Brisbane just outranked Paris on this list. Have the rules been rigged in our favour?

From a marketing perspective, Brisbane’s reputation is doing well right now.

Travellers from interstate and overseas – that is, those who aren’t tapped into local politics or housing and infrastructure anxieties – might think the Queensland capital has become one of the greatest destinations in the world, thanks in part to our inclusion on a string of internationally renowned lists.

It started in March 2023 when Time magazine named Brisbane among the 50 most extraordinary destinations to explore on its “World’s Greatest Places” list. While subjective and highly dependent on how many “greatest places” one has visited, it was, nonetheless, a cause for celebration.

Could Brisbane really be one of the world’s most romantic cities?Credit: BEDA

Six months later, international travel guide Frommer’s included Brisbane as a top spot to visit, with travel writer Jeanne Cooper stating: “Brisbane’s reputation as a generic Aussie backwater is over. It belongs to the world now.”

For anyone exhausted by the “big country town” label (which has always felt like a thin disguise for calling us a big bunch of bogans), there was a collective sigh of agreement. We are certainly not a generic Aussie backwater.

Then we got an honorable mention from the New York Times, which named Brisbane one of the 52 places to go in 2024. The publication deemed the city worthy of a visit thanks to the Queen’s Wharf precinct, the Calile Hotel in Fortitude Valley, and restaurants such as Agnes and Vertigo.

For the most part, it all checks out. Brisbane is an exciting, happening place worthy of discovery. Keep the lists coming.

At least that’s what I would have said, before Brisbane was included on a list that made me question whether this is all one big PR conspiracy.

In case you missed it – or didn’t already intrinsically know – Brisbane was recently crowned the sixth most romantic city in the world. Even more romantic than Paris, which placed an embarrassing three spots lower than us.

The news took some time to process. Yes, we’ve got our own Eiffel Tower, but is a glass of red with a significant other on Park Road in Milton (no doubt followed by a pad Thai at Tuk Tuk across the road) really more romantic than a French drop under the real thing? Who is making these assertions?

Romantic points to be scored if you’re booking a night at the Emporium hotel’s poolside cabana suite. Credit: BEDA

Time Out (Australia), a global magazine that is viewed as a respected authority on city guides and rankings, was one of the first to run with the story. Its post was reshared by Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who said he was “loving this” romantic accolade.

Time Out didn’t actually create the list, though. Pour Moi, a British multinational swimwear and lingerie brand, conducted the “research” to uncover the world’s most romantic destinations. And before you suggest this was just a marketing ploy to sell the lacy undies and bikinis, this is a brand hyperfocused on looking sexy and hot, so romantic cities must be their expertise.

Credit where it’s due, Pour Moi didn’t base the list off vibes (or their intimate knowledge of a cab rank in the Valley at 2am on a Saturday). To determine this definitive ranking of romantic cities, they analysed three key data streams from more than 550 cities: the number of times TripAdvisor reviewers described locations as “romantic”; the number of “things to do for couples” listed in each city; and the number of Instagram posts with the hashtag #datenight[city].

They then indexed each data point to create an overall “Romantic Score” out of 100. London topped the list with 79.11 points, followed by New York, which scored 66.65.

Brisbane scored 42.93, with more than 3100 date-night Instagram posts. What we offer, according to the authors, is “a laid-back kind of romance”, with “sunshine and tropical vibes”. Clearly, they’ve been to Streets Beach with a loved one at the peak of summer.

Suggestions for wooing a date include a cruise along the river, a picnic at Kangaroo Point Cliffs, a candlelit dinner at a riverfront restaurant, or, what they say is the most romantic attraction of all, a visit to Brisbane Botanic Gardens.

Unless you accidentally book one of the party boats or end up strolling through a section of the botanic gardens with a less-than-romantic swamp smell, the list isn’t wrong. Maybe Brisbane really is the sixth most romantic city in the whole entire world.

If so, my real gripe is not with a lingerie brand or Time Out magazine, but that these globe-topping lists are blowing too much hot air where Brisbane can’t yet handle it. Let us earn our reputation in due course. We are, after all, the city with a faux Eiffel Tower on Park Road, not Paris.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.