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With its natural beauty, fascinating wildlife, and warm waters – that offer excellent diving locations – Northland has made it on to National Geographic’s 25 best places in the world to travel to in 2025.

The list showcases must-see destinations, a blend of both surprising up-and-coming destinations and timeless locations that have something new and exciting to offer, handpicked by National Geographic’s explorers, photographers and editors.

Other places featured on the list include the Murray River in Australia, Los Angeles, Senegal, Guadalajara in Mexico, Abu Dhabi, Kwazulu-Natal and Cork in Ireland.

National Geographic editor-in-chief Nathan Lump said he likes to think of the Best of the World list as “National Geographic’s annual invitation to get out and explore for yourself the incredible diversity of places and experiences around the world”.

“My hope is that our 2025 list is a reminder that there’s still so much to be excited about, and that through travel, we can connect with joy and hope.”

Acting head of destination at Northland Inc, Amy Simpkin, believed Northland was deserving of being on the list as it was home to some of New Zealand’s most iconic attractions, landscapes, and culture and heritage.

“This international recognition in National Geographic reflects the Northland region’s unique beauty, not just on a domestic, but also international scale.”

Just a few of the incredible attractions which Northland is home to are mentioned on National Geographic’s list, including the iconic Poor Knights marine reserve.

The Poor Knights Island is one of the world's top dive and snorkelling locations.

“In addition, Northland’s coastal landscapes, strong cultural heritage, ancient forests and unique and abundant bird life, particularly including our Kiwi population, make Northland a standout destination,” she said.

“The majority of visitors to Northland are made up of domestic visitors – most of which are from Auckland, given our regional proximity. Our largest international market is Australia, followed by the US, UK and Germany.”

Acting head of destination at Northland Inc, Amy Simpkin, said Northland was deserving of being among the world’s best travel destinations.

Simpkin said popular attractions include the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Poor Knights, Waipoua Forest, Cape Rēinga and the Bay of Islands.

“The region’s tourism sector is made up of hundreds of businesses, many of them small to medium enterprises and sole proprietor operations.”

According to Infometrics, the tourism sector employed an average of 7192 people in the Northland region in 2023, amounting to 8.8% of the region’s total employment in 2023. It contributed $491.7 million towards GDP in Northland Region in 2023. This amounted to 5.1% of Northland’s economic output in 2023 as compared to 2.1% in 2000.

The Waitangi Treaty Grounds is one of Northland's more popular tourist destinations.

She said Northland Inc is actively working across a range of initiatives to enhance the visitor experience.

“Our work is guided by Te Tai Tokerau Northland destination management plan, which outlines how we can evolve as a destination going forward, developing further.

“The international recognition is fantastic for Northland, and by raising Northland’s profile on the international stage we are hopeful of driving further international visitation, which will have flow-on effects into local businesses and the regional economy.”