New Zealand's recognition as the 'second most peaceful country in the world' guarantees peace of mind. Photo / Jason Dorday, NZ Herald
New Zealand's recognition as the 'second most peaceful country in the world' guarantees peace of mind. Photo / Jason Dorday, NZ Herald
New Zealand has been identified as the top family travel destination with our scenery, safety record and activities rated as being sure to please people of all ages
Family holidays are the stuff of legends.
There's no richer ground for cultivating shared family memories or ongoing family feuds, than gathering up the parents, grandparents and new arrivals and shipping out abroad.
Multi-generational travel offers a simple solution to picking your travel buddies. They're the ones you're born with.
It does, however, make picking suitable destinations more complex.
New Zealand was declared the best place in the world for a family vacation, in a ranking of multi-generational travel destinations.
Aotearoa's mix of scenery, safety and adventure made it a stand-out choice for the whole family, said the UK-based Pettitts travel agency.
"New Zealand raced towards the top spot after coming in the top 10 for safety, and first for the attractiveness of natural assets," the company said.
'Stunning mountain ranges and glaciers' are the ideal backdrop to any family adventure. Photo / Getty Images
The 3G Family index was created to mark potential destinations out of a possible 100, on factors such as sunshine, safety, price, and tourism services.
New Zealand's impressive score of 76.5 was enough to secure the top spot for family travel.
The survey identified the country's "stunning mountain ranges and glaciers" as the ideal backdrop to any family adventure, as well as the "exceptional 15,134km of coastline".
Lastly the survey highlighted the New Zealand's recent recognition as the "second most peaceful country in the world" as a guarantee for peace of mind to any family planning a trip together.
New Zealand's impressive score of 76.5 was enough to secure the top spot for family travel. Photo / Getty Images
Not so hot, was the average amount of Kiwi sunshine and the sightseeing opportunities found across the country.
Inexplicably the hiking tracks of Aotearoa were given a paltry 2 out of 10.
However, this is probably a fair reflection on the sentiment of anyone who has ever tried to haul three generations over the Heaphy Track.
Just behind New Zealand were Spain (75) and Portugal (74.5), with destinations on the Iberian peninsula scoring highly on sunshine and world heritage sites.
Pettitts pointed out that Portugal enjoys "an impressive 151 average sunny days every year and Spain has 170.7".
Not so hot, was the average amount of Kiwi sunshine and the sightseeing opportunities. Photo / Getty Images
Best country for multi-generational travel in Africa: South Africa Best country for multi-generational travel in Europe: Spain Best country for multi-generational travel in South America: Chile Best country for multi-generational travel in Asia: Thailand Best country for multi-generational travel in Oceania: New Zealand Best country for multi-generational travel in North America: Canada
