A premier international travel magazine has named the South Island's tourist capital in its annual World's Best Awards, making it the sole New Zealand city to make the cut.

As part of this year's awards, Travel + Leisure readers chose Queenstown as the fourth best city in Oceania - despite the alpine town not even being classed as a city in NZ.

The ranking, which is reviewed annually and based on reader surveys, puts Queenstown ahead of Adelaide but behind Melbourne (first), Hobart (second) and Sydney (third).

Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards are highly trusted in the travel industry, given the magazine's extensive global reach and rich expertise of its readers.

Authors of the Oceania category said Queenstown outshone both Auckland and Christchurch for its picturesque landscape and abundance of activities.

One reader praised Queenstown for being "active and outdoor-oriented", while another said the resort town is "the most beautiful location I've ever laid my eyes on".

The magazine cited its access to hiking trails, adventure sports and Lake Wakatipu as examples of what makes Queenstown so special, although it noted the views alone "are reason enough to visit".

Air NZ also received an accolade in Travel + Leisure's round-up of the world's best airlines.

Readers put NZ's national carrier at 7th on the list with a reader score of 85.3 out of 100.

It came ahead of Fiji Airways, which was ranked as Oceania's best airline at the 2024 Skytrax Awards, but could not topple the more established premium airlines like Singapore Airlines (first) and Emirates (third).

New Zealand may have found success in this year's Worlds Best Awards, but some of its entries actually slipped in place from where they were last year.

In 2024, Travel + Leisure ranked Queenstown as the third-best city in Oceania, behind Sydney and Melbourne.

But it wasn't the only NZ city to be recognised with Auckland coming in fourth place, beating Hobart in fifth.

Yet Auckland met its demise on this year's list of Oceania's best cities, entirely dropping off the rankings.

Going global, the 10 cities ranked the world's best can all be found in two regions: Asia and Latin America.

Mexico's San Miguel de Allende was voted the world's best city for the second year in a row by Travel + Leisure readers, who praised the city's "distinctive cultural milieu and affordability".

Chiang Mai in northern Thailand came in second, with Tokyo following closely behind.

Travel + Leisure's World's Best Cities:

1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

2. Chiang Mai, Thailand

3. Tokyo, Japan

4. Bangkok, Thailand

5. Jaipur, India

6. Hoi An, Vietnam

7. Mexico City, Mexico

8. Kyoto, Japan

9. Ubud (Bali), Indonesia

10. Cuzco, Peru

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A premier international travel magazine has named the South Island's tourist capital in its annual World's Best Awards, making it the sole New Zealand city to make the cut. 
As part of this year's awards, Travel + Leisure readers chose Queenstown as the fourth best city in Oceania - despite the alpine town not even being classed as a city in NZ. 
The ranking, which is reviewed annually and based on reader surveys, puts Queenstown ahead of Adelaide but behind Melbourne (first), Hobart (second) and Sydney (third). 
Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards are highly trusted in the travel industry, given the magazine's extensive global reach and rich expertise of its readers. 
Authors of the Oceania category said Queenstown outshone both Auckland and Christchurch for its picturesque landscape and abundance of activities. 
One reader praised Queenstown for being "active and outdoor-oriented", while another said the resort town is "the most beautiful location I've ever laid my eyes on". 
The magazine cited its access to hiking trails, adventure sports and Lake Wakatipu as examples of what makes Queenstown so special, although it noted the views alone "are reason enough to visit". 
Air NZ also received an accolade in Travel + Leisure's round-up of the world's best airlines. 
Readers put NZ's national carrier at 7th on the list with a reader score of 85.3 out of 100. 
It came ahead of Fiji Airways, which was ranked as Oceania's best airline at the 2024 Skytrax Awards, but could not topple the more established premium airlines like Singapore Airlines (first) and Emirates (third). 
New Zealand may have found success in this year's Worlds Best Awards, but some of its entries actually slipped in place from where they were last year. 
In 2024, Travel + Leisure ranked Queenstown as the third-best city in Oceania, behind Sydney and Melbourne. 
But it wasn't the only NZ city to be recognised with Auckland coming in fourth place, beating Hobart in fifth. 
Yet Auckland met its demise on this year's list of Oceania's best cities, entirely dropping off the rankings. 
Going global, the 10 cities ranked the world's best can all be found in two regions: Asia and Latin America. 
Mexico's San Miguel de Allende was voted the world's best city for the second year in a row by Travel + Leisure readers, who praised the city's "distinctive cultural milieu and affordability". 
Chiang Mai in northern Thailand came in second, with Tokyo following closely behind. 
Travel + Leisure's World's Best Cities: 
1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 
2. Chiang Mai, Thailand 
3. Tokyo, Japan 
4. Bangkok, Thailand 
5. Jaipur, India 
6. Hoi An, Vietnam 
7. Mexico City, Mexico 
8. Kyoto, Japan 
9. Ubud (Bali), Indonesia 
10. Cuzco, Peru 
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

TTS Test 1

A premier international travel magazine has named the South Island's tourist capital in its annual World's Best Awards, making it the sole New Zealand city to make the cut. 
As part of this year's awards, Travel + Leisure readers chose Queenstown as the...