Lonely Planet laurels added to Auckland's list

The recognition by Lonely Planet that Auckland and its harbours are the top two international tourism attractions in New Zealand has been welcomed by the Mayor.

Len Brown says the acknowledgement by the international travel guide’s latest New Zealand edition could not be more timely.

“It’s great to see our harbours in particular getting this international focus at a time when our local paper is asking Aucklanders how we can build on the fantastic waterfront environment already in place.

“Aucklanders love their harbours and as we focus on our visitor economy and doubling the number of people travelling here, the timing of this couldn’t be better.”

The Lonely Planet ranking follows Auckland being award top 10 ratings in all three internationally acknowledged liveable cities surveys  – the Economist Intelligence Unit ranks Auckland as the 10th most liveable city in the world, Mercer ranks Auckland 3rd and Monocle magazine 9th. 

It also comes as Auckland works to attract more domestic tourists through Auckland’s first advertising campaign aimed at attracting other New Zealanders in a decade.