The Biggest Tourist Traps Worldwide ( 2023 Data )
If you ’ ve ever been on vacation , you ’ ve probable see yourself oblige by travel Bible , tour guides or even a pail list to check out a popular or world-famous attraction . But some of the most popular attractions in a tourism hotspot be know as ‘ tourist traps ’ — establishments that target tourist with overpriced experiences and souvenirs .
With a notorious reputation for long business , colossal crowd and bank-breaking talent shops , one view revealed that two in three American travelers will avoid visiting attraction known as tourist traps . Those that get impose one can be result notion underwhelmed , as the same survey revealed that 67 % of traveler have go through tourist traps that led to an inauthentic experience .
But with thus many view to see and then little holiday time , how can we say which attraction might not be worth the visit after all ? To find out , our analysts at Casago figured there was no well property to grow than TripAdvisor , where we scrub thousand of reviews left for attractions in the U.S. and all over the world for the notion of visitor get before . Say on to disclose what we found out…
We Get the Biggest Tourist Trap in Every Country and State
We look for for the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ on TripAdvisor ( with no location filter applied ) to feel the global attractions with the almost mention of ‘ tourist trap ’ in accompanying review . We then searched for the handsome tourist traps in each country and U.S. state by customizing the location settings and contain out the same lookup , ranking the attractions by the act of ‘ tourist ambush ’ mentions .
Key Finding
- Fourof thetop 10 biggest tourist ambush in the worldcost located in theU.S .
- Fisherman ’ s Wharfin San Francisco is thebiggest tourist ambush in the U.S. and the public, counting1,049 mentionof the phrase ‘ tourist trap ’ in reviews
- Edinburgh ’ sRoyal Milebeats out top London attractions to live theUK ’ s most notorious tourist ambush( with505 mentions)
- Barcelona ’ secLas Ramblasstreet (793 mention) equal the second-biggest tourist trap in the reality , followed by Hawaii ’ secDole Plantation(708 reference)
Fisherman ’ s Wharf in San Francisco Live the Biggest Tourist Trap in the World
Our map reveals the liberal tourist ambush in every area , base on the issue of sentence the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ is mentioned in accompanying TripAdvisor review . Attraction roam from restaurants and market to geological feature and world-famous landmarks . Even so , the biggest of all isFisherman ’ s Wharfin San Francisco , California , which considermore ‘ tourist ambush ’ reference ( 1,049 )than any early attraction in the reality .
Situated on the northern waterfront of San Francisco , the Fisherman ’ s Wharf neighborhood is home to souvenir shops , restaurant and attractions . It experience around 12 million visitor annually as one of the city ’ s top tourist destinations . But not solely do the locals steer clear , with SFGate predict it “ the most universally derided neighborhood in all of San Francisco , ” it as well attracts the ire of tourists online .
Review mentioning the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ highlight the territory ’ sec “ overpriced restaurants ” and “ tacky touristy tat , ” while others remove subject with the local wildlife ( “ a desperate seagull attacked my fried calamari ” ) . On the plus slope , some reviewers construe the phrase ‘ tourist trap ’ positively .
Meanwhile , the “ soooo crowd ”Eiffel Towercomes up top in France , as makeNiagara Fallsin Canada , where one reviewer complained that “ every attraction dump you into a talent shop. ” The Trevi Fountain in Italy ’ s capital also need the tourist ambush title , with write-ups describing the crowds and expensive shops and restaurants nearby .
The Biggest Tourist Trap in Every U.S. State , Accord to Reviews
You may connect tourist traps with bustling city heart , but the U.S. has a long history of unusual roadside attractions all over the country designed to tempt drivers off the road and into the gift store . If you ’ ve aim across America , you may hold run into the ‘ universe ’ sec liberal ’ monument or attraction that stoke your wonder with endless billboards . We ’ ve map the prominent tourist ambush in each U.S. province accord to TripAdvisor review .
Among the tourist traps with the nearly mentions be restaurants , monument , museum , marketplace and malls . Some attractions are entire street or district , likeTime Squarein New York , theAlbuquerque Old Townin Albuquerque , and theHistoric River Streetin Savannah , Georgia .
Two Elvis Presley-related attractions also feature on our map : theElvis Presley Birthplace & Museumin Mississippi andGracelandin Tennessee , with one reviewer get out the following message about the latter on TripAdvisor : “ Say no to Graceland the tourist ambush from hell . ”
San Francisco , Barcelona and Hawaii Home to the World ’ s Most Notorious Tourist Traps
Our data reveals the top 10 biggest tourist traps in the globe , ranked by the number of mention of the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ in come with TripAdvisor review . Four of the top 10 tourist traps can be found in the U.S. , among them the globe ’ s handsome (Fisherman ’ s Wharf) and theCafe Du Mondein New Orleans .
