Bay of Plenty nominated for NZ's top destination

The Bay of Plenty has been nominated as one of the New Zealand's best destinations to experience this year.

Along with 30 other destinations, including Rotorua, the Bay will be voted on in an annual international and domestic poll.

This is the fourth year travel experience provider Experience Oz+NZ is running the poll, which gauges public opinion within the Australia/New Zealand region and well as globally on the best destinations to travel to if money was no object.

The Bay was nominated based on its "claim to fame of being the sunniest area on the island making for a great all-year-round travel location" and its "wonderful beaches, famously fresh food and a range of delectable, locally-produced wines".

Previous year's winners include Taupo and Taranaki.

The poll normally receives upwards of 5000 votes and voters could win a range of prizes.

Experience Oz + NZ Marketing Manager Matt Hobbs said that past entities of the poll had helped put some of New Zealand's smaller destinations into the international travel consciousness.

"We've had some surprising and unexpected results in the past where destinations that might not previously have had high presence of mind have taken out the top spot," Mr Hobbs said.

"Previous winners included the likes of Taranaki, the Coromandel Peninsula and Taupo, which shows that the opinions of the public can often be different to the common perception.

"This was largely due to the impact of stunning visuals showcasing some of the natural phenomena and top experiences in each of these regions, as quality photography and video always play a key role in influencing and inspiring online audiences."

Poll participants are asked to consider, among other factors, the typical "New Zealand"-style nature of the destination, its unique natural highlights, the area's cultural, historic and architectural features, the variety of activities on offer, whether or not it is over-commercialised, and if it can simply be considered objectively "beautiful".

Voting for New Zealand's Top 10 Destinations 2016 commences on Monday the 18th of May 2016, and is set to run for 3 weeks; participants can visit https://www.experienceoz.com.au/nz-top-10-2016 to view the full list of nominees, and cast their vote once the poll opens.