A <i>Lonely Planet </i> survey rated New Zealand one of the top five tourist destinations in the world. Photo / Tourism Wellington
A <i>Lonely Planet </i> survey rated New Zealand one of the top five tourist destinations in the world. Photo / Tourism Wellington
KEY POINTS:
New Zealand has been named one of the top five tourist destinations in an international survey.
The United States was voted the most popular while Australia was runner-up in the Lonely Planet Travellers' Pulse Survey, which asked respondents which country they were most likely to visit next.
TheUnited States collected 1509 of the 17,500 votes from 132 countries, followed by Australia with 1222.
The United Kingdom took out bronze (965 votes) while Italy (836 votes) and New Zealand (648 votes) rounded out the top five.
The move to fifth place represents a big jump for New Zealand, which last year just scraped into the top 10 in ninth place.
Lonely Planet Marketing Analyst Adam Stanford said the United States had become an increasingly popular travel destination because of the exchange rate of the American dollar.
He said the Travellers' Pulse survey - which has been conducted annually since 2004 - was a good tool for identifying new trends and shifts in travel patterns.
For the first time, this year's survey also quizzed respondents about their use of technology while on the road.
The majority of people (82 per cent) said they always or sometimes took a mobile phone with them on their travels.
"Technology is allowing travellers to connect with their destination and its people, giving them a better time on the road," said Stanford.
"If you're in the middle of Peru and can't find a guesthouse you can search the web on your mobile and in no time at all find a room for the night."
The survey also asked respondents which of the countries they had visited they viewed as their favourite.
Australia and Italy were placed first and second respectively for the second year running, while New Zealand claimed sixth place - also for the second year in a row.
Most popular destinations
1. United States
2. Australia
3. United Kingdom
4. Italy
5. New Zealand
6. France
7. Thailand
8. Spain
9. Canada
10. China
Respondents' favourite countries
1. Australia
2. Italy
3. Thailand
4. United States
5. France
6. New Zealand
7. Spain
8. United Kingdom
9. Canada
10. Greece
