NEWS: Taupo Awarded Top Backpacking Destination Award

LISTEN: Paul Hickey had a quick chat with Zelia Horrell, Sales and Marketing Manager of Destination Great Lake Taupo

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Great Lake Taupo was last night announced as the ‘Best New Zealand Destination’ in TNT’s annual Golden Backpack Awards that were held at the Menzies Hotel in Sydney, Australia. This is the second year in a row that the region has taken out the top spot in these awards, winning for the first time last year.

Great Lake Taupo beat out several other ‘Best NZ Destination’ finalists, including Rotorua, Queenstown, Bay of Plenty, Waitomo and Bay of Islands.

The Golden Backpack Awards are a dedicated awards programme for the independent travel sector across New Zealand and Australia. They are designed to highlight the best of the best in the adventure tourism and backpacking industry. Once nominations are made the awards are consumer voted, supplemented by secret shopper assessments.

Sales and Marketing Manager of Destination Great Lake Taupo, Zelia Horrell, says the award is a credit to the hard work of the region’s tourism operators and those who strive to preserve our stunning natural attractions on a daily basis.

“This recognition really speaks to the quality and range of product available in the Great Lake Taupo region for both international and domestic visitors,” says Ms Horrell. “To be able to represent our region in receiving this accolade for the second year in a row is a real honour.”

The Great Lake Taupo region is gearing up for a stellar summer season and look forward to welcoming an influx of visitors to this beautiful part of the country.