Australian Cities Among World

19 August 2016

Melbourne is the world’s most liveable city and Sydney is the world’s second friendliest destination according to two notable surveys published this week.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s global liveability survey also ranked Adelaide and Perth in the top ten out of 140 cities around the world.

“The quality of life that we, as a society, enjoy in Melbourne should not be underestimated. It’s a safe, vibrant city with cultural attractions, world-class events and festivals, and countless dining and entertainment options," said Destination Melbourne Chief Executive Laura Cavallo.

“As the factors that underpin our liveability also contribute to the visitor experience, these elements add up to make our city a must-visit destination for people from all around the world.”

Also published this week was US luxury travel publication, Conde Nast Traveler, Readers’ Choice Awards for the ‘2016 friendliest and unfriendliest cities in the world’ which ranked Sydney at number two, beaten only by Charleston in the US.

The Conde Nast Traveler survey asked some 128,000 readers to rate a city's “friendliness” on aspects such as: Did an outgoing local show you the way? Was the city easy to navigate?

One of the magazine’s readers commented: “Aussies are very friendly. Every time we stopped to stare at our map to get our bearings an Aussie would stop and offer to help us.”

“The Conde Nast survey reiterates what I think we already know - that Australians are known the world over for the warm welcome they give our visitors”, said Tourism Australia Managing Director John O’Sullivan.

“It’s something which comes out strongly in the regular consumer research we conduct ourselves in our top inbound markets where Australia is rated very highly for its friendliness, particularly amongst those international visitors who have actually visited the country in person.”