Office of the Mayor
Media Release
20 October 2012

International recognition for Auckland as tourism and sports destination

Recognition for Auckland as the top tourism destination in Australia and the Pacific and one of the world's top seven sports cities has been described as a great Labour Weekend present for Auckland by the Mayor.

Auckland has beaten Sydney, Bora Bora, the Whitsunday Islands and Fiji's Yasawa Group to take out the title for Australasia’s top destination in the 2012 World Travel Awards.

Winners of the Australasian award will now go on to compete in the World Travel Awards 2012 Grand Final in New Delhi on 12 December.

Meanwhile the 2012 International Sports Event Management Awards have announced Auckland as a finalist for the prestigious Sport City Award alongside Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and Melbourne.

"This recognition coming as it does on the weekend we host the the ITU World Triathlon Series Grand Final and a year after the Rugby World Cup is another feather in the cap for Auckland as we work to become a great events and tourism destination," says Len Brown.

“In the year since RWC 2011, we have hosted the Volvo Ocean Race, the ITU Triathlon World Cup, and World Rally Championship 2012. Among the great international events events we can look forward to in the coming year, the V8 Supercars , the World Softball Championships and the World BMX Championships. Future sporting events secured for Auckland include the FIFA U-20s Men’s World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup, and the World Masters’ Games."

"Our Major Events Strategy, managed by council controlled organisation, ATEED, is really starting to pay off. These events mean more visitors for Auckland, more money pumped into our local economy, more visibility for Auckland on the international stage and most importantly more jobs for Aucklanders."

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