Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar (Kapali Carsi), which recorded 91.25m visitors in 2013, has been ranked the most popular destination across the globe, according to new research.
Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is famous for its hand-painted ceramics, lanterns, intricately patterned carpets, gold Byzantine-style jewelry, and more eye-catching products vie for your attention within this 15th-century bazaar’s vaulted walkways. It has since expanded and become increasingly touristy, but locals, too, are among the millions of bargain hunters.
Disney theme parks make up four of the world’s top 20 tourist attractions. Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Park in California and Tokyo DisneySea registered a total of more than 66 million visitors last year.
The destinations are among 15 theme parks included in a list of the world’s top 50 tourist attractions compiled by tourism website Travel + Leisure.
Mexico City’s The Zócalo – the ceremonial Aztec plaza – came in second place with 85 million visitors, while New York’s Times Square was third on the list with 50 million.
The Zocalo hosts military parades, cultural and political events, concerts, exhibitions, fairs, and public art installations while Times Square is known for it lively entertainment, Broadway shows, and many shops.
Other attractions that made up the top ten were New York’s Central Park, and Union Station in Washington D.C. which both attracted 40m visitors.
The Las Vegas Strip came in sixth position followed by Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu Shrine and Sensoji Temple.
Niagara Falls was in ninth place while New York City’s Grand Central Terminal was in tenth position with 21.6m visitors.
The least visited place in the top 50 most popular tourist destinations was the Taj Mahal, which still recorded between seven and eight million tourists.
The figures were compiled from data supplied by government agencies and industry reports including the Global Attractions Attendance Report.
Travel + Leisure defined tourist attractions as ‘cultural and historical sites, natural landmarks, and officially designated spaces’.
Here are the first 10 of WORLD’S TOP 50 MOST VISITED TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
1 Grand Bazaar, Istanbul – Annual Visitors: 91,250,000
2 The Zócalo, Mexico City – Annual Visitors: 85,000,000
3 Times Square, New York City – Annual Visitors: 50,000,000
4 (tie) Central Park, New York City – Annual Visitors: 40,000,000
4 (tie) Union Station, Washington, D.C. – Annual Visitors: 40,000,000
6 Las Vegas Strip – Annual Visitors: 30,500,000
7 (tie) Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo – Annual Visitors: 30,000,000
7 (tie) Sensoji Temple, Tokyo – Annual Visitors: 30,000,000
9 Niagara Falls, New York, and Ontario – Annual Visitors: 22,000,000
10 Grand Central Terminal, New York City – Annual Visitors: 21,600,00
11 Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City – Annual Visitors: 20,000,000
12 Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Orlando, Florida – Annual Visitors: 18,588,000
13 Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston – Annual Visitors: 18,000,000
14 Tokyo Disneyland – Annual Visitors: 17,214,000
15 Disneyland Park, California – Annual Visitors: 16,202,000
16 Forbidden City, Beijing – Annual Visitors: 15,340,000
17 Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco – Annual Visitors: 14,289,121
18 Tokyo DisneySea – Annual Visitors: 14,084,000
19 Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris – Annual Visitors: 14,000,000
20 Golden Gate Park, San Francisco – Annual Visitors: 13,000,000
source: travelandleisure.com
