Auckland named world's best city for 2022 by Lonely Planet

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Auckland named world's best city for 2022 by Lonely Planet

By Lorna Thornber
Updated
Auckland has been named the world's best city to visit in 2022 by Lonely Planet.

Auckland has been named the world's best city to visit in 2022 by Lonely Planet.Credit: iStock

It might seem ironic that Auckland has been named the best city in the world to visit at a time when travel to and from the city is banned.

Lonely Planet revealed New Zealand's biggest city sits at number one on its list of the top 10 cities to visit in 2022 as Aucklanders endured their 10th week of lockdown, with morale in the city at perhaps its lowest point yet.

And yet tourism experts say they are not surprised at Auckland's accolade, predicting the city and region will cater well to the new breed of travellers emerging as travel around the globe picks up.

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2022 guide praised Tāmaki Makaurau's' (the Maori name for Auckland) "considerable natural assets" - including its 53 volcanoes, more than 50 islands, three wine regions and numerous beaches - and "blossoming" cultural scene in the months before the Delta outbreak.

The book acknowledged it isn't always love at first sight for visitors, saying Auckland isn't "the most immediately obvious tourist destination.

"If there was ever a metropolis that benefited from a good guidebook or a local to show you around this is it. Wandering aimlessly in the city centre just isn't going to give you a sense of why it regularly lands near or at the top of the world's most liveable cities list. For that you are going to need to hire a car or jump on a ferry."

Lonely Planet senior marketing director Chris Zeiher said it became clear during the judging process that Auckland has been underappreciated.

"It came out quite loudly that Auckland was an underrated gem that people really need to have a good look at again. And that those that go beyond the CBD are really rewarded when they do so."

Zeiher said he believes pent-up demand for travel during the pandemic will push Auckland to the top of many travellers lists when borders reopen; its proximity to scenic outdoor spaces being a key attraction.

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"It has that blend of urban, outdoors, food, wine and adventure that the modern traveller really wants, and also appeals to a diversity of travellers. It's good for couples, it's good for solo travel, it's great for families and grey nomads. It ticks a lot of boxes. I think people are going to be looking at their destination lists and thinking "I've always wanted to go to New Zealand, and I've been denied travel for so long that it's going right to the top". And as a gateway city, Auckland is very well positioned to say "don't just use it as a stopover on the way to the South Island. It's well worth staying and having a great time in and around the city."

Lonely Planet compiles its annual list of the best countries, cities and regions to visit based on input from contributors around the world. From there, a panel of travel experts select the top 10 in each category, looking at why they're great places to visit right now, the unique experiences on offer, environmental sustainability, and that hard to define "wow" factor.

The guide, which was put together before New Zealand's Delta outbreak, listed Auckland's West Coast beaches with their big waves, black sand and waterfall-filled rainforest as a highlight of a visit to the region along with the islands of the Hauraki Gulf (namely "island of wine" Waiheke and bird sanctuary Tiritiri Matangi), Auckland Museum, Auckland Art Gallery and the climbs to the top of its many volcanoes.

In the months preceding the Delta outbreak, the guide said Auckland had become "perhaps the most vibrant city in the world, with restaurants, galleries, theatres, concerts and large sporting events all in full swing".

While the easing of restrictions in major cities overseas with traditionally even more vibrant cultural scenes meant this was never going to last, the guide said Auckland's pandemic-induced focus on homegrown talent had served to boost its self-esteem.

"Kiwi culture is now being recognised and supported in a way that it seldom has been before."

The "brain gain" the city is experiencing as Kiwi expats return from overseas was highlighted as another key asset, along with its Māori and Pacific Island cultures, and upcoming events schedule. Major events on the 2022 calendar include the women's rugby, cricket and FIFA world cups; the Te Matatini, Pasifika and lantern festivals; and gigs by LAB, Lorde, Kings of Leon, London Grammar, Six60, Billie Eilish and Guns N' Roses.

Auckland mayor Phil Goff said he's optimistic the accolade will boost tourism to Auckland, and New Zealand as a whole, when travel restrictions lift.

"This sort of promotion is something money can't buy… Sometimes it takes something like this to bring it home to a lot of fellow Aucklanders and fellow Kiwis that Auckland is a great place to be.

