The world’s worst tourist attractions have been revealed with the worst five all in Europe and the attraction with the worst reviews is a popular destination in the UK
The world’s worst five tourist attractions are in Europe, according to a new study.
Travellers have ranked the world’s most disappointing tourist attractions, and the top five are all in Europe, with reviews suggesting they are underwhelming and too crowded. Luggage storage company, Radical Storage, analysed 95,352 visitor reviews across 200 of the most visited landmarks to reveal the world’s most disappointing tourist attractions, with the world’s most disappointing being in the UK.
The UK’s biggest theme park, Alton Towers, was at the top of the list. Research found that almost half of the reviews (49.4 per cent) for the Staffordshire-based theme park featured words indicating a negative experience, with the average rate of negative reviews in the study sitting at 10.9 per cent.
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The attraction had the highest percentage of reviews that complained about value for money, including misleading ticket information and expectations to pay for overpriced add-ons such as expensive food and drink or access to different areas of the park. Some comments also suggest that the customer service can be disappointing.
Away from the UK, in Budapest, the Széchenyi Baths and Pool — the largest medicinal bath in Europe which has been a wellness tourism destination since 1913 — ranked third worst in the crowds and accessibility category.
In Spain, Siam Park, which is Europe’s biggest water park, was ranked by reviewers as having rude staff and accessibility issues. Some visitors commented that they felt shamed due to their weight, and mentioned that the park was not disability-friendly. In total, a third of the reviews had something negative to say about their experience.
Planned and built by the magazine Time Out in 2014, Time Out Market in Lisboa has the greatest percentage of reviews mentioning crowds or access issues. In addition, over a quarter of reviewers have left underwhelmed or disappointed.
Over in Italy, the Trevi Fountain has also experienced bad reviews, with many commenting that it is too crowded. The iconic Baroque monument in Rome receives around €1 million (£835,895) yearly from tourists throwing coins into it. However, it has been labeled as an “ugly” pool for coins, and after Time Out Marker Lisboa, the destination had the second greatest proportion of people mentioning crowds or accessibility issues. Overall, one in four people had something negative to say about the experience they had.
The fountain was closed last year for a period of renovations, which may have contributed to the negative reviews.
Full list of disappointing attractions:
1 – Alton Towers Resort, Staffordshire in the UK2 – Széchenyi Baths and Pool, Budapest in Hungary3 – Siam Park, Tenerife in Spain4 – Time Out Market Lisboa in Portugal5 – Fontana di Trevi, Rome in Italy6 – Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas in United States7 – Guinness Storehouse, Dublin in Ireland7 – Gardaland Park, Lake Garda in Italy10 – Topkapı Palace, Istanbul in Turkey10 – National Air and Space Museum, Washington D.C. in United States
The Mirror has contacted Alton Towers for comment.
