NZ on travellers' most-wanted list

Independent travellers from across the globe have rated New Zealand as one of the best places they've been and one of the most desired places to go next.

The survey, conducted online at the Lonely Planet website (see link below) just before the Boxing Day tsunami, had almost 20,000 respondents from 167 countries.

Australia topped the poll as the destination travellers would most like to visit next, the annual Lonely Planet Travellers' Pulse Survey revealed yesterday.

After Australia, the most-desired destinations to visit in the future were Chile and Brazil with New Zealand and India rounding out the top five.

New Zealand was in the top five of favourite destinations travellers had already visited, with Australia, Italy, Thailand and France.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton welcomed the results of the survey which, he said, was important for the industry.

Travel guides such as Lonely Planet were an important independent source of visitor information that travellers trusted.

"Being in the top group, and New Zealand always jumps around in the top five depending on the survey, is quite important in our view," he said.

"The research work that we do shows that guidebooks are the top of the list for visiting tourists so if we are rated highly there ... we think it's very important."

New Zealand has recently collected other prestigious accolades.

Last week the Irish Travel Trade Awards named New Zealand as the best adventure destination in the world, ahead of Australia, South Africa and the US.

In October, New Zealand was named the top holiday destination for readers of British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, ending a four-year run at the top by Italy.

That award followed New Zealand winning the Guardian and Observer's People's Choice award for best long-haul travel destination for the fourth time.

The Lonely Planet survey revealed New Zealanders most wanted to head to Peru, followed by Vietnam, Italy, Chile and Greece.

Australians and New Zealanders chose their own home countries as the favourite destination they had visited in the past.

The top five
Lonely Planet readers' most desired destinations:

* Australia
* Chile
* Brazil
* New Zealand
* India

- NZPA