Istanbul is the world’s best destination for tourists, according to US-headquartered travel site
TripAdvisor.
The Turkish city beat Rome to win the company’s ‘Travelers’ Choice’ award for global destinations. Last year’s winner Paris has been relegated to seventh spot, while London, Beijing and Prague round out the top five.
The list is determined using an algorithm that takes into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, attractions and restaurants in destinations worldwide, gathered over a period of 12 months.
Istanbul moved up a massive 11 places to top the standings, while Beijing, Marrakech, Siem Reap and Shanghai also took great leaps this year to finish in the top ten.
New York, Barcelona, Sydney and San Francisco all suffered the indignity of a double-digit fall in the rankings.
A list of
TripAdvisor’s top 25 Travelers’ Choice World Destinations in full (where +/- denotes change in ranking year-over-year, 0 means no change and N means new to the top 25):
1. Istanbul, Turkey (+11)
2. Rome, Italy (+2)
3. London, England (0)
4. Beijing, China (+17)
5. Prague, Czech Republic (+4)
6. Marrakech, Morocco (+13)
7. Paris, France (-6)
8. Hanoi, Vietnam (N)
9. Siem Reap, Cambodia (+14)
10. Shanghai, China (+12)
11. Berlin, Germany (0)
12. New York City, New York (-10)
13. Florence, Italy (-5)
14. Buenos Aires, Argentina (+4)
15. Barcelona, Spain (-10)
16. St. Petersburg, Russia (+4)
17. Dubai, United Arab Emirates (N)
18. Chicago, Illinois (-4)
19. Cape Town, South Africa (-3)
20. Bangkok, Thailand (-7)
21. Budapest, Hungary (N)
22. Sydney, Australia (-12)
23. Lisbon, Portugal (New)
24. Chiang Mai, Thailand (0)
25. San Francisco, California (-18)
