The British have been asked to name their most disappointing tourist spots around the world. Not surprisingly, the British have named FRENCH tourist areas as the top 2 most disappointing: the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.
The United States, though, had the most entries in the Disappointing Top 10. British tourists are disappointed with Times Square (3), the Statue of Liberty (5) and the White House (7).
A similar poll for British tourists within the UK sees, Stonehenge as the most disappointing. Blackpool Tower, in Britain's biggest coastal resort (which looks like a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower) was also in the list.
The favourite tourist spot for the British in Britain is the magnificent and ancient Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. The Royal Crescent in the ancient city of Bath - one of the most beautiful cities in Europe adorned with Roman statues, Roman baths (that are still steaming away from the natural hot springs they were built on) and Georgian architecture - is also one of Britain's best-loved tourist areas.
Eiffel Tower 'most disappointing' tourist spot
By Natalie Paris
17/08/2007
The Telegraph
The Eiffel Tower is "frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced" while Stonehenge is "just a load of old rocks" according to a report which has named the top ten most disappointing tourist spots.
The Eiffel Tower topped the blacklist for Brits abroad
The Louvre's Mona Lisa and New York's Times Square also have difficulty enticing tourists to rush back, the survey reveals.
Even Egypt's great pyramids, one of the seven wonders of the world, made the list of underwhelming and overrated attractions, because of the oppressive heat and the persistent hawkers.
But top of the list was Paris's famous tower, which almost a quarter of the 1,000 plus British tourists questioned dubbed a flop.
Felice Hardy of Virgin Travel Insurance, which commissioned the survey, said holidaymakers looking for unexpected delights should opt for less mainstream destinations.
"It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on cliched tourist sights around the world, but many of them are overcrowded and disappointing," she said.
Those looking to avoid the crowds but witness something spectacular could do worse than seek out the only recently unearthed fortress of Kuelap in northern Peru, a just rival to crowded Machu Picchu in the south.
The far-flung, jungle-clad temples of Cambodia are another option waiting to be discovered, as is the Javan temple of Borobudur, where you might get to enjoy some cultural exchanges as one of the few international tourists appreciating the Buddhist reliefs.
Blackpool Tower, at Britain's biggest coastal resort in Blackpool, Lancashire, was 3rd in the blacklist for Brits at home. It opened in 1889.
Walking the trails at the Taroko Gorge in Taiwan is highly recommended for more active travellers as is traversing China's beautiful Tiger Leaping Gorge.
The sights voted most disappointing around the world by Brits were:
1) The Eiffel Tower
2) The Louvre (Mona Lisa)
3) Times Square
4) Las Ramblas, Spain
5) Statue of Liberty
6) Spanish Steps, Rome
7) The White House
8 ) The Pyramids, Egypt
9) The Brandenburg Gate, Germany
10) The Leaning Tower of Pisa
THE WORST
The sights voted most disappointing in Britain were:
1) Stonehenge
2) The Angel of the North
3) Blackpool Tower
4) Lands' End
5) The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
6) The London Eye
7) Brighton Pier
8 ) Buckingham Palace
9) The White Cliffs of Dover
10) Big Ben.
THE BEST
Ten tourist spots in Britain that are sure NOT to disappoint:
1) Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
2) Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim
3) The Royal Crescent, Bath, Avon
4) Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark, London
5) The Backs, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
6) Holkham Bay, Norfolk
7) Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, Dorset
8 ) Tate St Ives, sunny Cornwall
9) Isle of Skye (UK's third-largest island after the mainland island of Britain and the Isle of Lewis)
10) The Eden Project, Cornwall.
telegraph.co.uk
The United States, though, had the most entries in the Disappointing Top 10. British tourists are disappointed with Times Square (3), the Statue of Liberty (5) and the White House (7).
A similar poll for British tourists within the UK sees, Stonehenge as the most disappointing. Blackpool Tower, in Britain's biggest coastal resort (which looks like a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower) was also in the list.
The favourite tourist spot for the British in Britain is the magnificent and ancient Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. The Royal Crescent in the ancient city of Bath - one of the most beautiful cities in Europe adorned with Roman statues, Roman baths (that are still steaming away from the natural hot springs they were built on) and Georgian architecture - is also one of Britain's best-loved tourist areas.
Eiffel Tower 'most disappointing' tourist spot
By Natalie Paris
17/08/2007
The Telegraph
The Eiffel Tower is "frustratingly overcrowded and overpriced" while Stonehenge is "just a load of old rocks" according to a report which has named the top ten most disappointing tourist spots.
The Eiffel Tower topped the blacklist for Brits abroad
The Louvre's Mona Lisa and New York's Times Square also have difficulty enticing tourists to rush back, the survey reveals.
Even Egypt's great pyramids, one of the seven wonders of the world, made the list of underwhelming and overrated attractions, because of the oppressive heat and the persistent hawkers.
But top of the list was Paris's famous tower, which almost a quarter of the 1,000 plus British tourists questioned dubbed a flop.
Felice Hardy of Virgin Travel Insurance, which commissioned the survey, said holidaymakers looking for unexpected delights should opt for less mainstream destinations.
"It's easy to be swayed by brochures that opt for the mainstream and focus on cliched tourist sights around the world, but many of them are overcrowded and disappointing," she said.
Those looking to avoid the crowds but witness something spectacular could do worse than seek out the only recently unearthed fortress of Kuelap in northern Peru, a just rival to crowded Machu Picchu in the south.
The far-flung, jungle-clad temples of Cambodia are another option waiting to be discovered, as is the Javan temple of Borobudur, where you might get to enjoy some cultural exchanges as one of the few international tourists appreciating the Buddhist reliefs.
Blackpool Tower, at Britain's biggest coastal resort in Blackpool, Lancashire, was 3rd in the blacklist for Brits at home. It opened in 1889.
Walking the trails at the Taroko Gorge in Taiwan is highly recommended for more active travellers as is traversing China's beautiful Tiger Leaping Gorge.
The sights voted most disappointing around the world by Brits were:
1) The Eiffel Tower
2) The Louvre (Mona Lisa)
3) Times Square
4) Las Ramblas, Spain
5) Statue of Liberty
6) Spanish Steps, Rome
7) The White House
8 ) The Pyramids, Egypt
9) The Brandenburg Gate, Germany
10) The Leaning Tower of Pisa
THE WORST
The sights voted most disappointing in Britain were:
1) Stonehenge
2) The Angel of the North
3) Blackpool Tower
4) Lands' End
5) The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
6) The London Eye
7) Brighton Pier
8 ) Buckingham Palace
9) The White Cliffs of Dover
10) Big Ben.
THE BEST
Ten tourist spots in Britain that are sure NOT to disappoint:
1) Alnwick Castle, Northumberland
2) Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim
3) The Royal Crescent, Bath, Avon
4) Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Southwark, London
5) The Backs, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
6) Holkham Bay, Norfolk
7) Lyme Regis and the Jurassic Coast, Dorset
8 ) Tate St Ives, sunny Cornwall
9) Isle of Skye (UK's third-largest island after the mainland island of Britain and the Isle of Lewis)
10) The Eden Project, Cornwall.
telegraph.co.uk
