“The result is a huge achievement for the town’s accommodation sector which is attracting more bookings than its key competitors,” Port Macquarie-Hastings Council tourism and events manager Linda Hall said.

“It demonstrates the quality, variety and value of accommodation options for leisure and business travellers in Port Macquarie.”

The list, released by Wotif.com, is based on more than 250,000 bookings per month by Wotif.com customers in 2011.

Port Macquarie was ranked third in the New South Wales list, behind Sydney and Newcastle, and 16th nationally.

“We were delighted to achieve the third position in the 2010 listing and to retain that in 2011 is an even bigger achievement,” Ms Hall said.

Greater Port Macquarie Tourism entered a new partnership with Wotif.com in 2010 where

visitors can plan their stay on Port Macquarie’s tourism destination website and also book with Wotif.com, a credible, trusted and easy to use booking system.

Wotif.com is Australia’s largest accommodation provider and every month the site attracts 4.5 million visits, with customers making more than 252,000 bookings.