NEVER mind Sydney and forget the Great Barrier Reef – New York is telling the world to visit Adelaide this year.

It is Australia’s only city to make TheNew York Times list of 52 places to go in 2015.

Sure, there are 23 places ahead of us on the list but there are 28 behind us, then all the rest that never got a mention.

The Big Apple’s prominent newspaper says Adelaide has “an energetic arts scene — anchored this year by festivals like the Adelaide Festival, WOMADelaide, SALA and the biennial Adelaide Film Festival.”

It also talks about a “robust dining scene that encompasses everything from street (Fork on the Road) to posh (Hill of Grace, atop the redeveloped Adelaide Oval).”

“Stellar local ingredients can be found at South Australia’s first organic and sustainable market and so can inspired menus (Sean’s Kitchen), while cool bars (Maybe Mae) and cafes (La Moka) dot a renewed West End precinct,” the New York Times summary says.

“Adding to the city’s vitality are Art After Dark and First Fridays: live music, speakers, exhibitions and screenings during extended hours at Samstag Museum, the design-centric JamFactory, Art Gallery of South Australia and galleries.”

It says the cultured atmosphere extends to lodging, with the opening of Adelaide’s newest art hotel, The Watson, at Walkerville.

Acting Premier John Rau welcomed the ranking at 24 — behind New Orleans and ahead of the Republic of Georgia.

‘It’s great to see Adelaide is really being recognised internationally,” he said.

“We are becoming a vibrant world city.”

Festivals Adelaide executive officer Christie Anthoney said the ranking, which came just weeks before the Adelaide Fringe, would be “incredibly useful for our tourism industry”.

“The secret’s out,” she said.

“The sun is shining on South Australia in a timely way.”

WOMADelaide director Ian Scobie said TheNew York Times listing might be a trigger for people on the east coast of Australia to take notice and visit Adelaide.

The complete list included some famous destinations, including Singapore and Rome, as well as lesser lights, such as Oman and Patagonia.

The travel section editors said they looked for places with compelling reasons to visit and put Milan in first place as “ready to welcome the world”.

“As host of the 2015 World Expo, Milan was an obvious candidate early on in the process — 20 million visitors are expected in the city in the coming year,” they said.

TOP DESTINATIONS

1. Milan

2. Cuba

3. Philadelphia

4. Yellowstone National Park

5. Elqui Valley, Chile

6. Singapore

7. Durban, South Africa

8. Bolivia

9. Faroe Islands

10. Macedonia

24. Adelaide