LONDON has been revealed as the best-rated destination in the world in the latest TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.
The city, which came in second place last year, jumped to number one thanks to the excitement around the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which boosted hotel bookings by holidaymakers.
The results are based on reviews of hotels, restaurants and attractions submitted by millions of travellers over a 12-month period.
It takes into consideration the number as well as quality of reviews for each of the entries.
Six of the global top ten was dominated by European destinations, with the top five being London, Paris, Rome, Crete and Bali.
Hayley Coleman, TripAdvisor spokesperson, said: “The global fascination with Harry and Meghan clearly has a powerful effect as this is the first time since 2016 that London has topped the world rankings.”
Top 10 best rated destinations in the world
1. London, UK
2. Paris, France
3. Rome, Italy
4. Crete, Greece
5. Bali, Indonesia
6. Phuket, Thailand
7. Barcelona, Spain
8. Istanbul, Turkey
9. Marrakech, Morocco
10. Dubai, UAE
She also suggested the royal baby due next month could continue the effect into 2020.
Laura Citron, CEO of Visit London said it was no surprise the city took the top spot, thanks to the city’s heritage from “Shakespeare to the birth of punk”.
Popular tourist attractions in London with a royal connection have seen a huge surge in bookings.
The Changing of the Guard has had year-on-year booking increases of 231 per cent, and Windsor Castle has seen 173 per cent more bookings year-on-year.
UK and Channel Islands top 10
1. London, London
2. Edinburgh, Scotland
3. Liverpool, Merseyside
4. Glasgow, Scotland
5. Belfast, Northern Ireland
6. Bath, Somerset
7. Isle of Wight, Hampshire
8. York, North Yorkshire
9. Manchester, Great Manchester
10. Jersey, Channel Islands
New York, often a favourite destination, dropped out of the top ten into 13th place this year.
Prague and Siam Reap in Cambodia narrowly missed out as well.
The TripAdvisor awards named a £125-a-night B&B in Torquay as the best in the world, Sun Online Travel previously reported.
The 25 Boutique B&B has won a legion of fans who have stayed in the six-room establishment.
A Nottingham restaurant also made it into the top four restaurants in the world, according to TripAdvisor.
