NZ among top five world destinations
30 Jul 2008
New Zealand is one of the top five most popular tourist destinations in the world, according to an international survey.
The Lonely Planet Travellers’ Pulse Survey asked voters to name their favourite country and the one they were most likely to visit next.
The new rating showed a big jump for New Zealand which last year just scraped into the top 10 in ninth place.
2008 survey results
The 2008 survey rated the United States as the most popular country with Australia runner-up.
Lonely Planet marketing analyst Adam Stanford said the United States had become an increasingly popular travel destination because of the exchange rate of the American dollar.
The United States collected 1509 of the 17,500 votes from 132 countries, followed by Australia with 1222.
The United Kingdom took out bronze (965 votes, while Italy (836 votes) and New Zealand (648 votes) rounded out the top five.
Tourist travel trends
The survey - which has been conducted annually since 2004 - is seen as a valuable tool for identifying new trends and shifts in travel patterns. For the first time, this year's survey also quizzed respondents about their use of technology while on the road.
The majority of people (82 per cent) said they always or sometimes took a mobile phone with them on their travels showing technology is allowing travellers to connect with their destination and its people.
Favourite countries
The survey also asked respondents which of the countries they had visited they viewed as their favourite.
Australia and Italy were placed first and second respectively for the second year running, while New Zealand claimed sixth place - also for the second year in a row.
Most popular destinations
1. United States
2. Australia
3. United Kingdom
4. Italy
5. New Zealand
6. France
7. Thailand
8. Spain
9. Canada
10. China
Respondents' favourite countries
1. Australia
2. Italy
3. Thailand
4. United States
5. France
6. New Zealand
7. Spain
8. United Kingdom
9. Canada
10. Greece
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
