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As I explained in the North American version of this thread (Best Cities for Tourists), I usually tend to travel to places with lots of stuff to see. I'm less of a chill and relax tourist and more of a "see the sights person." For the past few years I lived in Europe and, when clueless on locations (Hamburg vs. Dresden? Bruges vs. Ghent? Fes vs. Marrakech?) determined where to visit based on a super simple index I made using the # of reviews from TripAdvisor.
It is basically this: every sight on TripAdvisor has a # of reviews. The more reviews, the more generally popular and iconic the sight is. If it has more reviews it is largely because it receives more tourist traffic.
So when deciding where to go, I've often made a list of a city's Top 10 sights by # of review and then looked at the # of reviews for Site #10. Whichever city has the higher number of reviews for the 10th most popular site offers more tourist bang for the buck, in my opinion. It's just a rule of thumb I go by.
So in this thread, I'll score Global Cities by this TripAdvisor Index I made.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What the Scores Below Mean: 10,000+: Their is no way to ever see 'everything' of note in this city.
5,000-9,999: The city offers an immense array of sights, experiences and itineraries to keep any tourist busy for a considerable amount of time
2,500-4,999: The city houses a large array of sights that would keep a tourist busy for up to one week
1,000-2,499: The city houses a moderate array of sights that would keep tourists busy for a few (3-5) days
500-999: The city offers a small array of sights that would keep a tourist busy for about 1 or 2 days
250-499: The city has a few sights, though the city doesn't necessarily merit much tourism based on those sites
<250: The city offers little of note. Tourists are wasting their time by visiting the city:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll focus first on cities around the world with more than 5 million people. Here are those we already have from the North America thread:
ATLANTA
Score: 1,480
Georgia Aquarium 14,295
World of Coca-Cola 8,394
Atlanta Botanical Garden 2,999
Fox Theatre 2,963
Centennial Olympic Park 2,479
Turner Field 2,431
Zoo Atlanta 2,296
King National Historic Site 2,235
Piedmont Park 1,650
High Museum of Art 1,480
BOSTON
Score: 2,620
Freedom Trail 10,684
Fenway Park 10,324
Boston Public Garden 5,966
Museum of Fine Arts 5,548
North End 4,915
Boston Common 4,264
Faneuil Hall Marketplace 4,178
Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum 3,675
New England Aquarium 3,548
USS Constitution 2,620
CHICAGO
Score: 6,273
Art Institute of Chicago 15,749
Millennium Park 15,379
Cloud Gate 10,670
Willis Tower 10,401
Navy Pier 8,301
Michigan Avenue 7,607
Museum of Science and Industry 6,945
Wrigley Field 6,645
John Hancock Center 6,445
Shedd Aquarium 6,273
DALLAS
Score: 1,175
The Sixth Floor Museum/Texas School Book Depository 5,968
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens 3,572
Dallas World Aquarium 3,180
Perot Museum of Nature and Science 2,269
The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum 2,264
Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark District 1,443
Reunion Tower 1,374
Dallas Museum of Art 1,327
Klyde Warren Park 1,276
Dallas Zoo 1,175
DETROIT + DEARBORN
Score: 446
The Henry Ford 2,931
Comerica Park 1,870
Detroit Institute of Arts 1,780
Greenfield Village 1,656
Motown Museum 1,161
Detroit RiverFront 860
Ford Field 542
Belle Isle Park 537
Greektown 521
Joe Louis Arena 446
HOUSTON
Score: 612
Space Center Houston 5,107
The Galleria 3,139
The Houston Museum of Natural Science 3,106
Houston Zoo 2,552
Minute Maid Park 1,923
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 1,679
Downtown Aquarium 1,520
Children's Museum of Houston 1,181
Water Wall 782
Holocaust Museum Houston 612
LOS ANGELES + SANTA MONICA
Score: 3,322
Universal Studios Hollywood 22,474
Griffith Observatory 11,343
Santa Monica Pier 9,815
The Getty Center 9,537
Star Walk of Fame 9,113
Venice Beach 6,060
Hollywood Sign 4,300
Santa Monica Beach 4,234
Third Street Promenade 4,038
Santa Monica Bay 3,322
MIAMI + MIAMI BEACH
Score: 3,375
South Beach 12,690
Lincoln Road 10,790
Ocean Drive 7,273
Bayside Marketplace 7,198
Dolphin Mall 5,792
Art Deco Historic District 4,713
Miami Beach Boardwalk 4,419
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens 4,370
American Airlines Arena 3,868
Collins Avenue 3,375
NEW YORK
Score: 20,683
Central Park 82,682
Rockefeller Center: Top of the Rock 51,839
National September 11 Memorial and Museum 49,498
Empire State Building 45,707
The High Line 37,380
Metropolitan Museum of Art 37,275
Times Square 26,474
Grand Central Terminal 24,775
Statue of Liberty 23,424
Broadway 20,683
PHILADELPHIA
Score: 1,667
Independence Hall 5,737
Philadelphia Museum of Art 4,762
Eastern State Penitentiary 3,859
The Barnes Foundation 3,419
Liberty Bell Center 2,752
Reading Terminal Market 2,431
The Franklin Institute 1,948
Independence National Historical Park 1,745
Citizens Bank Park 1,714
Independence Visitor Center 1,667
SAN FRANCISCO
Score: 4,189
Alcatraz 34,947
Golden Gate Bridge 31,729
Cable Cars 12,937
Pier 39 11,075
Fisherman's Wharf 10,588
Lombard Street 8,595
Golden Gate Park 6,735
San Francisco Bay 5,585
AT&T Park 5,046
Twin Peaks 4,189
TORONTO
Score: 2,546
CN Tower 14,352
Aquarium of Canada 9,839
Saint Lawrence Market 8,135
Royal Ontario Museum 4,952
Distillery Historic District 4,699
Toronto Island Park 4,422
Casa Loma 4,279
Toronto Zoo 3,264
Art Gallery of Ontario 2,742
Hockey Hall of Fame 2,546
WASHINGTON + ARLINGTON
Score: 6,254
Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool 18,670
National Air and Space Museum 14,755
National Museum of Natural History 7,736
Vietnam Veterans Memorial 7,540
United States Holocaust Museum 7,137
Korean War Veterans Memorial 6,848
Newseum 6,362
National Gallery of Art 6,332
Arlington National Cemetery 6,295
National World War II Memorial and Rainbow Pool 6,254
Next up will be the Big 5 cities of Barcelona, Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Tokyo!
Does this "index" only count reviews in English? Because if so, this might explain why some cities rank higher or lower than expected relative to others...
I think age is a factor as well in the reviews. I've noticed the more elderly you are the more you gravitate away from the hustle and bustle of large cities to areas with far less "attractions", notably natural parks and quiet, charming villages. Not my cup of tea. Definitely count me among those who prefer action packed heavyweights like London and New York! :-)
10-16-2016, 02:28 PM
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First order of focus, exactly Quantify to everyone what a destination zone is according to sightseeing potential of World cities, and then subsequently specify those various attractions around everywhere. Are these methods of improving touristic infrastructure relevant to Castles, Palaces, Iconic Architectural Landmarks Monuments Statues Memorials, Spiritual Religious Relics or Buildings, Archeological Ancient Sites, Neighborhoods, Essential Squares Plazas Parks Of Surrounding Activity, Independent Business Stores Resembling Cafes, Bars, Nightclub Discotheques, Restaurants, Hotels, Gifts, Cultural Institutions (Museums, International or domestic external governing diplomatic organizations), and any other measure realistically applicable.
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