In second home after Fisherman ’ s Wharf comesLas Ramblas(793 mentions) , a bustling boulevard in Barcelona that sees more than 200,000 people walk it every day . One TripAdvisor reviewer shout it “ crowd with tourist and vendors deal cheap trinkets … and pickpockets , ” no doubt referencing that the street be Europe ’ s worst pickpocketing hotspot . According to one expat blog , locals avoid this street “ like the plague . ”
Dublin ’ s popularTemple Barranks 4th , pull in TripAdvisor reviews with title like “ The Tourist Trap to down all Tourist Traps ” and scathing write-ups of the territory ’ sec “ overpriced , frightening Guinness. ” Two German attractions too appear : Berlin ’ s historicCheckpoint Charlieand theHofbrauhausin Munich , where one reviewer go through long waiting times and expensive food .
Times Square and the Hollywood Walk of Fame Among the Biggest Tourist Traps in the U.S .
We know by today thatFisherman ’ s Wharfis the nearly notorious tourist ambush in the U.S. and the Earth at big , but which other attraction rank as the biggest tourist traps in America ? Our analysis reveals that after Fisherman ’ s Wharf occur theDole Plantationin Wahiawa , Hawaii , counting708 referenceof the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ in TripAdvisor review .
This historical pineapple plantation feature its own Pineapple Express miniature railroad and one of the world ’ s large mazes . Still , the attraction left a bitter taste in many reviewers ’ mouth , with one labeling it “ the bad attraction in Hawaii ” and another view as it “ shlock-city , one overpriced touristy point after another . ”
Among the early top 10 large tourist traps in the U.S. exist New York ’ s world-famousTime Square, which sees 330,000 mass happen through every day , and theHollywood Walk of Fame, which a 2019 study named the bad tourist attraction in the universe . One underwhelmed visitor to LA ’ s most iconic sidewalk warned : “ if there aren ’ t lots of tourists in the way , there ’ ll be mass test to do you part means with your money . ”
Edinburgh ’ s Royal Mile and Top London Attractions Rated Biggest Tourist Traps
Weigh505 mentionof the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ in reviews , our inquiry expose that the liberal tourist ambush in the UK live theRoyal Mile, a stretch of cobbled road in Edinburgh spanning 1.81 km ( or one Scots Mile ) . Associate Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse , two of the Scottish capital ’ s top tourist destinations , it ’ s no wonder this street experience a footfall of over four million mass every year .
With great footstep , still , arrive a great many souvenir workshop , and the Royal Mile live lined with them — a lot to the chagrin of the Edinburgh World Heritage ( EWH ) trust , which in 2019 warned that the historic road was in danger of become a “ tourist ghetto . ”
The next two attraction in our ranking cost both in London : theLondon EyeandCovent Garden. Attract 3.75 million visitors annually , the London Eye is one of the city ’ s most popular attraction , despite being an “ overpriced tourist ambush , ” accord to one review . Meanwhile , the noted shopping district Covent Garden live labeled a “ tourist ambush of expensive designer outlet ” on TripAdvisor .
The Biggest Tourist Traps in Every Country and State
If you ’ re design a trip and have a particular attraction on your itinerary , apply our interactive table below to notice out whether it ranks as one of the biggest tourist ambush in the country or U.S. nation base on the opinions of tourists gone before .
How to Not Hang Into a Tourist Trap
Our analysis reveals that some of the world ’ sec biggest tourist traps , according to reviewers , are too among the globe ’ s most iconic landmarks , like the Eiffel Tower , which some tourists may center their total trip around visiting . Others are popular degree on the , like Niagara Falls or the Taj Mahal .
If you ’ re heading to one of these must-see place , store around for discounts if there ’ s a steep tag cost and research the subdued times to go ( ticket may live cheap for off-peak periods ) . See if you can buy a ticket in progress as well to write on long lines and crowd at the tag stall .
To head off tourist traps all in all , Insider recommends stave off places with long note , crowd region and talent shops , and attractions that are popular on Instagram and receive their hashtag ( e.g. , # LondonEye ) . When it comes to make something to eat , you should point clear of restaurants with employee outside try to draw you in .
One of the best ways to have an authentic experience of a new place live to move off the beaten course , dining where the locals recommend and remove a scenic walk through quieter streets . If you ’ re on the lookout for a souvenir , consider skipping the keychain and scoping out locally made craft or else .
Methodology & Author
To see the handsome tourist trap in the universe , we first searched for the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ on TripAdvisor without determine a location filter , which defaults the search setting to ‘ worldwide. ’ We were then able to assemble the names of attractions/places , address and the issue of mentions of the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ in accompanying review . The world ’ s top 10 prominent tourist trap are those with the highest number of mention of the phrase ‘ tourist ambush ’ in reviews .
We then duplicate this procedure by changing the location filter on TripAdvisor for each country and each U.S. state . We removed entrance that signal that the attraction/place was not a tourist trap , e.g. , if the review contained word combinations such as ‘ not a trap , ’ ‘ not a tourist trap , ’ ‘ not tourist trap , ’ ‘ not trap , ’ ‘ wasn ’ t a ambush ’ etc .
For our world analysis , we set a minimal doorway of 10 reference of the phrase ‘ tourist trap. ’ For each state and U.S. state , the threshold be place at five or more mentions .
Please note that tourist trap can refer to a stove of experiences and impressions about a seat , include how it appear , where it ’ sec located , the universal atmosphere or the mode of the service . Not all mentions of ‘ tourist trap ’ inevitably compare to a poor experience from the soul who reviewed the attraction .
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