New Zealand has been voted the globe’s number one holiday destination in a new survey carried out by the Daily Telegraph .
The Telegraph travel awards are the result of the biggest annual independent survey of the British travelling public, with over 30,000 readers questioned on their travel habits.
The award is New Zealand’s third ‘Telegraph reader award for best destination’ after claiming the title in both 2004 and 2005.
Damien O'Connor, the country’s Tourism Minister, said the award was a great accolade for New Zealand and its hard-working tourism industry.
"The fact that our customers are the voters means the award is an authentic assessment of the quality of our tourism on offer," he said.
"The United Kingdom, our second largest market for visitor arrivals - contributing 300,000 visitors over the past year - is a valued market for New Zealand and one where we have to work hard to stay ahead of the competition ."
"Offering outstanding customer service and ensuring we offer travellers deep, rich, authentic and unique experiences are crucial factors in delivering a world-class visitor experience," he added.
O’Connor said the number of Brits arriving in the country had risen by 61 per cent since the launch of the 100 per cent Pure New Zealand campaign in 2000.
Tourism Industry Association chief executive, Fiona Luhrs, commented: "It's a very pleasing thing to have won, with that many readers."
"With all the low-cost flights that are now operating out of the UK, people could go in many directions other than coming all the way down to New Zealand, so to have won that I think is fantastic."
The Daily Telegraph will publish a 24-page colour supplement on Saturday (December 8) highlighting the full list of winners of the travel awards .
| Travel news |
|---|
| Brits To Book More Holidays To Non-Eurozone Countries In 2009 - Mon, 05 Jan 2009 |
| Brits Content With Domestic Trips This Christmas - Wed, 24 Dec 2008 |
| Half-Price Discounts On Offer At Luxury Resorts - Tue, 23 Dec 2008 |
| More News |