According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), France is the world’s most visited country.
Various surveys consistently place Paris among the world’s five most visited cities.
But don’t expect to see the Eiffel Tower — or any other French landmark — on TripAdvisor’s most recent list of what it calls the World’s Most Beloved Landmarks.
You won’t find the Statue of Liberty, Great Wall of China or Sydney Opera House on the list either.
There are biggies on the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice list — Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Basilica.
But for its absence of traditional favorites, it’s a curious list.
In a press release, TripAdvisor explained that its “most beloved” designees “were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for landmarks worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.”
So, does the TripAdvisor community’s opinions reflect your own?
Close your eyes, think of 10 prominent world landmarks, then see how your list compares with the TripAdvisor list below.
TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice World’s Most Beloved Landmarks
1. Machu Picchu (Machu Picchu, Peru)
2. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
3. Angkor Wat (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
4. St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City, Italy)
5. Taj Mahal (Agra, India)
6. Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba (Cordoba, Spain)
7. Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood (St. Petersburg, Russia)
8. The Alhambra (Granada, Spain)
9. Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool (Washington, D.C.)
10. Milan Cathedral (Duomo) (Milan, Italy)
As reported by CNN