New York's Rockefeller Centre is popular among locals in winter, and has appeared in countless films and TV shows. — Photos: Pixabay
The United States is the top country for tourism in 2024.
That’s according to data released in May by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the University of Surrey in England.
It’s an admirable position to be in. And aligns with another recent report from the World Travel & Tourism Council, which revealed that the US is the world’s most powerful travel and tourism market, contributing a record-breaking US$2.36 trillion (RM9.97 trillion) to the nation’s economy last year.
But let’s take an even deeper dive and find out where specifically everyone is going when they explore the US.
The booking platform BookRetreats.com has made that task even easier. The company recently analysed 77 of the most popular points of interest across the country to identify the top 20 tourist attractions in the US.
The ranking is based on an evaluation of such factors as place popularity, overall experience (according to over 7,500 visitor reviews) and even hotel costs.
Central Park is beautiful in autumn (and winter, too), which is probably one of the reasons many tourists love visiting the place. — Photos: Pixabay
Based on these criteria, the nation’s top tourist attraction is New York City’s historic and sprawling Central Park. The total overall score for the park was 4.075 out of a potential 5 points on the ranking.
“Overall, New York’s Central Park is the most worthwhile attraction in the US. Offering 341ha of lush greenery in the middle of the city, it’s an urban escape unlike any other in the world,” says the report.
Close behind in second place is the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which earned a score of 3.994, followed by the popular Balboa Park in San Diego, California with a score of 3.795.
The remainder of the attractions in the top 20 are dominated by New York City hot spots. Here’s a closer look at the locations among the top 20.
1. Central Park, New York
2. National Mall, Washington, D.C.
3. Balboa Park, San Diego, California
4. Smithsonian National Museum of History, Washington D.C.
5. Times Square, New York
6. Rockefeller Centre, New York
7. Niagara Falls, Buffalo, New York
8. Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
9. Magic Kingdom Park, Orlando, Florida
10. Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York
11. Hoover Dam, Boulder City, Nevada
12. The High Line, New York
13. Fountains of Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada
14. Garden Of The Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado
15. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
16. Zion National Park, Utah
17. San Antonio River Walk, San Antonio, Texas
18. ICON Park, Orlando, Florida
19. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
20. Brooklyn Bridge, New York
The Garden Of The Gods is an amazing park in Colorado Springs.
Nature is where it’s at
The BookRetreats report also offered a few additional takeaways, when it comes to the country’s most popular attractions, including:
Nature is the top draw for visitors to this country. That’s evidenced by the fact that 50% of the best places to go in the US were found to be natural sites, says BookRetreats.
“While the US is known for its impressive theme parks, it’s the natural wonders that really stand out to tourists,” says the report.
Thrills, on the other hand, fall flat. To that end, the report shows 70% of the bottom 10 US attractions are theme parks. Sorry Mickey Mouse, it seems you may not be top of mind for visitors.
Biggest tourist traps, according to the report? Hollywood Walk of Fame, SeaWorld San Diego and Six Flags Great Adventure. – Travel Pulse/Tribune News Service
