Lonely Planet Names Australia One of 2016's Top 10 Countries

Leading global travel authority Lonely Planet has chosen Australia as one of the world's Top 10 Countries for next year in LONELY PLANET'S BEST IN TRAVEL 2016, published today.

BEST IN TRAVEL 2016 is Lonely Planet's 11th eagerly-awaited annual collection of the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the upcoming year.

Australia is ranked sixth on the book's list of Top 10 Countries 2016.

“Unless you're from New Zealand or Papua New Guinea, Australia can seem a long way from anywhere,” Lonely Planet says. “Getting here usually involves folding yourself into a plane for 24 hours. But with 2016 shaping up as a defining year for several of Australia's key wilderness areas, it'll be 24 hours well spent. In fact, with the weak Australian dollar, anything you spend here this year will be value for money. Petrol prices are heading south too: perfect timing for your Great Australian Road Trip.”

“Indigenous tourism is booming, with new Aboriginal tour companies such as Ngurrangga Tours in Karratha and Bungoolee Tours in the Kimberley offering authentic cultural experiences,” the book adds. “Contemporary Aboriginal art remains an Australian cultural high-water mark, as evidenced by the fab new Godinymayin Yijard Rivers Arts & Culture Centre in Katherine.”

“Australia also does a roaring trade in UNESCO World Heritage wilderness areas,” Lonely Planet says. What they have in common is a humbling sense of awe at first sight.”

Lonely Planet's Top 10 Countries 2016 are:

1. Botswana
2. Japan
3. USA
4. Palau
5. Latvia
6. Australia
7. Poland
8. Uruguay
9. Greenland
10.  Fiji

Each year, BEST IN TRAVEL's recommendations are drawn from hundreds of ideas submitted by Lonely Planet's staff, authors and extended community of travellers, bloggers and tweeters. Their suggestions are then refined by a panel of in-house travel experts, based on topicality, excitement, value and that special X-factor. Lonely Planet's focus is on the merits of each destination and the unique experiences they offer travellers.

Australia is also featured in 10 other lists published in LONELY PLANET'S BEST IN TRAVEL 2016 today:

Lonely Planet's Top 10 Cities 2016

#7) Fremantle: “Under the baking Western Australian sun, Fremantle is a raffish harbour town with sea-salty soul to burn.” Kotor, Quito, Dublin, George Town, Rotterdam, Mumbai, Manchester, Nashville, and Rome complete Lonely Planet's Top 10 Cities list for next year.

Best Value Destinations

#10) Western Australia: “The Australian dollar is a better deal for overseas visitors than it has been for a few years. This puts the dream-like landscapes of Western Australia, out of reach of some travellers thanks to the mining boom of the last few years, firmly back on the map.”

Most Accessible Destinations

#4) Melbourne: “With its highly accessible public transport system and compact city centre, Melbourne is one of the most accessible cities in the world.”

Best Places to Test Your Survival Skills

#5) Bob Cooper Outback Survival: “Where better to test your survival skills than in the Australian outback. And who better to teach you the bush skills you need to survive than Australia's most legendary survivalist, Bob Cooper.”

The World's Most Extraordinary Sleepovers

#6) Roar & Snore at Taronga Zoo, Sydney: “Nod off in luxury tented camps, complete with beds and wooden floors, with an astounding view of Sydney Opera House, the city and the Sydney Harbour Bridge.”

Best Animal Adventures for Families

#8) Walkabout Wildlife Park, New South Wales: “You can visit this park by day to see native Australian animals roaming free, but we recommend the Wild Night Out where you can camp in the park overnight.”

Super Sleeper Trains

#8) Darwin–Adelaide: “Reaching this big nation's belly by train allows a proper appreciation of its scale, and of the hardships endured by those who went before.”

Best Burger Experiences

#8) Burgers with Bounce and Bite, Darwin: “To try crocodile, emu, kangaroo, barramundi and other meats, Mindil Beach Sunset Market in Darwin is a hard spot to top.”

Most Iconic 20th Century Houses

#10) Rose Seidler House, Sydney: “Seidler's 'house of glass and legs' helped shape the future of Australian architecture.”

Best Places to Meet Mythical Beasts

#10) Bunyip: “Monsters, spirits and mythological creatures are widespread in Aboriginal Australian lore but one that entered the popular imagination Down Under is the bunyip, a terrifying monster with a bellowing cry that was said to inhabit inland swamps and waterholes called billabongs.”

Other BEST IN TRAVEL 2016 highlights include:

• Lonely Planet's Top 10 Regions to visit in 2016: Transylvania, West Iceland, Valle de Viñales, Friuli's wine regions, Waiheke Island, The Auvergne, Hawaii, Bavaria, Costa Verde, and St Helena.
• More than 35 events mapped out month by month in the 2016 Travel Planner.

LONELY PLANET'S BEST IN TRAVEL 2016

206pp, full colour, 180mm x 145mm, paperback, AU$24.99

www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel includes details of a competition in which travellers have the chance to win a trip to the Best in Travel 2016 destination their choice (conditions apply). This year's global sponsor for Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2016 is Turkish Airlines, who have provided the competition prize of flights to a Best in Travel destination.