New Zealand ranks #3 in ‘Wanderlust’ poll
04 Feb 2011
New Zealand has been named the third ‘Top Country’ destination in the world - for the second year running - in the prestigious Wanderlust Travel awards.
New Zealand received an overall satisfaction score of 96.13% from international visitors who voted in this year’s awards, which were handed down at a ceremony in London hosted by travel magazine Wanderlust.
There was very little between the top three rankings, and New Zealand’s third placing - behind Namibia and Costa Rica - equals last year’s bronze score in the same category.
It’s the second major accolade for Destination New Zealand in 2011. Global broadcasting network CNN named New Zealand as number two of the top nine destinations for 2011 - coming in just behind New York.
New Zealand holiday value
Tourism New Zealand chief executive Kevin Bowler said the new award would help reinforce the value of a New Zealand holiday in the UK market, where Wanderlust was well read.
"Wanderlust has a circulation of more than 30,000 and our top three finish will stand us in good stead for UK travellers considering where they want to go on their next overseas holiday," Bowler said.
A sense of drama and accessibility had won the top spot for Namibia, according to the Wanderlust website.
"And that mix of drama and accessibility surely accounts, too, for runners-up Costa Rica and New Zealand - destinations where the natural world pulls out all the stops, but creature comforts are never far away," the website said.
Air New Zealand
Other New Zealand mentions in this year's awards were Air New Zealand, which finished third in the Top Airline category, and the TranzAlpine train journey, which took seventh in the Top Rail Journey category.
The annual Wanderlust Travel Awards include 13 award categories and are based on travellers' experiences from December 2009 to November 2010.
Wanderlust’s Top Country list [ranking %]:
- Namibia - 96.9
- Costa Rica - 96.9
- New Zealand - 96.13
- Nepal - 95.0
- Japan - 94.7
- Iceland - 93.91
- Laos - 93.8
- Canada - 93.53
- Syria - 92.75
- Chile - 92.73
Wanderlust Travel Awards 2011
More information
New Zealand is destination to visit in 2011
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
