From bucket-list landmarks to world-famous theme parks, some attractions promise unforgettable experiences – but not always for the right reasons.
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New research analysing almost 100,000 visitor reviews has revealed the tourist attractions most likely to leave travellers disappointed. And for the second year running, a seemingly popular British destination has topped the list.
Complaints about crowds, poor value for money and experiences that fail to live up to the hype have left some of the world's biggest names with surprisingly negative reviews. But which attractions are falling short – and which destinations are proving victims of their own popularity?
New research from Radical Storage, a worldwide luggage storage network, has revealed that Alton Towers in England is the most disappointing spot, followed by Georgia Aquarium and the Horseshoe Casino, both in the United States.
How was the ranking worked out?
Starting with a list of 5,832 different tourist attractions in 50 of the most visited countries from EuroMonitor’s Top 100 City Destinations report and Mastercard’s Global Cities Index, the boffins at Radical Storage narrowed down the list by removing those with fewer than 2,000 reviews.
Attractions in Russia, Ukraine and Israel were also excluded due to ongoing conflicts.
This left the experts with 99,547 visitor reviews to analyse.
The team then used a total of 90 keywords to determine the words that are most frequently used to describe a destination. The study discounted false positives – like “not disappointing” – and focused on words like “boring” and “inaccessible”, and recorded the percentage of poor reviews to create the ranking.
The average rate of negative reviews for attractions in the study is 5.2%, but a number of destinations had significantly more.
As well as looking at individually disappointing attractions, the findings also show that the UK and Canada are the countries with the most disappointing tourist attractions (both at 7.9%), followed by the US (7.5%).
Seattle (8.9%), Budapest (6.3%), London and Bangkok (both 6%) were revealed to be the cities with the most disappointing tourist attractions, while the study demonstrates that six of the top 10 most disappointing globally are in North America.
Alton Towers, United Kingdom
For the second year running in Radical Storage’s ranking, Alton Towers in the British county of Staffordshire was found to be the world’s most disappointing tourist attraction.
Over a third (38.2%) of the theme park’s reviews report a negative experience, with many citing crowding and poor value for money.
Alton Towers had the highest percentage of reviews which specifically complained about value for money, at 15% compared to a 1.3% average for the study.
It’s not the rides but customer service that most disappoints visitors, as well as apparently misleading ticket information, and expectations to pay for add-ons, including pricey food and drink, or access to different areas of the park.
However, it’s not all bad news for the UK’s largest theme park. In last year’s list, 49.4% of reviews were negative, so the 38.2% figure is a significant – and positive – jump.
Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, United States
The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta may be home to tens of thousands of sea creatures – but it’s also the second most disappointing tourist attraction on the list.
The study found that 19.6% of reviews include negative words, while 10% of visitors described it as being crowded or having access issues, and 6.2% did not think the experience was good value for money.
Horseshoe Casino, Louisiana, United States
Also in the Deep South, the Horseshoe Casino in Louisiana is an urban casino which features table games, slots, and poker, as well as plenty of dining options, including a steakhouse and a 24/7 burger bar.
Despite its many offerings, 18.6% of visitors left reviews that mentioned a negative experience.
16.6% of these reviews included words and phrases like “boring”, “broken down”, “overrated”, and “needs restoration”, which could suggest the attraction is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Széchenyi Baths and Pool, Budapest, Hungary
The Széchenyi Baths and Pool in Hungary’s capital of Budapest is the largest medicinal bath in Europe and a bucket-list destination for many – but not all visitors appreciate its charms.
In the study, 16.6% of people who left a review of the baths had a negative experience.
Crowding and accessibility were the biggest issues here, and were mentioned in 7.2% of all reviews, compared to the 2.1% average.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, Toronto
At the base of Toronto’s CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada features the country’s largest indoor aquarium, which boasts more than 20,000 aquatic animals as well as interactive exhibits.
In spite of this, 16% of visitors left a negative review, with 9.6% who mentioned overcrowding issues, which made it the third worst in that category.
5% of reviews suggested the aquarium isn’t good value for money.
The top ten most disappointing tourist destinations
- Alton Towers, Staffordshire, United Kingdom – 38.2% negative reviews
- Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, United States – 19.6% negative reviews
- Horseshoe Casino, Louisiana , United States – 18.6% negative reviews
- Széchenyi Baths and Pool, Budapest, Hungary – 16.6% negative reviews
- Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada , Toronto, Canada – 16% negative reviews
- Universal Islands of Adventure, Orlando, United States – 15.6% negative reviews
- Siam Park, Tenerife, Spain – 13.4% negative reviews
- Space Needle, Seattle, United States – 12.6% negative reviews (equal eighth)
- Graceland, Memphis, United States – 12.6% negative reviews (equal eighth)
- Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, Kyoto, Japan – 12% negative reviews