UK magazine names its top countries to travel to

New Zealand has now placed third in Wanderlust's Top Country category, two years in a row. Photo / Supplied

New Zealand has placed third in the Top Country category of UK magazine Wanderlust's Travel Awards.

Namibia came first in the category, followed by Costa Rica and then New Zealand.

The award winners were announced in London overnight.

New Zealand came third in the same category last year.

Tourism New Zealand general manager of Western long haul markets Gregg Anderson said the award would help reinforce the value of a New Zealand holiday in the UK market, where Wanderlust was well read.

"Wanderlust has a circulation of more than 30,000 and our top three finish will stand us in good stead for UK travellers considering where they want to go on their next overseas holiday."

Wanderlust said on its website that it was Namibia's sense of drama and accessibility that won it top spot.

"And that mix of drama and accessibility surely accounts, too, for runners-up Costa Rica and New Zealand - destinations where the natural world pulls out all the stops, but creature comforts are never far away," Wanderlust said.

Other mentions of New Zealand in this year's awards were Air New Zealand, which finished third in the Top Airline category, and the TranzAlpine train journey, which took seventh in the Top Rail Journey category.

In other categories, Myanmar/Burma won Top Emerging Destination, Luang Prabang in Laos was named Top City, and Top Airline went to Singapore Airlines.

The Disservice to Travel award went to Ryanair.

The Wanderlust Travel Awards are held annually and are based on travellers' experiences from December 2009 to November 2010.