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Montréal,Québec - Leading travel publisher Lonely Planet has named Montréal among the Top 10 cities to visit in 2013. Montréal, ranked 8th, is one of only two North American cities and the only destination in Canada to be included on this prestigious annual list.

Drawing on the knowledge, passion and miles traveled by Lonely Planet’s staff, authors and online community, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2013 presents a year’s worth of travel inspiration to take travelers out of the ordinary and into some unforgettable experiences. These destinations are not an indication of where travellers are going, but rather Lonely Planet’s pick of where they think travellers should go.

"This is outstanding news! We’ve worked diligently with many partners to position our city as a vibrant, creative and exciting destination for all kinds of tourists and as this recognition shows, it is paying off. I am confident that this list will help keep Montréal top-of-mind for more travellers when it comes to choosing a destination in 2013," underlines the Honourable Charles Lapointe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tourisme Montréal.

Lonely Planet authors and select members of their online travel community nominate destinations, specifying why each place would be worth visiting in 2013 in line with criteria such as topicality and value for money. The regional publishing teams then choose a shortlist of destinations from which a panel of in-house experts determine the final ten.

"We chose Montréal for Best in Travel 2013 due to its mélange of cultures, socially-responsible businesses, great food and unique style," says Jennye Garibaldi, Lonely Planet’s Commissioning Editor for Canada.

"And with the launch of the new Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, the unveiling of the Grévin Wax Museum and the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Place des Arts, Montreal’s social calendar is overflowing in 2013."

Lonely Planet’s Top 10 cities in 2013:

1- San Francisco, United States
2- Amsterdam, The Netherlands
3- Hyderabad, India
4- Derry / Londonderry, Northern Ireland
5- Beijing, China
6- Christchurch, New Zealand
7- Hobart, Australia
8- Montréal, Canada
9- Addis Abada, Ethiopia
10- Puerto Iguazù, Argentina

Travellers to Montréal can look forward to another year of creativity with the city’s festivals, food, fashion and more! As the North American capital of festivals and events, The Snow Village Canada, now in its second year, will feature a New York theme in 2013. The frozen spectacle includes an ice hotel, spa as well as a five-star restaurant and bar.

If you visit in January, you can also take in Igloofest, a winter outdoor electronic dance celebration drawing up to 10,000 people a night over 3 weekends! In addition, May and June will see the 20th anniversary of the Festival Mondial de la Bière featuring more than 630 beers from around the world as well as the annual 3-day Montréal Bike Fest, the biggest festival of its kind in the world.

Tourisme Montréal is the organization that assumes leadership of the collective effort to promote and position Montréal as a premier destination for business and leisure travel as well as to create business opportunities for its members and partners and to steer Montréal tourism product development according to continually evolving markets.

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Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel publisher. Started in 1973, LP enables curious travelers to experience the world and get to the heart of a place via guidebooks to every destination on the planet, an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products and a dedicated traveler community.

For information on planning your trip, visit the Tourisme Montréal website: www.tourisme-montreal.org

For more information about Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2013, visit www.lonelyplanet.com/themes/best-in-travel-2013/top-10-cities/