South Africa's national treasure, The Blue Train, has once again walked away with Africa’s Leading Luxury Train accolade at the 2019 World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony. 

The ceremony was held at Sugar Beach Resort in Mauritius in June. The Blue Train celebrates this win for the fourth consecutive year and for the 11th time overall.

The World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony is the most prestigious travel and tourism event of the year, which sees an influx of industry leaders from across Africa and the Indian Ocean region gathered under one roof to celebrate the continent’s best tourism players.

“This recognition is an incredible honour for us at The Blue Train. It affirms the work we do as custodians of this national treasure. This year is particularly special for us as this is the first World Travel Award we have earned since our audacious brand repositioning last year. We have contemporised the brand and issued an open invitation to both leisure travellers and businesses alike, to use the train for individual and corporate use,” said Vincent Monyake, Executive Manager of The Blue Train.

Individual leisure travel has grown, with more South Africans travelling regularly. Private charters and businesses can now use the train for their own gala dinners, meetings, gatherings and other events. 

“The Blue Train’s elevated offering accentuates the experience from a five-star hotel on wheels to a ‘five-star resort on wheels’,” said Monyake.

The experience has all the makings of a resort holiday destination: from individually air-conditioned, soundproofed personal suites, 24-hour dedicated butler service, silver service gourmet cuisine accompanied by fine wines and spirits, Cuban cigars, on-board entertainment in the form of live music, and ‘fun’ poker, blackjack and roulette tables.