Opinion: Rotorua among gems on NY Times list

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Lists of amazing places in the world to visit are guaranteed to get the old feet itching.

They are a reminder - as we go about our day to day lives - of how many incredible places there are out there and what joy there is in travel.

Although overseas trips may seem a pipe dream for many of us, due to finances or personal circumstances, it's still fun to dream. After all, we just might win Lotto.

But we can all tick off one of those incredible places right now, without paying a cent.

Rotorua was this week named at number 45 on the NY Times' list of the 52 Places to Go in 2018 - the only New Zealand destination to feature.

Just another 51 to go then.

A quick count found I have been to 10 of the 52 places on the list, including the top two -New Orleans and Colombia. I loved both places, which bodes well for the rest of the list.

Some of which, I must admit, I had never heard of, something many of the 9 million readers of the NY Times were probably saying about Rotorua.

But they have now. And just as the list has piqued my interest in previously-unknown corners of the world, I wonder how many of them will now be checking out more about Rotorua?

So well done to Destination Rotorua and all those in our tourism and hospitality industries for getting us noticed. Sure, we have the advantage of some pretty spectacular natural wonders but it also takes people to make a place worth visiting.

And now, I am off to the Lotto shop. See you there.