Stuff: New Zealand named ‘the land with it all’ in World Travel Awards

New Zealand has been named the leading destination and Air New Zealand the top airline in the Oceania section of the World Travel Awards (WTA), among the travel industry’s most prestigious accolades.

New Zealand reclaimed the title of Oceania’s leading destination from Australia, which won the award last year after New Zealand had held onto it for four years running.

In a statement on the awards, first held in 1993 and announced overnight in Manila, the WTA said New Zealand had “confirmed its reputation as the land with it all”.

Other nominees in the destination category were Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga.

Meanwhile, Air New Zealand retained its title as the leading airline in the region for the 16th year in a row. The national carrier has been named the top airline in Oceania since 2019 and in Australasia, the previous category title, since 2009.

Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said it was an honour to receive the recognition, attributing it to a team “who go above and beyond every day to deliver on our purpose of connecting Kiwis with each other and Aotearoa with the world.

New Zealand reclaimed its title as leading destination in Oceania from Australia.

“Over the past year, we’ve been working hard to further improve the customer experience to make every journey as seamless as possible.

“Our new ‘Seats to Suit’ offering provides greater choice and flexibility for short-haul travel, while the improvements to our customer contact centre, including the launch of ‘Live Chat’, have made it easier than ever to connect with our team.

“Additionally, the introduction of innovations such as baggage tracking in the Air NZ app allows our customers to monitor their luggage in real-time. These updates, among many others, demonstrate our commitment to creating an exceptional flying experience for our customers.”

New Zealand lost its title as the leading adventure tourism destination in the region to Fiji and didn’t win any of the airport awards (Sydney Airport was said to be the best in Oceania), but also put in a strong performance the hospitality categories.

Omana Luxury Villa on Auckland’s Waiheke Island was named Oceania’s leading boutique hotel, and SKYCITY Auckland won the award for the best casino resort in the region.

The Intercontinental Wellington, which Stuff reviewer Kylie Klein Nixon described as an affordable capital indulgence, was named the best conference hotel, and was also said to offer the best executive club lounge.

The Residence at The George Christchurch was judged to be Oceania’s leading luxury hotel villa, and Bay of Islands private luxury retreat Eagles Nest, where guests’ are treated to a two-course dinner whipped up by a private chef, was named the leading villa resort.

The Cordis in Auckland was said to be the best hotel in New Zealand, while The George and InterContinental Wellington won the boutique and business hotel categories respectively.

Millbrook in Arrowtown was named New Zealand’s leading resort, and Hulbert House in Queenstown Aotearoa’s top lodge.