The Cook Islands has won the highly acclaimed “Best in Travel” award for 2022 from leading travel brand Lonely Planet, which began publishing the popular Lonely Planet travel guide books nearly a half-century ago.

Lonely Planet’s founder, Tony Wheeler, once described the lagoon of Aitutaki as “the world’s most beautiful lagoon”. Now, the prestigious international award his brand built is recognising the broader Cook Islands as the number-one country to visit in 2022.