Why Lonely Planet’s ‘Best City’ list will never get it right

It’s been dubbed as the city to visit in 2022 as the world reopens, but there’s a reason why it won’t be at the top of my list.

Auckland topped the Lonely Planet’s coveted best cities list.

Even at the best of times, Twitter’s comments section is a dicey destination.

So, throw a global pandemic, national lockdown and ‘best city’ title into the mix and one can imagine the calamity.

The title in question wasn’t just ‘best city’ in New Zealand (although that would have been controversial enough). No, according to Lonely Planet’s 2022 list, Auckland was named as the best city in the world.

It is, by definition, a titanic call to make and one more than 580 New Zealanders felt compelled to comment about on the New Zealand Herald’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. Many used language I couldn’t repeat to my mother without fear of having my mouth washed out.

Auckland in New Zealand was named the best city in the world.

As expected, plenty of the sentiment was negative and fell into two distinct categories: poor timing and poor decision.

Many commented on the announcement’s ironic timing, saying Auckland wouldn’t have won if the title was ‘Best city to visit in the last 10 weeks’.

Some made light of the situation. A user called Polly Pott tweeted “Sorry we’re closed,” while another account wrote, “in the meantime, Aucklanders can’t wait to get out of Auckland”.

Others had a less than jovial perspective, highlighting the challenges Auckland city had been through in the last few months.

“Best place to sit in your house and get depression,” wrote a user called Harry.

“Yes, come visit. View our shuttered businesses, closed restaurants, and deeply depressed people. What a place to be!!!” tweeted Hylton White.

A lot of New Zealnders agreed Auckland wasn’t their best city.

Karen McQuinlan tweeted, “Most of the shops and restaurants and bars will have closed down due to having been unable to trade for 5-6 months in the last 18 months. As they say ‘nothing to see here”

Others simply felt like the decision was a joke.

Aimee Anderson wrote: “I live here and can confirm that is in fact a lie”. However, Adam Taylor-Eruera and Daniel Balderrama both replied that they lived in Auckland too and could confirm it was the best.

Mandy wrote “Last time I was in Auckland I couldn’t wait to leave I didn’t/don’t see what the huge deal is about Auckland. The state of it made me appreciate my town more.”

While Edu Castronovo said, “There’s nothing about Auckland. Just another big city”.

Last year, Lonely Planet’s list was quintessential almost to the point of cliche. London won the top spot, followed by New York and Paris. The top 10 included Tokyo, Los Angeles, Rome, Chicago and Berlin.

Auckland does have an amazing ‘wine island’ off the coast of the mainland.

Back in 2020, the winners were slightly more offbeat, with Salsburg winning top city, while Washington, Cairo and Galway trailed behind. The list also included unusual spots like Germany’s Bonn, La Paz in Bolivia and Kochi in India.

The glaring caveat with this list, or any other kind that bestows superlative titles (ultimate, greatest, most luxurious) is that they are destined to be entirely subjective and somewhat limited.

‘Best’ is in the eye of the beholder and even if Lonely Planet created some universal standard to define and measure such a quality, it’s unlikely they could annually visit and rate some 10,000 cities scattered around the planet.

It’s inevitable that many of our best travel destinations, whether it’s the beach town you summered as a kid or the backstreet restaurant you discovered during an OE, will never make it to a list. But perhaps that’s the magic?

Some believe the Lonely Planet guide didn’t get it quite right.

Knowing there will always be places you can only ever stumble upon by the recommendation of a friend or a happy mistake. I think that’s the best way to see these lists. Not as some ranking of places that guarantee satisfaction but an invitation to dream. A cue to imagine a time in the future when we can pack our bags and go, knowing the best moments will always be found where we least expect them.

As for Auckland, the timing may be terrifically ironic and the grounds may be subjective, but I think it’s a win all New Zealanders can celebrate. A sign of hope that one day, we will welcome people back and watch them marvel at the places we get to call home.

This article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and has been republished with permission