Award-winning New Zealand in 2009
22 Dec 2009
Despite global recession and ensuing challenges in 2009, New Zealand has sustained its position as a high profile destination bringing in the tourists and notching up many international awards to prove it.
The Destination New Zealand brand was a big winner during 2009.
Lonely Planet authors, staff and travellers picked New Zealand as one of the top 10 countries to visit in 2010. Other accolades included:
- favourite long-haul destination (The Guardian & Observer Readers Travel Awards, UK)
- world’s top five destinations - listed for the sixth year in a row (Readers’ Awards - Condé Nast Traveller UK).
New Zealand tourism operator Whale Watch Kaikoura was overall winner of 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award for its wildlife experience on the Kaikoura coast.
It’s not exhaustive but here’s a list of some 2009 Kiwi successes - all worthy of a toast with a couple of internationally award-winning New Zealand wines like the Kennedy Point Syrah (Waiheke) and Clifford Bay Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) - both top of their class at the 2009 International Wine Challenge.
Destination awards
Nelson - a coastal town in the northern South Island that’s home to a thriving artistic community - was ranked the world’s most charming small town by international travel website TripAdvisor.com
Queenstown - New Zealand’s adventure capital - was named third best city in the Pacific Rim by Condé Nast Traveler.
Dunedin - a quirky university city known as the Edinburgh of the South - featured three times in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010 guide top tens for:
- bird watching on Otago peninsula
- super cycling routes on Otago peninsula
- dog-friendly city walking trails.
Natural wonder Milford Sound - which Rudyard Kipling called the eighth wonder of the world - has been short-listed in the global search for the new seven natural wonders of the world.
Winning hospitality
New Zealand hospitality scored a raft of international awards.
Backpacker accommodation YHA Wellington City won the prestigious 2009 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism award for the best large hotel / accommodation.
Treetops Lodge and Wilderness Experience, Rotorua, gained three major accolades:
- Best NZ Hotel 2009 - (Travel + Leisure - USA)
- Responsible Tourism Award - Australasia (World Travel Awards)
- Leading NZ luxury lodge (World Travel Awards).
Other winning New Zealand properties included:
- Lake Okareka Lodge, Rotorua, won world's best luxury country lodge (Luxury Hotel Awards)
- five New Zealand hotels - Huka Lodge, Treetops, Millbrook, Hyatt Auckland, The George Christchurch - listed among the world’s best hotels (Travel + Leisure)
- Blanket Bay Lodge, Queenstown, voted best leisure hotel - Australasia and South Pacific (Condé Nast Traveler)
- Huka Lodge, Taupo, and Blanket Bay, Queenstown listed in the best luxury hotels on earth (Forbes Traveller)
- Mollies boutique hotel, Auckland, became one of only 25 new members of Relais & Châteaux.
New Zealand experiences
Air New Zealand was voted second best long-haul leisure airline by Condé Nast Traveler magazine.
SkyCity Auckland fought off tough competition from around Australia to be awarded ‘Australasia's Leading Casino Resort’ at the 2009 World Travel Awards, in London.
Kiwi Experience, the New Zealand tour company that pioneered the hop-on hop-off bus network for backpackers, was voted Best Tour Operator New Zealand in the 2009 Golden Backpack awards.
Winning Kiwis
New Zealand peace campaigner Alan Ware was awarded the world’s alternative Nobel Prize - the 2009 Right Livelihood Award.
Kiwi comedy duo 'Flight of the Conchords' were nominated for six Emmy awards, and announced that their award-winning show would finish with the current season.
Kiwi actress Anna Paquin was awarded a Golden Globe for her role in the HBO vampire series True Blood - 16 years after winning an Oscar for The Piano.
Looking to 2010
Looking ahead, 2010 is shaping up to be even more positive for New Zealand with a number of important events scheduled as well as the build up to the Rugby World Cup in 2011.
New Zealand is the ideal place to kick off the New Year and from 29 December 2009 - 1 January 2010 thousands of revellers will gather in Gisborne on the east coast for the annual Rhythm & Vines festival.
Set amongst the grapevines in the place that is the first in the world to see the sun, the three-day outdoor festival features bands from all over the world and is considered the "place to be" at New Year.
New Year twice-over
And anyone not satisfied with one New Year’s Eve experience can take up the chance to see in 2010, twice.
UK adventure travel company Black Tomato has come up with a package holiday that offers a champagne-fuelled luxury party in Auckland on New Year’s Eve before taking off at 11am on New Year’s day for Aitutaki in the Cook Islands - crossing back into 2009 in the process.
Those taking up the two-times New Year option will arrive in the Cook Islands on the afternoon of the 31st, check in to a swish beach-side hotel and see in 2010 all over again.
It’s an adventure that should provide some interesting New Year stories - perhaps not destined for this website but there will be plenty of other festive, summer holiday adventures to relate in 2010.
More information:
New Zealand reigns supreme in responsible tourism
New Zealand in Lonely Planet Top 10
New Zealand voted top long haul destination
New Zealand tourism award winners announced
NZ wines top world challenge
Golden Globe for Kiwi actress Anna Paquin
New Zealand campaigner wins major peace prize
New Zealand lodges featured among world’s best
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
