Related Stories

Brits 'will always travel to Spain' (22 Apr 2009)

Drop flight tax plans, says BA (22 Apr 2009)

Indian cricket ace to coach at La Manga Club (23 Apr 2009)

Ryanair 'may introduce obesity tax' (23 Apr 2009)

Skyscanner reveals 'top bank holiday destinations' (23 Apr 2009)

New Zealand voted best holiday destination in the world

(13 Sep 2005)

Going on holiday? – Get a great deal on travel insurance

Going back-packing? – Get a great deal on travel insurance

Brits prefer down under, or at least, New Zealand, it has emerged as the country scooped the top award for best holiday destination in the world last week.

The land of the kiwi outdid its larger neighbour to come top out of the places Britons believe are the best to visit in the Conde Nast Traveller Awards 2005.

A popular choice with backpackers due to its wealth of hair-raising outdoor activities such as bungee jumping and skydiving in gorgeous locations, New Zealand won an overall rating of 97.33 out of a possible 100 across various categories.

These included scenery (99), eco-friendly credentials (98.97) and safety (97).

New Zealand itself has expressed delight with the award. The minister of tourism Mark Burton said he believed it proved that New Zealand was a "high quality visitor destination".

The fact that New Zealand was voted top by independent readers alone rather than by officials was an added bonus for the tourist industry, he said.

Travellers have been flocking to New Zealand of late, with official visitor figures up ten per cent from 2004 to over 300,000 for the year ending July 2005.


© Adfero Ltd