A mix of old favourites and new challenging destinations have grabbed the top spots at this year's Wanderlust Magazine Travel Awards 2015, which took place today at a ceremony at the Destinations Travel Show at Olympia, London. The finalists were all voted for by almost 3,000 of the publication's readers, with a total of 208 countries being nominated. 

TV Presenter Julia Bradbury, alongside editor in chief Lyn Hughes, presented the awards to the winners. New Zealand is once again back in first place for the Top Country category this year, with the 'Hobbit effect' no doubt helping the Kiwis regain their crown. New Zealand achieved a satisfaction rating of 97.78% - only just pushing last year's winner Namibia (97.37%) into second place. An exciting new entry in this category was Ethiopia in third spot with 97.27%.

“Although New Zealand is back on top, it is particularly interesting to see Ethiopia voted third - having not even made the top ten last year. With its rare wolves, rock-hewn churches, mighty mountains and elaborate coffee ceremonies, this country is fascinating. I wonder if it could become the new Namibia?” commented Hughes.

In contrast to the easy accessibility of New Zealand, the more challenging Papua New Guinea won the poll for the Top Emerging Destination. Despite its notoriously taxing travel terrain, the country scooped a 100% satisfaction score.  Mongolia and Montenegro tied for 2nd place, followed by Iran and Bolivia.

"Despite being challenging for independent travellers, Papua New Guinea has struck a chord with our readers. It seems that people are increasingly looking for that off the beaten track travel experience and PNG, along with Mongolia and Iran, really do satisfy their thirst for adventure,” continued Hughes.

Closer to home, The Lake District once again headed up the Top UK Destination category, followed byLondon and Cornwall. Unsurprisingly, the top ten is dominated by some of the UK's wildest landscapes, with the likes of the Scottish Highlands at 4, the Peak District at 6 and Snowdonia at number 9.

Firm favourite, Luang Prabang in Laos, is back as Top City with a score of 97.14%, bumping Bagan in Burma back into second place after last year's win. This land of monks, trees, sunsets, sticky rice, boat rides and beaming people has held the top spot a staggering 9 times in the last 10 years. Interestingly, Stockholm grabbed third place, in a category that is very usually dominated by Asian hubs. With Scandinavian food, design and even TV crime dramas never more popular, perhaps the result is no surprise.

Singapore Changi was the Top Worldwide Airport for an incredible 13th consecutive year. From a UK perspective, Newcastle International ranked top for UK Airports for the first time with a satisfaction rating of 86%, taking the crown from last year's winner, Southampton. Newcastle has big plans for the future and is launching direct flights to New York from May this year. Interestingly, Heathrow and Gatwick, which usually rank quite low on the satisfaction scale, have both snuck into the top ten, in 8th and 9th place.

Other category winners were as follows:

Top Tour Operator: Bamboo Travel (99.57%), also last year's winner and the Asian travel specialist's third time topping the polls.

Top Airline: Singapore Airlines (93.22%) back on top after losing out to Air New Zealand last year.

Top Guidebook Series: Cicerone (81.26%) – 2nd time winners.

Top TV or Radio Programme: Sacred Rivers with Simon Reeve.

Top Equipment Brand: Rab (90.96%)

Full results of the Travel Awards will appear online at www.wanderlusttravelawards.co.uk and will then feature in the April edition of Wanderlust on sale on the 19 March 2015, priced £3.99.

-ENDS-

For further information or to set up interviews with Lyn Hughes, editor-in-chief, or Phoebe Smith, editor, please contact Fiona Reece or Emma Kent at Fiona Reece PR on 01242 806 804 / 07702 684 682 / 07725 167665 or email fiona@fionareece.com / emma@fionareece.com

EDITOR'S NOTES

• About Wanderlust magazine

Wanderlust was launched by Paul Morrison and Lyn Hughes in 1993. The couple were bored on a long flight to South America and decided to sketch out their dream travel magazine on the back of a sick bag. They soon decided that they could do it themselves and there was no other name for it than Wanderlust. Over the last seventeen years the magazine has established itself as the bible for independently minded travellers. Go to www.wanderlust.co.uk to find out more about the magazine and how you can vote for your favourites in travel for 2015.

About the Wanderlust Readers' Travel Awards

The awards are based on readers' travels from December 2013 to November 2014. Results are based on an average satisfaction score (converted to a percentage) rather than the number of votes cast. An entry required a minimum number of votes to be considered. In categories where no percentage is shown, results are based on number of votes cast.

Full results at www.wanderlusttravelawards.co.uk

Full Results for 2015 Awards: