The renowned Ghan tourism train in Adelaide. Photo: IC

 
Adelaide, capital city of South Australia, has been recommended as one of the world's top 10 cities to visit in 2014 by Lonely Planet, world's popular travel guide publisher, local media reported Tuesday.

Lonely Planet's Top 10 Cities 2014 includes Paris, Trinidad, Cape Town, Riga, Zrich, Shanghai, Vancouver, Chicago, Adelaide and Auckland.

According to the Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2014 guide, finishing ninth in the company's Best in Travel 2014 book, Adelaide is ranked ninth on the list.

"Having always lived in the shadow of its gregarious eastern-seaboard cousins, the City of Churches has been quietly loosening its pious shackles and embracing its liberal foundations," said Lonely Planet.

"Adelaide is effortlessly chic and like a perfectly cellared red, it's ready to be uncorked and sampled," it added.

And South Australia Premier Jay Weatherill said in an interview with local media that while Adelaide is well-known interstate and overseas for its 'Mad March' festival season, the city has much more to offer.

"We get a bit of criticism from our interstate counterparts and it's nice to actually be ahead of them in a range of ways," he said. "This is a very important one because tourism has been identified as one of the great growth sectors for our economy."

"This is more than just some recognition about how beautiful Adelaide is. This will actually drive visitors coming in to South Australia," he added.