Download our new app<\/a> for even more coverage<\/p>\nNew South Wales\u2019 The Tweed came in at fifth place on their list of the Top 25 Destinations and was the only Aussie place on the list, beating other spots in Maldives (six), Italy (12), New Zealand (14) and Spain (15).<\/p>\n
![\"Morning](\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/3c1ff7fc41d23b3b55790ac23e46543d\")
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Japan\u2019s Okinawa region took this year\u2019s top spot, followed by New Mexico, USA in second place and Sibenik, Croatia in third.<\/p>\n
Vietnam\u2019s Da Nang came fourth, narrowly beating The Tweed by just one spot. <\/p>\n
Chris Zeiher, senior director of Global Trade Sales & Marketing Lonely Planet, told news.com.au that The Tweed could sometimes \u201cfly under the radar\u201d despite having so much to offer tourists.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got outdoor adventure, fantastic food, beautiful landscapes, and these wonderfully laid-back towns that almost forces you to slow down,\u201d Mr Zeiher said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat really stood out for us was the variety The Tweed offers. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can be out cycling or hiking in the morning, enjoying some brilliant local food in the afternoon, and then finish the day in one of the regions relaxed little towns.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Tweed is one of those places that gives you plenty to do but also gives you permission to do absolutely nothing.\u201d <\/p>\n
Despite being positioned between two significant tourism hotspots \u2014 Byron Bay and the Gold Coast \u2013 Mr Zeiher said that The Tweed was \u201cmuch more relaxed and chilled\u201d, offering travellers the perfect \u201cswitch off\u201d type of holiday. <\/p>\n
On Lonely Planet\u2019s other list of their 25 Top Travel Experiences, immersing yourself in art at Australia\u2019s Red Centre came in at number 21.<\/p>\n
\u201cLonely Planet has always loved the Red Centre, and I\u2019m personally really excited to see it on our Best in Travel list again,\u201d Mr Zeiher said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis time, we\u2019re encouraging travellers to look at the region through a different lens, through its extraordinary ancient and modern art and storytelling.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can experience Wintjiri Wiru at Yulara, the world\u2019s first permanent drone show which brings the ancient Mala story to life in the night sky, visit Bruce Munro\u2019s newly established Light-Towers at Kings Canyon or, in mid-April, head to Alice Springs for Parrtjima \u2014 the incredible Aboriginal-led Festival of Light. <\/p>\n
\u201cA trip into the Red Centre is so rewarding and so few Aussies do it. Make 2027 the year you change that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna Dakin, Owner of Art Tours Australia, said that the Red Centre being recognised in the list was a \u201creal honour\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cCentral Australia is a moving place to visit,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese landscapes hold profound energies, and art is an excellent way to connect to them, whether that\u2019s spending time making your own art outdoors or digging deep into Aboriginal art and the layered stories and culture held within it.<\/p>\n
\u201cArt is such an important part of this region, it\u2019s a way of connecting visitors with Country, culture, stories, and the incredible creativity of Aboriginal artists. We are at the creative heart of Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Lonely Plant\u2019s Best of Travel list has been running for the past 19 years and is split into \u201cDestinations\u201d and \u201cExperiences\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt reaches hundreds of millions of potential travellers around the world and because the list is independently selected, it can be a pretty powerful endorsement for the destinations that make the cut,\u201d Mr Zeiher said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe split Best in Travel into two lists, Destinations and Experiences, and there\u2019s an important difference between the two.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn experience is really about those moments that make a trip memorable. It\u2019s something you do, rather than simply somewhere you go. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat could be an incredible food experience, a train journey, a hike, a festival, a homestay or a bike trail.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily about getting that perfect Instagram shot. It\u2019s about doing something that feels authentic to that destination and that you really couldn\u2019t replicate anywhere else. They\u2019re the experiences you come home talking about and telling your friends about years later.<\/p>\n
\u201cA destination, on the other hand, is somewhere we think has a really compelling reason to visit right now. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be underrated or overlooked, somewhere that\u2019s emerging in an interesting way, or even a well-known destination where there\u2019s another side that travellers perhaps haven\u2019t discovered yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Zeiher explained that the list is divided by a talented team of travel experts who work together to come up with the final top 50. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt Lonely Planet, the heart of what we do is to recommend destinations and experiences to our readers,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur annual Best in Travel list distils the essence of that. Our network of 450 writers spread around the world, together with our global team of editors, were asked to reflect on recent travel experiences that truly moved them, resonating long after the trip ended. <\/p>\n
\u201cA core panel of Lonely Planet staff debated all entries, to come up with a balanced final list of 50.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn that list is a mix of places and travel experiences, grounded in first-hand insights. And at the core of each is a writer either sharing why a travel experience was life changing for them, or else explaining how they discovered somewhere that feels fresh, or a different side to a well-known destination.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A surprising Australian region has managed to beat the Maldives in a highly competitive global list of 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