Auckland has been named one of the 'Top Destinations on the Rise' in the South Pacific in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards for 2015.

Auckland was ranked third in the list, behind Brisbane and Queenstown, based on the reviews and opinions of visitors to the destination. Each year, TripAdvisor highlights the world's top destinations that have seen the greatest increase in positive feedback and interest from the TripAdvisor community, year-after-year.

Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development General Manager Destination and Marketing Vivien Bridgwater says this sort of recognition adds further weight to the city's marketing efforts to attract domestic and international visitors.

"It's fantastic to see Auckland pick up an accolade which is based on visitors actual experiences of the region and from such a widespread global audience," she says.

"We're coming off a bumper year for tourism, with record numbers of international and domestic visitors to Auckland resulting in a record-breaking contribution of $6.5 billion to the local economy. We're looking forward to seeing this momentum continue for the coming year. More visitors to the region creates more jobs, more money for the economy and helps support the development of better infrastructure to accelerate the transformation of Auckland to the world's most liveable city."

TripAdvisor Chief Marketing Officer Barbara Messing says, "Our well-travelled community has helped us identify the destinations around the world that are gaining in interest and popularity. We hope these destinations inspire those planning their travel for 2016 to book trips to these locales that feature excellent hotels, restaurants and attractions, and also provide a great holiday value."

This latest award for Auckland comes just a few months after Lonely Planet singled out Waiheke Island as one of the world's top regions, and Conde Nast Travelerincluded Waiheke Island on the Best Islands in the World List.

For all of the Travellers' Choice award-winning Destinations on the Rise for 2016, go to   http://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/TravelersChoice-DestinationsontheRise.