London has been named the best-rated destination in the world in Trip Advisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice awards for destinations. The winners were determined using an algorithm that analyses the millions of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions collected in a single year from Trip Advisor travellers worldwide.
Paris takes second spot this year, with Rome rolling in at third place and Crete in fourth. However, New York, a long-time favourite with travellers worldwide, slips out of the top 10 completely.
London came second in 2018 and Trip Advisor says that its move into the top spot might be connected to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Trip Advisor Spokesperson Hayley Coleman said, “The global fascination with Harry and Meghan clearly has a powerful effect as this is the first time since 2016 that London has topped the world rankings. With the couple’s new baby due imminently, London may continue to reap the rewards of the Harry and Meghan effect into 2020.”
Also proving popular is Bali, in fifth place, and the Thai resort of Phuket in sixth.
The rest of the top 10 comprises Barcelona, Istanbul, Marrakech and Dubai.
New York ended up ranking 13th in the list, behind Prague and Siem Reap.
In the United Kingdom (UK) table, the north continues to beat the south with six winning destinations.
Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow, Belfast, York and Manchester take second, third, fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth place respectively.
While in the south of the UK, London, Bath, the Isle of Wight and Jersey come in first, sixth, seventh and 10th respectively.
Laura Citron, CEO of Visit London, said: ‘We are delighted to see London top the list of TripAdvisor’s Global Traveller’s Choice awards.
London came second in 2018 and Trip Advisor says that its move into the top spot might be connected to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Trip Advisor Spokesperson Hayley Coleman said, ‘The global fascination with Harry and Meghan clearly has a powerful effect, as this is the first time since 2016 that London has topped the world rankings.’
‘London has an exciting history as a centre for creativity and free thinking, from Shakespeare to the birth of punk and the catwalks of today.
‘This creative energy and cultural vibrancy can be felt in every aspect of London life: food, fashion, arts, exhibitions, shops, and nightlife.’
In the U.S., the state of Hawaii dominates the leader board with Maui and Oahu coming in at second and third just after New York. Las Vegas is fourth, with Orlando in fifth.
San Diego, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco and Hawaii Island round off the list.
In Australia, the Gold Coast follows Sydney to take second place and Melbourne is third followed by Brisbane then Hobart.
Also making the top 10 are Cessnock, Port Douglas, Perth, Adelaide and Cairns.
Trip Advisor advised those planning trips to one of the top destinations to do research on the best time to go.
It explains that often, a trip either side of the peak season will mean a better experience with fewer crowds and cheaper prices on airfare and accommodation.
For example, the travel site points out that travellers can save up to 30 per cent on hotels in New York City when visiting in March compared to September or up to 19 per cent on Rome hotels when travelling in March versus June.
The online platform also says it is worth exploring beyond a destination’s well-known attractions as travellers frequently find a more authentic and memorable experience away from the main tourist areas.
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the UK.
Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 80km estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans.
The City of London, London’s ancient core ? an area of just 1.12 square miles and colloquially known as the Square Mile ? retains boundaries that follow closely its medieval limits.
The City of Westminster is also an Inner London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
London is considered to be one of the world’s most important global cities and has been termed the world’s most powerful, most desirable, most influential, most visited, most expensive, innovative, sustainable, most investment friendly, most popular for work, and the most vegetarian friendly city in the world. London exerts a considerable impact upon the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transportation.
London ranks 26 out of 300 major cities for economic performance. It is one of the largest financial centres and has either the fifth or sixth largest metropolitan area GDP. It is the most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the busiest city airport system as measured by passenger traffic. It is the leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. London’s universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe.
In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted three modern Summer Olympic Games.
London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region.
Its estimated mid-2016 municipal population was 8,787,892, the most populous of any city in the European Union and accounting for 13.4 percent of the UK population.
London’s urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
The population within the London commuter belt is the most populous in the EU with 14,040,163 inhabitants in 2016.
London was the world’s most populous city from c 1831 to 1925.
London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret’s Church; and the historic settlement in Greenwich where the Royal Observatory, Greenwich defines the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and Greenwich Mean Time.
Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and The Shard. London has numerous museums, galleries, libraries and sporting events. These include the British Museum, National Gallery, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, British Library and West End theatres. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.