Sydney Tops Australia and the Pacific Islands Cities

Sydney has been voted the number one city in the US Condé Nast Traveler 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards in the Australia and Pacific Islands category.

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events, George Souris, said Sydney has again been voted number one city as the best city to visit in Australia and the Pacific Islands. It’s a great accolade in addition to Sydney’s recent ranking as the world's safest and friendliest city, beating London, Paris, New York and Rome,” Mr Souris said.

“Winning this influential award reinforces our Harbour City’s position as a leading international destination and the gateway to Australia.

“Sydney is Australia’s leading tourism and major events city, and recognition at these awards will further raise our profile among potential travellers and help the NSW Government in reaching its target of doubling visitation to NSW by 2020.”

More than 79,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers participated in the survey which ranks the best cities, islands, cruise lines, airlines, hotels and resorts in the world – with voters rating cities according to ambience, friendliness, accommodation, restaurants, culture and shopping.

Sydney was also voted one of the world’s top twenty cities overall (#17) with Melbourne rated number 22.

Sydney hotels also scored well, with six of the top 10 hotels in the Australia and the Pacific Islands region including Park Hyatt Sydney as the top hotel. The top 10 also included Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, Westin Sydney, InterContinental Sydney, Shangri-La Hotel Sydney and Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay.

Condé Nast Traveler readers are mostly based in North America, which is one of NSW’s largest international tourism markets, worth more than $571 million to the NSW economy.

“This award will go a long way in ensuring visitors from North America have Sydney and NSW on their radar when planning their trips to Australia, particularly for events such as the Opening Series of the Major League Baseball in Sydney in March next year between the LA Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, and popular festivals such as Mardi Gras,” Mr Souris said.

CEO of Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s agency for tourism and major events, Sandra Chipchase, said, “Voters recognised Sydney as ‘a cosmopolitan and sun-tanned’ city with diverse attractions, tremendous sightseeing, top-notch music, theatre and dance performances, great shopping and cultural attractions, and world-class food. There’s no doubt Sydney has all this and much more.”