Santa Fe Again Ranked Fifth Most Popular North American Travel City

 in Travel + Leisure Magazine’s 2010 “World’s Best Awards” Reader’s PollFor the ninth year in a row, Santa Fe has made Travel + Leisure (T+L) magazine’s “World’s Best Awards” list of top 10 favorite United States and Canadian travel destinations. For 2010 Santa Fe is ranked as the fifth most popular travel city in North America by the magazine’s travel-savvy readers. In 2008 and 2009 Santa Fe was also in the poll’s fifth spot while in 2007 Santa Fe ranked fourth. Clearly, Santa Fe remains an enduring favorite with the publication’s large group of sophisticated and passionate travelers.

“In polls over the years Santa Fe has been consistently rated as a travel destination on a par with New York, San Francisco, Chicago, New Orleans, and Vancouver among others,” said Keith Toler, Executive Director of the Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Visitors are seeking something genuine and original in their travels and Santa Fe’s history, culture, people, and attractions provide that authenticity. In addition, the city delivers a high degree of customer service which keeps travelers returning to Santa Fe,” he said.

Of Santa Fe, T+L says: “The heady aroma of burning piñon logs permeates the air every night in Santa Fe, where the altitude–nearly 7,000 feet–ensures that even summer evenings are crisp enough for locals to light up their kiva fireplaces. The scent is a constant presence in this ever-changing city, where thick-walled adobe buildings nearly 400 years old stand cheek-by-jowl with avant-garde art galleries and edgy modern restaurants. It’s a reminder that, despite its vibrant population of skiers and hikers, painters and photographers, alternative healers, hippies, and gays, this city is strongly connected to its Spanish-Native American heritage–and to the pristine landscape that surrounds it.”

T+L subscribers were provided questionnaires online, in the January, February and March, 2010 issues, and by email. The responses were tabulated to reach the final results in this, the magazine’s fifteenth annual poll. Cities were rated on 6 criteria: sights, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people, shopping, and value. Scores were compiled using a 1 to 5 rating of each category. A minimum number of responses was required for a candidate to be eligible for inclusion in the awards listings. Results were announced online and appear in the magazine’s August, 2010 issue.

For 2010 the top 10 U.S. and Canadian cities, in Travel & Leisure magazine’s World’s Best Awards are:

1. New York; 2. San Francisco; 3. Charleston, SC; 4. Chicago; 5. SANTA FE; 6 Vancouver; 7. New Orleans; 8. Quebec City ; 9. Victoria, British Columbia; 10. Washington D.C.

New York was given an overall score of 87.68. Santa Fe received an overall score of 86.04, up from last year’s rating of 82.53.

Complete results and methodology can be found online at: www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/methodology.