The World's Top Tourist Attractions

Updated on 1 November 2017

Purpose

I use this to keep track of websites that provide lists to the most important tourist attractions around the world -- which I use for my work. I maintains this more like a webpage and will update it as I find resources to add. Suggestions are welcome.

Lists of theTop Tourist Attractions in the World

1 - Planetware - Attractions listed by country - based on Baedeker Guides, this may be the most complete list of top attractions (4 and 5 star-rated), listed by country, that is available anywhere. From this link, click on a country, then click on Top Attractions. For a more complete list (and alternative attractions) click on the Attractions link.

2 - World Tourist Attraction Guide - A fairly comprehensive list of major world tourist attractions by region. Also includes country information, contact addresses for additional tourist information, videos and photos of some destinations, and maps. Some areas may still be under construction.

3 - Hillman Wonders - World's Top 100 Wonders of the World - Also liste by country. Individual descriptions are provided for most sites.

4 - Sightsmap - A Google Map of the most photographed places on the internet. Zoom in at any scale to see the ten most photographed sites, which are frequently also the ten most popular or visited attractions. Zoom in even more to see actual photos.

5 - National Geographic's Destinations website - with travel guides organized by region and country.

Top Specialty and Niche Attractions

1. UNESCO World Heritage List - Even better is The Tentative List (on the sidebar menu of this site), which includes sites that countries plan to propose to the Heritage List in the future, and many of which are "undiscovered" by the mass tourism industry.Also on the sidebar menu is their World Heritage in Danger List.

2. Atlas Obscura - A listing of some of the more obscure (odd, unusual and often dark) attractions around the world.

3. Protected Planet - A Google Map showing protected natural areas of the world, with links to additional information.

Related Attraction Resources

1 - World Tourism Directory - Comprehensive list of tourism offices, tourism schools, country and attraction information, and more. Also try the UNWTO Membership Directory.

2 - Travel Photo Base.com - Annotated photos for a huge number of places around the US and the World. - Also see: Fotopedia.com, which seems to have become more popular in recent years.

Travelography #151: Time for Sustainable Tourism, and The Best of ...

Use the players on this page, or click the title above to listen to this podcast.

Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 7 April to 14 April 2009. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

US Volunteer vacation sales up 28 percent

"The recession has encouraged many people to volunteer and take some time away from all of the bad news. What we have seen is an increase in shorter volunteer trips in locations that are closer to home for Americans such as Latin America," ... There has been a distinct increase in 22-30 year olds wanting to volunteer abroad - a mixture of recession fear and a new generation of travelers that want to give back when going abroad.

No more new hotels for Bali

In an effort to protect the resort island's natural environment, the Bali provincial administration has decided to stop issuing official recommendations for the construction of new hotels, villas or homestays. "The moratorium for the construction of new hotels is an appropriate measure to secure the island's future." .... The moratorium is temporary, he added.

Ranking the country's (US) most popular destinations

#1. Times Square, New York City: 37.6 million; #2. The Las Vegas Strip, Nev.: 30 Million; #3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C.: 25 million ...

The 20 best views in the world

1. The Grand Canyon from the South Rim; 2. Hong Kong Island from Kowloon; 3. Phang Nga Bay, Thailand; 4. Manhattan from the top of Rockefeller Plaza; 5. Istanbul skyline from the Bosphorus strait, Turkey

Beijing extends limits on car use for cleaner air

The restrictions were first announced in October following public debate over whether to extend traffic restrictions that helped keep skies clear during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. They were set to expire at the end of this week. The traffic bureau said on its Web site Sunday that the capital will continue to keep a third of government vehicles off the road altogether.

Italy wrestles with historic preservation

... the state-run Civil Protection Service said it would cost at least $1.7 billion to monitor and upgrade the safety standards of government-owned buildings that are more than 3 centuries old. "The problem is extraordinarily serious in Italy because there are so many ancient structures still being used, probably more than in any other country," ...

Travelography #120: Europe's Airline Woes

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 21 July 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

1. Germany | Pilot walkouts ground nearly 1,000 Lufthansa flights

   Meanwhile the German division of British no-frills airline easyJet said it hoped to cash in if Lufthansa is hit by lengthy strikes. "A strike at Lufthansa would of course be just fine by us,"...

2. Lanzarote, Turkey - close enough?

   The family had booked an all-inclusive holiday in a five-star hotel in the Canary Islands and were supposed to be flying into Arrecife, Lanzarote. But instead they found themselves in Bodrum airport, Turkey where they then had to pay a £10 visa charge...

3. World's most expensive tourist attractions

   A family of four would have to pay 549.30 pounds if they wanted to take part in all 10 activities in London, compared with 386 pounds in Paris, 376pounds in New York and 216 pounds in Rome.

4. Airlines deliberately ignoring safety regulations and getting away with it

   ...the majority of European pilots do not always report defects as and when they occur. They are delayed until it is more convenient for the airlines to carry out repairs.

5. International travel booming despite oil prices

   A report commissioned by Amadeus also showed that growing global migration would fuel thirst for international travel. Many migrants remain strongly connected to their country of origin with many reasons to return, such as visiting family and friends...

Travelography #92: The Summer of Flight Delays, and Two New Attractions

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- 30% of US Airline Departures were late this summer, up from 25% last year, and passenger complaints against airlines have nearly doubled.
- AvoidDelays.com lists the airports, airlines and flights to avoid month by month
- Delta's is offering business class seats and meals, in downtown Manhattan
- Larry Craig's restroom at the Minneapolis airport has become the country's newest tourist attraction.

The Worst Times And Places To Fly

AvoidDelays.com

Nearly 30% of airline flights delayed in August:

Most flights in U.S. are late, and it could get worse

FAA Meets Gourmet: Airline Opens Eatery in NYC

Minn. airport bathroom draws tourists after Craig arrest

Geography for Travelers - this website

Travelography News on Twitter

Listen to Travelography on you phone +1 (360) 227-5594

G4T #13: Understanding Tourist Attractions

NEW - Click the Title Link for This Entry to Listen to This Week's Podcast - NEW

This week's podcast covered tourism news items for the first 10 minutes or so, then delved into the topic of Tourist Attractions. Much of what I discussed actually comes from my Ph.D. dissertation, which I completed in 1986 -- though it did not make it into my Ph.D. I wrote this whole chapter about tourist attractions, and presented my own theory of different ways that tourism researchers approach tourist attractions. Well, my committee felt that it just wasn't that relevant to the rest of my dissertation, so I sent it off the a journal, instead. It came out in the Annals of Tourism Research in 1986, and was later republished in a major compendium (large book) about tourism research.

Here are links to the items mentioned in today's podcast:

* Commission on Tourism and Global Change of the International Geographical Union <http://www.geog.nau.edu/igust/>
* Recreation, Tourism and Sport Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers <http://www.geog.nau.edu/rts/>
* Asia Tourism Research <http://www.geog.nau.edu/igust/asiatour/>
* InfoUSA - US State Department -
-- Geography and Travel <http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/travel/geolinks.htm>
-- Facts about the USA <http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/facts.htm>
* Quebec premier joins calls for U.S. government to abandon border passport plan <click here>
* The World Island Project, Dubai <http://www.coastalmanagement.com.au/projects/TheWorld/>
* The Haunted Times <http://www.hauntedtimes.com/index.php>
* Barry Kantz' Home Based Travel Agent podcast <http://hometravelagent.blogspot.com/>