50 Most Popular Tourist Attractions In The World

Have you ever wondered what tourist attractions and places of interest receive the most visitors worldwide. Well, back in 2007, Forbes Traveler released a ranking of the world’s 50 most visited tourist attractions. This includes both international and domestic tourists. The following list will show you the most popular tourist attractions in the world, based upon the number of visitors. Now obviously those with paid attendance figures will be more precise than those that are free to the public. Some of those listed here are more obvious than others and some may even surprise you.

See how many you’ve heard of or even recognize…..

#1 - Times Square, New York City, NY, USA

Times Square, New York City, NY, USA - 35 million visitors

#2 – National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C., USA

National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C., USA - 25 million visitors

#3 – Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA

Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA - 16.6 million visitors

#4 – Trafalgar Square, London, England, UK

Trafalgar Square, London, England, UK - 15 million visitors

#5 – Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA, USA

Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA, USA - 14.7 million visitors

#6 – Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada & New York State, USA

Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada & New York State, USA - 14 million visitors

#7 – Fisherman’s Wharf / Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA, USA

Fisherman’s Wharf - Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA, USA - 13 million visitors

#8 – Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Disneyland - DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan - 12.9 million visitors

#9 – Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France

Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France - 12 million visitors

#10 – Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France

Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France - 10.6 million visitors

#11 – Great Wall of China, Badaling area, China

Great Wall of China, Badaling area, China - 10 million visitors

#12 – Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina, USA

Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee - North Carolina, USA - 9.2 million visitors

#13 – Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan

Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan - 8.5 million visitors

#14 – Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre, Paris, France

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre , Paris, France - 8 million visitors

#15 – Musee du Louvre, Paris, France

Musee du Louvre, Paris, France - 7.5 million visitors

#16 – Everland, Kyonggi-Do, South Korea

Everland, Kyonggi-Do, South Korea - 7.5 million visitors

#17 – The Forbidden City/Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China

The Forbidden City - Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China - 7 million visitors

#18 – Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France - 6.7 million visitors

#19 – Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL, USA

Universal Studios - Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL, USA - 6 million visitors

#20 – Sea World Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

Sea World Florida, Orlando, FL, USA - 5.7 million visitors

#21 – Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, England, UK

Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, England, UK - 5.7 million visitors

#22 – Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea

Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea - 5.5 million visitors

#23 – Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Japan

Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Japan - 5.4 million visitors

#24 – Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong, China - 5.2 million visitors

#25 – Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

Centre Pompidou, Paris, France - 5.1 million visitors

#26 – Tate Modern, London, England, UK

Tate Modern, London, England, UK - 4.9 million visitors

#27 – British Museum, London, England, UK

British Museum, London, England, UK - 4.8 million visitors

#28 – Universal Studios, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Universal Studios, Los Angeles, CA, USA - 4.7 million visitors

#29 – National Gallery, London, England, UK

National Gallery, London, England, UK - 4.6 million visitors

#30 – Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY, USA

Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY, USA - 4.5 million visitors

#31 – Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA - 4.4 million visitors

#32 – Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark

Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark - 4.4 million visitors

#33 – Ocean Park, Hong Kong, China

Ocean Park, Hong Kong, China - 4.38 million visitors

#34 – Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, FL, USA

Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, FL, USA - 4.36 million visitors

#35 – Sea World California, San Diego, CA, USA

Sea World California, San Diego, CA, USA - 4.26 million visitors

#36 – Statue of Liberty, New York, NY, USA

Statue of Liberty, New York, NY, USA - 4.24 million visitors

#37 – The Vatican (Vatican Square) & the surrounding museums, Vatican City (surrounded by Rome, Italy)

Vatican City (Rome, Italy) - 4.2 million visitors

#38 – Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia

Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia - 4 million visitors

#39 – The Coliseum, Rome, Italy

The Colosseum, Rome, Italy - 4 million visitors

#40 – American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA

American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA - 4 million visitors

#41 – Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood (Los Angeles), CA, USA

Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood (Los Angeles), CA, USA - 4 million visitors

#42 – Empire State Building, New York, NY, USA

Empire State Building, New York, NY, USA - 4 million visitors

#43 – Natural History Museum, London, England, UK

Natural History Museum, London, England, UK - 3.7 million visitors

#44 – The London Eye, London, England, UK

The London Eye, London, England, UK - 3.5 million visitors

#45 – Palace of Versailles, France

Palace of Versailles, France - 3.45 million visitors

#46 – Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Yosemite National Park, California, USA - 3.44 million visitors

#47 – Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt - 3 million visitors

#48 – Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii, Italy - 2.5 million visitors

#49 – Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia - 2.5 million visitors

#50 – Taj Mahal, Agra, India

Taj Mahal, Agra, India - 2.4 million visitors

How many of these have you been to?

Which ones would you eventually like to make a trip to see?

Quite a few of you will more than likely recognize many of the attractions listed above and may even be a little surprised that some other well known tourist spots are not included on this list. Then again, many Westerners may not be aware of places like Everland and Lotte World, but these mega-parks in South Korea are very well known on the other side of the world and get the definitely get the visitors.

Based on the research for visitor rankings, France receives more foreign tourists per year than any other country at 76 million. Then comes Spain with 55 million. The United States places 3rd with 50 million and China follows with 47 million. Italy rounds out the top five with 37 million. The United Kingdom is not far behind that. More information regarding the list and how the list was compiled can be found at Forbes.com.

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