A ppoll of tourists, conducted by a top US travel magazine, revealed that the Australian city was the globe’s top urban destination, as it earned particular plaudits for its “ambience and friendliness”.
Conde Nast Traveler sent out questionnaires to its 387,000 subscribers, asking them to rank their favourite cities, resorts and airlines. Sydney was voted the top city, gaining a rating of 87.7, beating Florence on 86.8, San Francisco (85.9) and then Bangkok (85.8).
Fran Bailey, federal tourism minister for the Australian government, said that she hoped the findings should encourage more tourists to visit Down Under, adding that Sydney’s win was “well deserved”.
She claimed that Sydney’s Harbour, the Opera House and its shopping districts made it “one of the greatest cities in the world”.
“Conde Nast is one of the most recognised travel publications, especially for the American market,” Ms Bailey went on.
“First stop is often Sydney, but then they visit other great cities such as Melbourne and regional areas such as the beautiful Yarra Valley.”
Around 450,000 Americans visit Australia every year, pumping roughly £842 million into the local economy.
Report by The Mole
