Blue skies in the Bay rate among the world's best

11 August, 2006

DESTINATION NORTHLAND : MEDIA RELEASES 2006

The Bay of Islands has taken second place in a “world's best blue skies report” compiled by a major travel agency in the United Kingdom.

The blue skies of the Bay of Islands were second only to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil , while Australia 's Uluru/Ayer's Rock came third in the report by online travel agency Expedia.co.uk. The Bay of Islands rated ahead of exotic destinations such as the Caribbean , the Maldives , Morocco , Alaska and Fiji and was the only location in New Zealand .

The report is being promoted to travellers as “a comprehensive consumer guide to the world's best blue skies, educating holidaymakers on where is best to get the holiday feeling and bask under bluer skies this summer.”

Twenty of the world's most celebrated sky-scapes were subjected to a series of comparisons, including tests provided by scientists from the UK 's National Physical Laboratory.

According to the report: “ A great holiday is the sum of many parts, but ask any holidaymaker and they will say that blue skies – whether soaking up the sun, in the surf or on the slopes – are essential. But where in the world has the best blue sky? And how do you quantify it? Expedia has spent the last six months working with scientists from the UK 's National Physical Laboratory to do just that, revealing which blue sky can be crowned the world's best.”

Destination Northland general manager Robyn Bolton said the accolade had come as a surprise.

“Although it can be hard to quantify the benefit from this kind of publicity, it's fantastic for the Bay of Islands to be recognised. The 20 destinations that were compared were selected according to votes from travellers, so the Bay of Islands has clearly made a strong impression on people who have visited in the past.

“The entire process – from voting to choose the 20 destinations, to the researcher's visits to each country and her impressions, and then the final report – has been followed online by thousands of travellers on the Expedia website. Expedia is believed to be the biggest online travel agent in the UK , so it's great profile for us.”

Ms Bolton noted that friendliness of the local people, beautiful settings, strong cultures and fascinating histories were also taken into account in the report.

The report is available online at:

http://www.let-yourself-go.co.uk/blueskyexplorer