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
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| Times Square, New York City, NY, USA - 35 million visitors |
#2 – National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C., USA
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| National Mall & Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C., USA - 25 million visitors |
#3 – Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA
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| Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA - 16.6 million visitors |
|
#4 – Trafalgar Square, London, England, UK
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| Trafalgar Square, London, England, UK - 15 million visitors |
#5 – Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA, USA
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| Disneyland Park, Anaheim, CA, USA - 14.7 million visitors |
#6 – Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada & New York State, USA
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| Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada & New York State, USA - 14 million visitors |
#7 – Fisherman’s Wharf / Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA, USA
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| Fisherman’s Wharf - Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, CA, USA - 13 million visitors |
#8 – Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan
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| Tokyo Disneyland - DisneySea, Tokyo, Japan - 12.9 million visitors |
#9 – Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France
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| Notre Dame de Paris, Paris, France - 12 million visitors |
#10 – Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France
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| Disneyland Paris, Marne-La-Vallee, France - 10.6 million visitors |
#11 – Great Wall of China, Badaling area, China
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| Great Wall of China, Badaling area, China - 10 million visitors |
#12 – Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina, USA
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| Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee - North Carolina, USA - 9.2 million visitors |
#13 – Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan
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| Universal Studios Japan, Osaka, Japan - 8.5 million visitors |
#14 – Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre, Paris, France
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| Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre , Paris, France - 8 million visitors |
#15 – Musee du Louvre, Paris, France
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| Musee du Louvre, Paris, France - 7.5 million visitors |
#16 – Everland, Kyonggi-Do, South Korea
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| Everland, Kyonggi-Do, South Korea - 7.5 million visitors |
#17 – The Forbidden City/Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China
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| The Forbidden City - Tienanmen Square, Beijing, China - 7 million visitors |
#18 – Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
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| Eiffel Tower, Paris, France - 6.7 million visitors |
#19 – Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL, USA
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| Universal Studios - Islands of Adventure, Orlando, FL, USA - 6 million visitors |
#20 – Sea World Florida, Orlando, FL, USA
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| Sea World Florida, Orlando, FL, USA - 5.7 million visitors |
#21 – Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, England, UK
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| Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, England, UK - 5.7 million visitors |
#22 – Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea
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| Lotte World, Seoul, South Korea - 5.5 million visitors |
#23 – Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Japan
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| Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, Japan - 5.4 million visitors |
#24 – Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong, China
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| Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong, China - 5.2 million visitors |
#25 – Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
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| Centre Pompidou, Paris, France - 5.1 million visitors |
#26 – Tate Modern, London, England, UK
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| Tate Modern, London, England, UK - 4.9 million visitors |
#27 – British Museum, London, England, UK
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| British Museum, London, England, UK - 4.8 million visitors |
#28 – Universal Studios, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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| Universal Studios, Los Angeles, CA, USA - 4.7 million visitors |
#29 – National Gallery, London, England, UK
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| National Gallery, London, England, UK - 4.6 million visitors |
#30 – Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY, USA
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| Metropolitan Museum, New York, NY, USA - 4.5 million visitors |
#31 – Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
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| Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA - 4.4 million visitors |
#32 – Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark - 4.4 million visitors |
#33 – Ocean Park, Hong Kong, China
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| Ocean Park, Hong Kong, China - 4.38 million visitors |
#34 – Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, FL, USA
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| Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, FL, USA - 4.36 million visitors |
#35 – Sea World California, San Diego, CA, USA
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| Sea World California, San Diego, CA, USA - 4.26 million visitors |
#36 – Statue of Liberty, New York, NY, USA
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| 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)
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| Vatican City (Rome, Italy) - 4.2 million visitors |
#38 – Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia
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| Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia - 4 million visitors |
#39 – The Coliseum, Rome, Italy
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| The Colosseum, Rome, Italy - 4 million visitors |
#40 – American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
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| American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA - 4 million visitors |
#41 – Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood (Los Angeles), CA, USA
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| Grauman’s Chinese Theater, Hollywood (Los Angeles), CA, USA - 4 million visitors |
#42 – Empire State Building, New York, NY, USA
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| Empire State Building, New York, NY, USA - 4 million visitors |
#43 – Natural History Museum, London, England, UK
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| Natural History Museum, London, England, UK - 3.7 million visitors |
#44 – The London Eye, London, England, UK
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| The London Eye, London, England, UK - 3.5 million visitors |
#45 – Palace of Versailles, France
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| Palace of Versailles, France - 3.45 million visitors |
#46 – Yosemite National Park, California, USA
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| Yosemite National Park, California, USA - 3.44 million visitors |
#47 – Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
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| Pyramids of Giza, Egypt - 3 million visitors |
#48 – Pompeii, Italy
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| Pompeii, Italy - 2.5 million visitors |
#49 – Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
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| Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia - 2.5 million visitors |
#50 – Taj Mahal, Agra, India
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| 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.
