According to Statista data, the number of international tourists who traveled around the world last year reached almost 1 billion. Of course, this is not much compared to the more than 1.4 billion before the pandemic, but tourism is gradually recovering, which is great. Nowadays, if you have the money and the will, you can literally go anywhere in the world, the only problem is choosing a place.
This is where various services such as TripAdvisor, Booking or Google Maps come to the rescue with their reviews and rankings. On these services, almost every tourist destination has its own rating. Some of the world-famous attractions in these ratings are well-deserving of their fame, while others, on the contrary, seem a bit overrated. At least according to this study.
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One of the main tourist attractions in Los Angeles, this walkway is embedded with more than 2,500 bronze stars honoring movie and music legends, show business celebrities and iconic figures. Just approaching the first star is enough to keep you glued to the spot for hours. Even if you’re not into music or movies at all…
A masterpiece of Indian architecture, the tomb of a Mughal ruler’s wife who died during childbirth. The grieving husband ordered a lavish mausoleum built for his wife and was buried next to her a few years later. Today, the Taj Mahal attracts millions of tourists and pilgrims from different countries and is one of the most well-known pieces of architecture in the modern world.
Disney’s second theme park, located near Orlando, Florida, opened in 1971 after Walt Disney’s death, but was planned and built according to his orders and ideas. The park’s world-famous symbol is Cinderella Palace. Throughout most of the 21st century, it was traditionally the most visited theme park in the world.
Stasher is a UK-based luggage storage network that has been annually ranking the world’s most popular tourist destinations since 2019 based on a variety of factors. These include reviews from major travel services and aggregators, Google reviews, distance to the nearest international airport, quality of local accommodation, tourist safety, and more. The widespread influence of TikTok is also taken into account, with TikTok engagement also factored in. Overall, it’s a fairly complicated calculation, with some very interesting results.
South Korea’s largest entertainment complex, located on the outskirts of Seoul, features a variety of attractions as well as a zoo and a water park. The resort is owned by Samsung Everland, part of the Samsung Group.
Located in Tarragona near Barcelona, this is one of the largest theme parks in Europe. An interesting feature of this park is that it is divided into six thematic zones, each representing one of the historical civilizations and recreating the characteristics of that culture.
Beijing’s Forbidden City was once the imperial palace of China and is today the largest palace complex in the world. Located in the heart of Beijing, it was China’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
We won’t delve into the top of the most highly rated places on the planet here, just say that the Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest (7.34 out of 10) tops the top three, beating Disneyland in Paris and the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. But there’s one more thing that’s even more interesting: it turns out that places traditionally considered iconic among tourists, at the same time, have very low ratings among the general public. So is Stasher a real myth-breaker?
Opened in 1940, it is the most visited national park in the United States. The park is home to the Appalachian Trail, the longest continuous hiking trail in the world. However, the park’s location in an industrial area has raised serious concerns among environmentalists for many years.
Opened in 1977, Ocean Park went through a major crisis in the early 2000s and was on the verge of closing. However, the board of directors managed to attract new investors and develop detailed development plans, and a decade later it was ranked among the top 10 theme parks in the world for annual attendance.
A true jewel of Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour has played a vital role in the city’s development as a major shopping centre. Today, the harbour is renowned for its beautiful views from almost anywhere along the shoreline and is a major tourist attraction in Hong Kong.
“In fact, these studies are not scientific research, but rather aimed at entertaining the public and drawing attention to their authors,” said Valery Borghan, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian news agency Intent, contacted by Bored Panda for comment. “And while such reviews are always interesting to read, they are not a guide to action. To be considered serious, a study must at least be transparent and include a scientifically based calculation methodology. After all, the authors here are working based on such a rather subjective concept as public approval.”
Opened in 1959, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is known for its many roller coasters and, more importantly, for its several special attractions for children under the age of 9. The park grounds are divided into several themed zones, each with its own unique characteristics.
Located in South Korea’s capital city, Lotte World opened in 1989 and six years later was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest indoor amusement park. It also houses a museum, several cinemas and the country’s largest ice skating rink. What’s more, under Lotte World’s roof is a ‘Magic Theatre’ where you can watch magicians perform.
Inari Shrine is a temple worshipped as the god of fertility, rice, foxes and success in Shinto, the traditional Japanese religion. The oldest structure dates back to 711, and in the 16th century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a famous Japanese military and statesman, ordered the construction of a beautiful two-storey gate at the entrance to the shrine.
“In other words, if a person comes to a national park with their family for a weekend and on the way there they get into a fight with someone at a gas station or get a headache, this will likely affect the quality of their review. At the very least, it will likely completely change their impression of the time they spent in the park. This also needs to be taken into account. And look at the three lowest rated places on this list. Is the Taj Mahal no longer an architectural masterpiece? If you’re in Los Angeles, don’t you want to visit the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Of course not. So this is a very interesting evaluation for me, it seems educational, but nothing more,” Valerie summarizes.
One of San Francisco’s top tourist attractions, it’s home to the Municipal Oceanarium, numerous restaurants and entertainment options, a traditional sea lion rookery nearby, and is also the location of many of the city’s holiday events, including a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display.
Located in Istanbul’s Old City, the Grand Bazaar is one of the largest covered markets in the world. Its 66 streets house more than 400 different shops, attracting nearly 500,000 shoppers and tourists every day. And thanks to the unparalleled skills of local merchants, tourists also become shoppers…
It is the world’s largest architectural monument and the only structure made by human hands that can be seen with the naked eye from Earth’s orbit in good visibility. It is one of the main symbols of China and continues to fascinate all tourists heading to the country.
Either way, it’s always interesting to see which iconic landmarks from around the world are included in similar lists of lowest-rated sites. Even if you haven’t been to any of those lists, if you have, you have the opportunity to compare your impressions with the presented ratings. For example, I’ve been to two of the 15 places on this list and still liked them. What about you? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments section below, but make sure you scroll all the way to the end.
