Travel news
Uncertainty remains around getaway plans but dreaming of a spring-time break is a great way to get through a lockdown winter.
Now Premier Inn has revealed which cities are most popular in spring, at least on social media. The hotel chain’s researchers combed Instagram and counted the number of #springin hashtags for every city. London (#springinlondon) came out on top, followed by Paris, New York, Moscow and Seattle (the most popular UK cities aside from London were Edinburgh, Glasgow, Oxford and Bristol).
Cape Town was the most Instagrammed African destination, with the hashtag #springincapetown shared more than 1,900 times. Alongside pictures of dawn over the harbour and carpenter bees buzzing around flowers, Instagrammers shared their first trips back to the beach for a long-awaited paddle and swim.
Buenos Aires was the most popular South American city with more than 600 hashtags. The barrio of Palermo remains vibrant, with its green spaces and mix of modern and older architecture. Judged by colourful Instagram feeds, the city is resplendent with pictureperfect, purple jacaranda blossom trees.
Seoul (9,385 hashtags), Kyoto (6,694) and Tokyo (6,306) were the most Instagrammed Asian destinations. Seoul is famous for its cherry blossom tree displays, and images have been widely shared of pale pink flowers blooming in Yeouido Park, Seokchon Lake and Seoul Forest.
In New Zealand, the #springinauckland hashtag is a feast of pretty cherry blossoms and wisteria, with Kiwis enjoying botanical parks and ocean sunsets.
The iconic Eiffel Tower of course features heavily in French posts. The monument is framed underneath gorgeous blue skies and fluffy white clouds. After a long winter, Moscow’s spring posts expose the lingering chill, with people in selfies still wearing coats and jackets despite clear skies. Local parks and gardens filled with daffodils and roses fill up social media users’ feeds.
New York (26,439 hashtags), Seattle (21,096) and Chicago (19,993) boasted the most widely shared US destinations. While Central Park and April showers are Instafriendly in the Big Apple, and Lake Washington pictures are popular in Seattle, Chicago posts heavily feature the city’s pristine tulip displays. Known as the Magnificent Mile, the tulip beds cover a two-mile stretch of the city, with 100,000 Dutch bulbs being planted every October to create a spectacular spring show.