can do apart from just what the tourists are attracted to..Linda van Tilburg (05:00.25) .So, does your content suggest affordable activities, like outdoor experiences, for locals?.Andrew Hallett (05:12.847) .Just to correct you Time Out used to be a magazine in London, but now it is fully digital across the globe. Yes, we have an article that does fantastically well every year where we highlight the best freebies available, like free rides on Table Mountain's cable car on your birthday. Then we've got the most affordable hotels, affordable restaurants, that kind of stuff. Our goal is to cater to locals first, but then obviously tourists are very important for us as well. But we want to make sure that the locals in Cape Town are able to experience the city and the best of the city..We aim to cater to locals first, though tourists are important too. We want locals to experience the best of their city..Linda van Tilburg (06:03.974) .So, you just go to a website and if you can prove it is your birthday, you get a free ride up Table Mountain?.Andrew Hallett (06:09.543) .Table Mountain is the most popular one. You present your ID to prove it's your birthday and get a free ride up the cable car, which I think is really cool. .Linda van Tilburg (06:54.319) .What does this accolade mean for the city? Do people notice and want to visit?.Andrew Hallett (07:03.067) .It is actually quite interesting because I have seen locals taking great pride in this announcement. For example, at a comedy show in Camps Bay, the comedian mentioned three times that Cape Town was named the best city, leading to applauses each time. It's nice to see this recognition, is well-received by locals. And hopefully what it will from an international perspective, it will give Cape Town a little bit more of a place on the map and reduces the negative news that goes around the world. .Hopefully from a local perspective the people that work so hard to ensure that Cape Town is not just for people in power. It is a place for people like locals in Kalk Bay who run the little shops. I think Cape Town's got a lot going for it at the moment and hopefully this announcement will give it a further boost. .Linda van Tilburg (08:20.674) .What more can authorities do to make the city attractive?.Andrew Hallett (08:25.489) .It is a difficult one, we are not known for our public transport. I have seen big changes of late though. For instance, the southern suburb's rail network has seen massive upgrades. The trains are running fantastically there. This week, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis was in Khayelitsha at the Kuyasa MyCITI station which has been refurbished. I think public transport is one thing that we could look at improving because it is a lot more affordable for locals and travellers to experience the city a bit more. So, definitely public transport is a big one for me. .Linda van Tilburg (09:13.506) .I had British visitors with me this week, they were bowl over by the beauty but kept on referring to the conditions of people living in shacks. What do you think?.Andrew Hallett (09:30.791) .Unfortunately, we still live in a society where inequality exists, but Cape Town has so much going for it. If we can keep the tourists coming, we can bring money in, boos tourism, boost our economy and hopefully alleviate the issues. We need tourism to boost the economy to be an;e to uplift Cape town for everybody. .Linda van Tilburg(10:00.053) .For someone visiting Cape Town for the first time, what would you recommend?.Andrew Hallett (10:15.111) .It is a question of where do I start? You can visit Boulders Beach in the morning to see African penguins, which is a fantastic experience. You could then make your way along the coastline and go to beautiful restaurants overlooking False Bay. Then, you have the Constantia winelands if you don't want to go to the Stellenbosch winelands. You can explore the City Bowl's vibrant culture and nightlife and that is not even touching the other side of the mountain, which has Camp's Bay, Llandudno and Hout Bay. As a born and bred Capetonian myself, I don't think I've explored everything. I haven't had the chance to, because there is just so much that you can do and the nice thing is that we're also innovating a lot. So, there are lot of new things popping up and for me, it's just a very exciting time to be in Cape Town..Linda van Tilburg (11:18.473) .Thank you, Andrew. Let's hope Cape Town keeps the top spot..Andrew Hallett (11:23.535) .Let's hope so, yes..Linda van Tilburg (11:25.91) .Is there anything you'd like to add?.Andrew Hallett (11:29.231) .It's exciting for Cape Town to be recognised as Time Out's best city. We're also expanding in South Africa, launching in Durban, Johannesburg, and Pretoria soon, as well. So, this is also a nice way to kick off the expansion into South and bringing the best of the city from .Read also:.BN Briefing: Trump's inauguration sparks global speculation on trade, tech, and market reformsTrump's bold plans: Kevin Lings explains the global ripple effects for South AfricaSouth Africa's unity government: A new era or a fragile experiment?

Happy Capetonians propel the Mother City to world’s best city status – Time Out’s Andrew Hallett

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