Wellington Named Sensory City of the World

Move over Delhi and Beijing – Wellington is the world’s newest Super City.

Lonely Planet has named our capital the ‘Sensory City of the World’; a title for the new age of tangible experiences that this decade has ushered in.

It is the first time that New Zealand has featured alongside the Nuclear and Economic powers India and China, having narrowly missed out on the title of Greenest nation to Switzerland in the publication’s 2036 Best in Travel List.

Four years on, Lonely Planet recognises Wellington as the leader in physical/digital interaction; an area which has risen as a main concern for the world after the digital saturation of the 30s. There has been a public outcry around the globe for products and interactions that return to the tangible aspects of the 20^th Century and forego the virtual invisibility that digital experiences beget, and Wellington has catered to this want.

Positively Wellington Tourism chief executive Olivia Wells says the title is an honour.

"Lonely Planet has been the authority on Super Cities for several years, so we regard this accolade as the greatest praise for Wellington. The City Council has worked hard to ensure that our capital remains in touch with its cultural and social roots. ”

Wellington, renowned for its coffee culture and film industry, has enhanced its assets by furthering the sensory experiences that come with every day activities. The city’s vehement weather is now celebrated as the purest of tangible interactions, with designs for clothing and social activities centered on harnessing and connecting with the wild wind and rain. Drinking coffee is no longer just a pick-me-up or a social tool, it is a connection between the local growers and roasting houses and the public; its palpable nature enhanced by the weightlessness and translucency of the cups that hold it.

Wellington Mayor Liam Boulden is confident that the capital’s new sensory direction is here to stay.

“As [former Mayor] Celia Wade-Brown once said, “You don't have to choose arts or sports, or between culture or wilderness, because it's all there.” Wellingtonians now experience the city at both a digital and physical depth. Lonely Planet’s ‘Sensory City of the World’ is a generous title, but one that I feel Wellington has earned.”

Lonely Planet will celebrate its 70^th anniversary in 2042, having sold a landmark billion copies of its publications across all media. The 2040 edition of Best in Travel is available now through the Lonely Planet homesite, http://wwww.lonelyplanet.hs.com