NZ in Condé Nast’s top five destinations
03 Sep 2009
For the sixth year in a row, New Zealand has been ranked in the world’s top five best destinations by readers of prestigious Condé Nast Traveller magazine.
The awards were announced last night (3.09.09) in the UK.
New Zealand was placed second after Italy as ‘Best Destination’. Turkey was third, and Australia was fourth.
Fantastic landscape
Sarah Miller, editor Condé Nast Traveller, said New Zealand was popular with readers because of its fantastic landscape and relaxed quality of life.
"New Zealand is also known for its fantastic food, its Māori culture, and for being one of the safest places on the planet.
"Of course, it’s also thought of as being forward-thinking for its environmental friendliness. And all that stuff adds up," Miller said.
Best of the Best
New Zealand was also listed fourth overall in the ‘Best of the Best’ section of the awards which includes cities, airports, hotels, cruise lines and other sectors within the tourism industry.
Queenstown luxury lodge Blanket Bay won the award for ‘Best Leisure Hotel - Australasia and South Pacific’ category.
Taupo's Huka Lodge, the Wairarapa's Wharekauhau Lodge and Country Estate, and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers also made the top 20.
Air New Zealand took second-place in the long-haul airlines category.
Great result
Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said it was a great result for New Zealand given that British travellers had been hard hit by the economic downturn and were looking to holiday closer to home.
"The UK is probably one of the toughest markets in the world to get noticed in. Travellers have access to the lowest airfares in the world, which means they have a huge amount of choice.
"For UK holidaymakers to recognise New Zealand as their favourite long-haul country is a huge achievement in this competitive marketplace and one which the New Zealand industry should be most proud of," Mr Hickton said.
In the year to July, New Zealand welcomed 260,000 UK visitors, down 10 per cent on the previous year.
"While arrivals from the UK are slower at the moment, some people are still travelling, particularly those from the youth and 50-plus groups. Offering good quality, exciting holidays in beautiful scenery will keep us in the mix when people are considering where to spend their time," Mr Hickton said.
Previous rankings for New Zealand
New Zealand was the Condé Nast Traveller Top 100 winner in 2005, and since 2001 has appeared every year in the top 10 of the 'Best Country' rankings:
• 2008: Best Country winner
• 2007: Best Country, 5th
• 2006: Best Country, 2nd
• 2005: Best Country
• 2005: Top 100 overall winner
• 2004: Best Country, 3rd
• 2003: Best Country, 6th
• 2002: Best Country, 7th
• 2001: Best Country, 9th
Condé Nast Traveller
Condé Nast Traveller is a glossy lifestyle publication with an emphasis on luxury travel. It has a circulation of 85,000, with 91 per cent of readers holidaying three or more times a year.
The awards are the result of an extensive survey of the UK magazine’s readers, who are asked to choose the best the travel world has to offer - everything from hotels and spas to airlines and airports. Readers are then asked to rate their choices according to various criteria such as service and value for money.
Countries are each rated on 10 criteria that provide an index of satisfaction, scored out of a maximum of 100. The awards have been running since 1998.
The 10 criteria include: scenery, climate, culture, food, friendly people, safety, environmental friendliness, value for money, range of accommodation and variety of attractions.
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