Sublime New Zealand is still the greatest place on Earth

Telegraph readers are the model of consistency when it comes to choosing your favourite holiday destinations. New Zealand, the Maldives and South Africa once again head a list which is rich in far-flung and exotic destinations. You are clearly adventurous travellers who are prepared to travel far and wide for your holidays. Among a varied top 10 are the distinctive cultures of Japan and Burma, while Africa, represented by a trio of the best safari destinations – Tanzania, Namibia and Botswana – performs strongly. Australia is also highly rated and the Seychelles, soaring from 16th place last time around to seventh this year, is the strongest riser at the top of the table. Another strong performer is Nepal, up 13 places to 12th position just behind Sri Lanka.

Only one European country – Italy – features in your top 20 countries, though Iceland was hard on its heels and Greece and Croatia also performed well, nudging their way into the top 30. The real conundrums are Spain and France. They are destinations visited regularly by very large numbers of Telegraph readers, but they only just make it into the top 50. Your highest ratings, it seems, are reserved for countries which you are more likely to be visiting for the first time and making a big effort to get to.

It seems that cold-climate tourism is becoming more popular. One significant new entry in your top 50 is Greenland with its spectacular Arctic landscapes. And one key destination which doesn’t feature in our table, because it’s technically a continent rather than a country, is Antarctica. If it weren’t for this disqualification, it would have snatched second place from the Maldives. Readers who made the long journey south, via the Magellan Strait to the ice cap itself, clearly loved the experience.

The list of your favourite 50 countries shows some notable changes this year, but the top three remain the same. Nick Trend reveals what makes all these destinations so enticing

A spectacular sunset over Tongaporutu on New Zealand’s North Island