"We hope like hell that with the high level of vaccination we are moving towards, we will be able to open up, firstly to the rest of the country and then to the rest of the world so we can build on the marketing opportunity that Lonely Planet has provided for us. And that's really important because our tourism, travel and hospitality industries have been through hell with the lockdown and closed borders."

While the pandemic has caused numerous businesses in these industries to hibernate or close permanently, Goff said "the basic things that interest people" - such as the scenery, culture, and diversity of eating and drinking establishments - are still there.

"And this is an area people will come back to when demand resumes: entrepreneurial people and people biding their time with not much custom at the moment but a fantastic product. It might be their cuisine, it might be their vineyard, it might be their scenic tours… Another advantage Auckland will have is that it will be one of the highest vaccinated cities in the world - and therefore one of the safest cities in the world - to visit."

Victoria University tourism "futurologist" Ian Yeoman said he wasn't surprised Auckland had been named the best city to visit next year, in large part because New Zealand is considered an aspirational destination for many around the world right now.

"There's a body of opinion that the next decade is going to be the "roaring 20s" because there's so much pent-up demand for travel. A lot of people are talking about aspirational travel and New Zealand has been very much at the forefront of that, so it's no surprise that New Zealand, and its biggest city Auckland, is seen as a favoured destination."

As a small, isolated island nation with a reputation for being clean and green, New Zealand - and by proxy Auckland - are also benefiting from an increased focus on sustainable and regenerative tourism, and growing demand for personalised, immersive experiences, he said.

"Tourists are changing. We're looking for more isolation, for more safety. People are thinking more about RV holidays where they're in control of their own travel and can stay in their own bubbles. So all of those things are putting New Zealand on the map, and Auckland is at the heart of that because it is the gateway. People come to New Zealand for New Zealand beyond Auckland, but have to go through it. You can't do New Zealand without doing Auckland. So I think Auckland represents New Zealand."

Given very few places on Earth have escaped COVID-19, Yeoman is confident visitors will return to Auckland once travel restrictions are lifted. Most people have accepted that many aspects of life, including holidays, will be different as we learn to live with COVID in our communities, and Auckland has much to entice them, he said.

"Prior to this COVID-19 lockdown, more people from New Zealand were doing Auckland because Auckland has economies of scale. It's the place people wanted to go to for the diversity of food, festivals and other major events. Auckland is the closest thing we've got to a metropolitan city... To the rest of the world, Auckland is New Zealand in miniature. Anything you can do in New Zealand, you can do in Auckland on some scale."

Auckland University of Technology tourism professor Simon Milne said he feels New Zealand is generally seen as a country that has handled the pandemic well, which enhances its sense of safety.

"I think in a way you could say we're playing a really clever game here. We do have an outbreak, but so far we're not seeing our health system overwhelmed or high numbers of deaths, which is the kind of negative publicity we don't want…. Our safety as a destination to visit isn't going to be overly impacted by this outbreak as long as we don't let it get out of control."

Auckland has performed well in global liveability indexes in recent years - it was named the most liveable city in the world in the Economic Intelligence Unit's latest list - so Milne said it makes sense it is considered a desirable travel destination too.

"Visitors aren't just here doing activities, they're living here as well. So the fact it is ranked as a liveable city makes it a pleasant place to visit. And I think people see New Zealand as a safe, tolerant society."

While the pandemic has had a devastating impact on many Auckland tourism and hospitality businesses, Milne pointed to the silver lining that has been the renewed focus on sustainable and regenerative tourism.

He has been particularly impressed by work done to improve walking tracks and facilities in regional parks, including the Waitākere and Hunua ranges, but says access needs to be improved. In his view, Auckland needs better public transport between the city and its natural assets, and potentially a pass that encourages visitors to use it.

"Auckland's got the nature, the culture and the vibrancy, but what we haven't done as well is unlock that potential and make it easy for visitors to move through the city. If we do that, we may encourage visitors to stay longer rather than see us simply as a two- or three-day stopover."

Milne also feels Auckland - and broader - New Zealand need to do a better job at walking the talk on sustainability and regeneration.

"We're blessed with a wonderful natural environment that is not degraded to an extent where it is not appealing to the visitor, but I'm not sure we're doing everything we can to sustain that or regenerate it. The pandemic has presented a chance to reevaluate that. I think we've made some important steps, but we're perhaps coming from a relatively low base."

