Auckland named Australasia's top tourism destination

Auckland has once again beaten Sydney, Bora Bora, The Whitsunday Islands and Fiji's Yasawa Islands to take out the title for Australasia's top destination in the 2012 World Travel Awards.
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) is delighted that Auckland has received the prestigious accolade, the city's second win in three years in this category.
Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, the World Travel Awards (WTA) acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. The travel elite of Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean were announced at a recent ceremony in Singapore.
ATEED Acting General Manager Destination Jason Hill says the win reflects Auckland's ever-growing strength as a truly international destination.
Hill explained "this is an outstanding result that once again shows Auckland is more than holding its own against some of the world's most popular destinations. We are consistently ranked as one of the best places in the world to visit, live, study and invest, and this latest award is further testament to that."
The awards, described by the Wall Street Journal as the 'Oscars' of the global travel and tourism industry, reveal who are the 'best of the best' in the world. Votes are cast by 183,000 travel professionals, including travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organisations in over 160 countries across the globe.
Winners of the regional ceremony will now go on to compete in the World Travel Awards 2012 Grand Final in New Delhi on 12th December 2012.

http://www.worldtravelawards.com/