A hiking milestone for the Great Walks' has booted a Kiwi city to the top of TIME Magazine's World's Greatest Places.
Queenstown has been singled by the prestigious US magazine as the place to be in 2022.
TIME magazine's annual must-see list has been boosted by a pandemic's worth of pent-up travel demand and Lake Wakatipu was high up on the list of 50 places US travellers can't wait to visit.
Carlin Hotel Queenstown was singled out in Time's pick of accommodation. Photo / Supplied
The resumption of flights to Te Waipounamu via Air NZ and Qantas saw immediate interest from the selection panel.
Top of their reasons for international travellers to return is the town's easy access to Fiordland and the outdoors. Among them DoC's Great Walk Network's 30-year anniversary made it a shoe in. Panellist Yulia Denisyuk said easy access to the Milford, Kepler and Routeburn Great Walks was the reason for Americans to return.
Easy access to the outdoors and three Great Walks was the reason Time is telling visitors to head to Queenstown. Photo / Brooke Marshall, Unsplash
"The system of trails turns 30 this year, leading hikers through the mountain peaks, valleys, and waterfalls of the Fiordland National Park."
For those visitors looking to spend more relaxing time in Queenstown the new Carlin hotel and Marriott Villas were singled out as their pick of new luxury accommodation.
And, should the weather not cooperate for outdoor itineraries, the Kingpin Queenstown leisure complex was the pick for a rainy day by the Lake.
The Milford Track Great Walk was singled out as a must do from Queenstown. Photo / Thomas Bywater
Picked by the magazine's international contributors the theme this year was destinations that had turned a new page during the pandemic. From the Philippines' Boracay Island, which had been closed after years of over tourism to Doha which is trying to harness the energy of the Fifa World Cup to revitalise their travel industry, the list is full of places you may not have been for some time and new reasons to visit them.
"The hospitality industry is reopening and excited to safely welcome them and revitalise local communities," said the magazine of it's Greatest Places list.
