ROME SLAYS THE COMPETITION
Three of the world’s top 10 tourist attractions for 2018 are in Italy, according to a TripAdvisor report
The Colosseum in Rome was the world’s most popular tourist attraction in 2018, according to reservations made on TripAdvisor. The travel-booking website used data from all “experience bookings” made on the site this year to compile a top 10, and the incredibly well-preserved amphitheatre, built between 70AD - 80AD, topped the list. Italy, in fact, proved to be a firm favourite, with three attractions in that country making the world’s top 10 — the other two were the Vatican Museums in Rome, in second place, and the Grand Canal in Venice, at number 10.
The United States’ Statue of Liberty rounded out the top three.
“Traveller interest in the world’s most iconic sights shows no sign of slowing down,” says Molly Burke, a TripAdvisor spokesperson.
Because of this, TripAdvisor’s experience bookings offer something a little bit extra, such as skip-the-line tickets to many of the busiest attractions, or special access — for an added fee, of course.
At the Colosseum, for example, visitors can pay extra to enter through “the
Gladiator Gate” (a reserved entrance) and explore the arena floor.
The rest of the top 10 was as follows: 2. Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy
3. Statue of Liberty, New York City, US 4. Louvre Museum, Paris, France
5. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
6. Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
7. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, US 8. Stonehenge, Amesbury, UK.
9. Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France 10. Canal Grande, Venice, Italy