It’s a new year and a new chance to take a vacation! Given that it’s compelling to cross favorites off your list, here’s a ranked list of the most popular tourist attractions across the US, according to a study by Airport Parking Reservations. How was the list created? By starting with the number of annual Google searches for each spot and then stirring in an amalgam of TikTok views, Instagram hashtags and Tripadvisor review scores, which you put in the oven at 350 until you get an overall score.
The funny thing? Even the iconic Grand Canyon, which earned the top spot and is the most Googled attraction on the list, has an overall grade of 8.22 out of 10. That’s right: this study gave the Grand Canyon a ‘B’ (and don’t ask the Statue of Liberty how she did on the final exam; overall she has a ‘D’ with a score of 6.43 out of 10). Ah well, we’re sure the teacher’s going to grade on the curve. Here are the top attractions:
1. Grand Canyon
2. Times Square
3. Niagara Falls
4. Glacier National Park
5. Yellowstone National Park
6. Walt Disney World
7. Myrtle Beach
8. Lake Tahoe
9. Universal Studios, Hollywood
10. Statue of Liberty
Of these 10 destinations, three received a perfect 5.0 score from Tripadvisor: the Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park (all the other attractions received a score of 4.5). Niagara Falls won for the most Google searches last year, 15 million—the Grand Canyon was just on its heels with 14.3 million. The two destinations with the highest TikTok views, tying for first place, were Times Square and Walt Disney World with 1.8 billion views; in second place was Myrtle Beach was 1.2 billion views. Walt Disney World also won on Instagram with 9.3 million hashtags—no other destination even came close to that (the Grand Canyon was second, with 4.1 million hashtags).
It’s nice to see that most of these are natural wonders that bring visitors outdoors—and even the ones that aren’t natural are still outdoor attractions! Not one of these (other than the dark rides at the amusement parks and climbing up into the Statue of Liberty) involves being indoors. And the Statue of Liberty at least requires a boat ride on the water to get there! Hurray for Mother Nature and how she awes and entertains us.
See the full report here.
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