Tripadvisor’s Top 10 World Destinations list for 2012 has been released, with Olympic-ready London taking the top spot and last year’s winner, Istanbul, coming in 7th.
Awards are a significant boost to any destination’s reputation and the 2011/2012 summer season saw a real increase in tourism in Istanbul, no doubt influenced by accolades, such as the Tripadvisor Destinations top spot.
The city of Istanbul is a vibrant mix of many cultures, due in part to its location (straddling Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait) and, well, in part to its history of getting conquered. The Hagia Sophia, for example, was a church, then a mosque and is now a museum. You’ll spot Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman architecture around town.
In the fourth year of its awards, TripAdvisor has honored 440 outstanding destinations in 37 markets across the globe, including lists for Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Central America, China, Europe, India, Mexico, the Middle East, South America, the South Pacific, and the United States.
The Travelers’ Choice Destinations awards honor top travel spots worldwide based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers. Award winners were determined based on the popularity of destinations, taking into account travelers’ favorites and most highly rated places.
Top 25 Travelers’ Choice World Destinations:
- London, England
- New York City, New York
- Rome, Italy
- Paris, France
- San Francisco, California
- Marrakech, Morocco
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Barcelona, Spain
- Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Berlin, Germany
- Chicago, Illinois
- Florence, Italy
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Sydney, Australia
- Beijing, China
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia
- Shanghai, China
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Los Angeles, California
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Dublin, Ireland