Yeoman said European cities such as Copenhagen and Zurich are streets ahead of Auckland in terms of sustainability, but he too feels the city is moving in the right direction.

Goff said a focus on sustainability should help Auckland to attract the kind of "high value" visitors Tourism Minister Stuart Nash has said he wants to attract to the country when borders reopen.

"We need to make sure we don't kill the goose the laid the golden egg with overcrowding… Part of our reputation as a city needs to be built around being a city that treasures its environment, that is doing a lot to improve the quality of its water, and is replanting its native forests. All those things add to our attractiveness as a destination."

Lonely Planet highlighted Peter Gordon's restaurant and cooking school Homeland in Auckland's Wynyard Quarter as a shining example of new offerings emerging as a result of the "brain gain".

Gordon, who made his name as a master of fusion cuisine in London, said he thinks Auckland changed enormously in his 31 years away.

"I feel we've become more introspective, especially during the various lockdowns, and I'd like to think we've become more kind, realising we're carrying the health of New Zealand on our shoulders.

"There's an impatience of course, but there's also a sense of community like I hadn't witnessed before. I think we've changed for the better and I hope we stay on this path."

Gordon said he loved every minute of his time in London, but hasn't been bored at all since moving to Auckland, despite some of his friends' dire warnings. He and his partner Alistair (Al) Carruthers love being able to swim in the harbour just three minutes' walk from their home in Wynyard Quarter (the steps next to the Park Hyatt are a favourite launch pad) and appreciate the LGBTQ+ friendly culture, maraes scattered across the city, "great eats from budget to high end", and "great shopping from brilliant local brands to the big Internationals".

They're also fans of day trips to the West Coast beaches and northern parts of the region, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concerts at the Town Hall, and the city's strikingly diverse topography with its many islands and volcanoes.

"It's also a hub of Māori and Pasifika culture, and incredibly cosmopolitan and vibrant. It truly is an international city, but unlike any other."

Gordon said the food scene in Auckland is just as good as in any other city he has been to, praising its variety, pricing and concepts.

"From the glamour of Commercial Bay's Ahi and Poni Room, the dumpling magnets of Dominion Road, food hubs like Britomart (with Kingi, Mr Morris and Cafe Hanoi), Federal Street's Depot, and Ponsonby's Blue Breeze Inn and Cocoro to Cazador and their new deli, the Viaduct's Hello Beauty and our local Mexican Besos Latinos for the best margaritas in town. K-Road is a fabulous foodie paradise to suit everyone - favourites including Madame George and Gemmayze Street."

While he feels Auckland shares some traits with Sydney, he hasn't come across another city quite like Tāmaki Makaurau.

"I've heard Rome described as two lovers on Vespas. I'd say Auckland is more like a late teens hipster who has parents who are Māori and European, with an influential and stylish Pasifika uncle and Asian aunt. Excitable, mostly well-behaved, curious and with a great love of food and travel. And of course they'll have a well-tuned artistic edge and can dance well."

A late teens hipster benefiting from a lengthy period of involuntary introspection, perhaps. As the Lonely Planet guide says: "Auckland looks set to enter the post-COVID world with all of its well-established charms still in place, but complemented by some homegrown swagger created under the unique conditions of the country's much-vaunted pandemic response."

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2022

Top 10 Countries

1. Cook Islands

2. Norway

3. Mauritius

4. Belize

5. Slovenia

6. Anguilla

7. Oman

8. Nepal

9. Malawi

10. Egypt

Top 10 Regions

1. Westfjords, Iceland

2. West Virginia, USA

3. Xishuangbanna, China

4. Kent's Heritage Coast, UK

5. Puerto Rico

6. Shikoku, Japan

7. Atacama Desert, Chile

8. The Scenic Rim, Australia

9. Vancouver Island, Canada

10. Burgundy, France

Top 10 Cities

1. Auckland, New Zealand

2. Taipei, Taiwan

3. Freiburg, Germany

4. Atlanta, USA

5. Lagos, Nigeria

6. Nicosia/Lefkosia, Cyprus

7. Dublin, Ireland

8. Merida, Mexico

9. Florence, Italy

10. Gyeongju, South Korea

Stuff.co.nz

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