You read that right! Canberra has come third in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018 guide. That’s the highest position any Australian city has ever placed in the 13 years of the lists.
What is this announcement about?
Canberra has trumped Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to be ranked within the top three of Lonely Planet’s Best Cities to Visit in 2018 – ranking higher than any Australian city has ever been ranked before in the respected travel publisher’s annual Top 10 Best in Travel lists.
Which cities came first and second?
Seville in Spain and Detroit in the United States came first and second respectively. You can read more about the 2018 Best in Travel featured destinations here.
Are any other Australian destinations featured in the lists?
There are no other Australian cities in this year’s Lonely Planet Best Cities to Visit in 2018. This fantastic result is a direct reflection of the incredible experiences being delivered by the whole industry in the ACT.
Why Canberra? What sets Canberra apart from other Australian cities?
Why not? We all know that Canberra is a hidden gem that’s been hiding in plain sight. But Canberra is now being recognised on the global stage as an exciting tourist destination. Lonely Planet handpicked Canberra because it is so rich with Australia’s history, culture, world-class food, family fun activities and a vibrant and diverse events calendar — offering something for every kind of traveller.
According to Lonely Planet’s Chris Zeiher, editor of the Canberra chapter in the Best in Travel 2018 book and Director of Sales and Marketing (Asia Pacific), “Criminally overlooked Canberra packs a big punch for such a small city. National treasures are found round almost every corner and exciting new boutique precincts have emerged, bulging with gastronomic highlights and cultural must-dos.”
How does Lonely Planet choose its top destinations for Best in Travel? What’s the process?
Lonely Planet invited authors and staff to nominate destinations and consulted their travel community, asking them to specify why each place would be worth visiting in 2018, based on current travel trends, upcoming events and attractions, and more. Lonely Planet’s editors then carefully selected a shortlist of the most appealing, interesting and diverse destinations. An international panel of Lonely Planet’s experts then selected the final 10 in each category (Cities, Countries and Regions) by giving each shortlisted destination a score for topicality, excitement and “wow-factor”.
What are the criteria for how they are picked? Are these up-and-coming destinations?
These destinations are not a heads-up of where travellers are going but a means to express where travellers should consider visiting in the coming year. The reasons for suggesting a certain destination may vary — it could be that there is something special going on that year, that there’s been recent development and a lot of buzz about the place, or that they think it’s up-and-coming and suggest travellers visit before the crowds do.
While some of the destinations are up-and-coming, others are well travelled but have a timely angle for the year. Lonely Planet endeavours to get a good mix of destinations, appealing to all types of travellers. Some are more intrepid, others are perennial favourites but with something particularly special taking place that year.
Lonely Planet also takes into account the destinations’ offering of activities, adventure, culture, events, family-friendliness and food.
What is Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel book?
Best in Travel 2018 is Lonely Planet’s 13th annual agenda-setting collection of the world’s hottest destinations, experiences and trends for the year ahead. The best-selling inspirational travel yearbook highlights the top 10 cities, countries and regions that Lonely Planet’s experts recommend travellers experience in 2018.
What does this announcement / accolade mean for Canberra?
This announcement is recognition and celebration of the transformation of the city in recent years. Canberra is finally getting the attention it deserves. As Canberrans, we have always been proud of our amazingly unique city and we are thrilled that Lonely Planet has acknowledged this and helped launch us onto the global radar for 2018.
How can VisitCanberra’s industry partners use the accolade to promote the destination and their business?
VisitCanberra welcomes industry partners to celebrate with us and use the accolade to promote and enhance our award-winning destination and their local business. Here’s how you can activate the accolade and help us spread the news.
- Use our key messages
- Canberra has ranked 3rd in Lonely Planet’s top cities to visit in 2018;
- It’s the highest ranking of any Australian city in this category since the inception of the awards;
- Canberra is full of one good thing after another offering diverse experiences close to each other – making it perfect for a short break;
- The ACT Government is investing in Canberra’s future — with this accolade reflecting the ongoing transformation of the city and its quality and diverse tourism offerings.
- Proudly display the Association Badge for tourism partners
Lonely Planet allows VisitCanberra to provide the Association Badge (or logo) to tourism partners within Australia for the purpose of supporting Canberra’s inclusion in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018 title. The Association Badge can be used by industry/tourism partners from the embargo date (25 October 2017) in perpetuity.
To obtain a copy of the Association Badge, please email tourism.media@act.gov.au. Please note there are terms and conditions issued by Lonely Planet, that VisitCanberra is obligated to abide by when issuing the Associate Badge to industry partners.
- Get social
We encourage you to promote the accolade via your social media channels. Please create, share, repost and tag content using the following social handles and hashtags:
Hashtags: #VisitCanberra #WeAreCBR #BestinTravel
Handles: @VisitCanberra (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
What is VisitCanberra doing to promote the news?
VisitCanberra is committed to using this news to cement Canberra’s reputation as a leading domestic and international destination. So, the team at VisitCanberra has developed an integrated consumer-facing marketing and public relations strategy, as well as a strategy targeting our tourism trade partners. Here’s a quick overview of just some of the things VisitCanberra is doing to leverage the news to consumers:
- Extensive media outreach to local, domestic and international media across all mediums;
- A live Sunrise news cross on the day of the announcement;
- A media opportunity with key spokespeople on the day of the announcement;
- Video News Release filmed pre-announcement with key spokespeople, distributed to local, domestic and international media;
- Radio release recorded pre-announcement with key spokespeople, distributed to local, domestic and international media;
- VisitCanberra consumer facing e-newsletter sent to entire database with key messages in relation to the accolade;
- Amplification of the accolade on the VisitCanberra consumer facing website using a tailored hero banner incorporating the Lonely Planet official logo, dedicated blog article and sample itineraries;
- Lonely Planet content partnership;
- Social Media:
- User generated content video created for distribution across VisitCanberra’s social channels post announcement;
- Social listening conducted on day of announcement for opportunities to leverage the good news on other channels;
- The announcement will have its own Lonely Planet Snapchat story, launching in November. People around Canberra will submit their own snaps and showcase Canberra on a global platform;
- A selection of hand-picked influencers with substantial following and engagement were briefed to visit Canberra and promote the accolade and the destination via their social media channels around the time of the announcement.
After the announcement, VisitCanberra will continue to leverage the accolade by continuing its public relations media outreach, social media activation as well as on-going promotion of the accolade across VisitCanberra owned channels.
The accolade will be included in all paid media activity rolled out from November in key domestic markets such as Sydney, Melbourne and regional NSW. See our 2017 – 2018 marketing calendar.
Given the news is of global significance, VisitCanberra is collaborating with Tourism Australia on an ongoing public relations strategy and implementation plan targeting key international markets (China, Singapore, Malaysia, UK and New Zealand).
For more information on how we can work together to use the accolade to promote the destination and its supportive local businesses, please view the marketing update brochure.