Albury NSW is the highest journey vacation spot for the Wotif.com 2023 Aussie City of the Yr Awards

The highest ten greatest cities in Australia to go to for 2023 have been named – and the winner is a humble border city sometimes regarded as a ‘pit cease on the best way’ slightly than the ultimate vacation spot.

Albury in New South Wales topped the listing on the sixth annual Wotif Aussie City of the Yr Awards.

The border city is a typical ‘snoozy go by means of’ for these travelling between Sydney and Melbourne however is being more and more lauded for its pure magnificence and vibrant meals, drink and cultural scene. 

Additionally making the highest ten was Bundaberg in Queensland which got here in second and Tasmania’s New Norfolk incomes third place. 

The outcomes had been decide primarily based on Wotif’s information index that measures a vacation spot’s lodging affordability, high quality and traveller satisfaction. 

Albury is quick turning into referred to as the ‘good mix’ of nation and metropolis residing as it’s close to two of the most important Australian capital cities and a stone’s throw away from among the nation’s most gorgeous wine areas, the Murray River, mountains and ski fields. 

Travellers have additionally been drawn to the regional city’s occurring cultural and culinary experiences together with high-end eating places, museums, Botanic Gardens and whiskey and wine bars. 

Albury’s tourism trade, which as soon as drew in $1billion for the native economic system, took a large hit in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. 

Over the previous two years, the city council has been calling for guests to return by means of a sequence of partnerships, promotions and social media campaigns.

Final 12 months Albury noticed an 47 per cent enhance in home guests in comparison with 2021.

The spike in guests noticed the city herald $681million for the economic system which is an 86 per cent enhance and an enormous nearer step to the income generated in pre-pandemic days.  

AlburyCity Mayor Kylie King stated she was honoured that Albury was chosen because the Wotif Aussie City of the Yr after the tough few years.

‘Albury is each cosmopolitan and laidback, culturally related and naturally plentiful,’ she advised FEMAIL.

‘Guests can get pleasure from a  stunning number of galleries, museums, theatres and festivals. They will expertise our culinary creativity with recent native produce, in vibrant eating places, and specialist whiskey and wine bars.

‘They will immerse themselves in nature on our iconic Murray River and Lake Hume, by means of our huge hill vistas and trails, lovely parks and gardens.’

‘I might prefer to thank all our passionate lodging and tourism operators who’ve labored onerous to make the expertise of visiting the Albury Wodonga area so memorable for travellers, and with out whom this vacation spot expertise recognition would not have been attainable.’

Tens of millions have been invested in services to assist each Albury locals and guests get pleasure from its gorgeous pure panorama from cycle trails, to boardwalks and even floating river docks.

Equally as a humble, Bundaberg in Queensland adopted intently behind in second place on the listing.  

Whereas many know the city for its well-known rum distillery, few could also be conscious the city is a hub for Australia’s greatest recent produce. 

Bundaberg, 4 and a half hours north of Brisbane, produces 25 per cent of the nation’s freshly grown produce and can also be a super base base for exploring the southern finish of the Nice Barrier Reef. 

Third on Wotif’s listing is the quaint city of New Norfolk in Tasmania which is the state’s third oldest settlement and only a brief 37-minute drive inland from Hobart.  

The River Derwent cuts the city in half and attracts in eager kayakers and pure lovers whereas its centre is peppered with eclectic vintage shops and charming interval buildings that decision again to its historic roots. 

In quantity 4 of the highest ten is Port Lincoln in South Australia which is taken into account a foodie’s heaven and Australia’s ‘seafood capital’. 

Ballarat in Victoria’s Central Highlands was fifth on the listing whereas the pleasant New South Wales city of Merimbula earned a spot at quantity six and Toowoomba in Queensland got here in seventh.

Additionally making the highest ten was Dunsborough (WA), Orange (NSW), and Echuca (VIC) coming in at eighth, ninth and tenth respectively. 

It was additionally revealed one in two Aussies are planning three-day getaways in their very own yard this 12 months with 44 per cent basing their resolution for monetary causes amid the rising value of residing leaving little within the common household’s funds for holidays. 

Wotif Managing Director Daniel Finch stated tendencies have persistently proven Aussies are dedicated to choosing home locations for his or her getaways. 

‘Whereas value issues are prime of thoughts for everybody this 12 months, it is clear travellers will not be deterred and as an alternative are prioritising accessible, experience-rich getaways,’ he stated.  

‘We all know 29 per cent of Aussies are open to travelling to new locations this 12 months to maintain prices down, and we hope by spotlighting these deserving locations, all of that are extraordinarily accessible, the awards encourage Aussies to discover and join with regional locations past the everyday tried and examined.’