From Stonehenge to the Pyramids of Giza, these are the tourist spots that have received the most complaints in recent years. Let’s see which tourist attractions top the negative rating.
There is nothing worse than visiting a legendary, world-famous tourist attraction and being completely disappointed. This can be a discouraging and frustrating experience you may even feel like complaining. And who doesn’t like to complain?
Which world-famous tourist attractions are the most criticized?
After analyzing more than 80,000 negative reviews on TripAdvisor for famous places around the world, the company found out which attractions received the most complaints over the years.
“Many of us dream of traveling the world and seeing the most iconic sights. However, our research has shown that some of the most famous sights may not be so famous. In the first place was the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which tourists complain about the most: 20% of it received only one or two stars, followed by the Palace of Versailles and Stonehenge,” the report says.
At the top of the pedestal, unsurprisingly, is the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. After all, it’s just a bunch of fancy cobblestones, right? Surprisingly, 20% of all reviews of the most famous and visited section of Hollywood Boulevard give it a rating of one or two stars, and most of the complaints are related to its lack of cleanliness.
Next on the list is the Palace of Versailles, located near Paris, which is often celebrated as a particularly ornate and magnificent place. The main complaints of visitors to Versailles are overcrowding, the high cost of admission, and poor maintenance of the gardens.
In third place is Stonehenge in the UK, with complaints ranging from high admission fees to the frustrating simplicity of the site itself.
In western California, the iconic Hollywood sign is featured on TV, in movies, in songs, and more, making it one of the top attractions. Despite this, out of 7675 online reviews, it received the fourth-highest number of one- or two-star reviews at 6%.
5% of the reviews for the following three attractions have one or two stars, but the total number of reviews differs. London’s Big Ben has 31,783 reviews on TripAdvisor, but 5% of them have one or two stars. The White House has 8,130 reviews, and 5% of them are one or two-star ratings, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy has 14,633 reviews, of which 5% are one or two-star ratings.
The most viewed tourist attraction was the Empire State Building with 92,362 reviews on TripAdvisor. But it looks like the 102-story landmark isn’t all visitors think about, as 4% of visitors left one- or two-star ratings. The Empire State Building website says that more than 4 million people visit it every year, as many want to visit the deck that towers over all of New York.
Built-in the 26th century BC, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt attract over 14.7 million visitors a year and are part of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Despite their mysterious history, 4% of the 8,142 reviews left on TripAdvisor have one or two stars.
Rounding out the top 10 most visited attractions in the world is Buckingham Palace in London, the seat of the British monarchy since 1837 after its original construction in 1703. 3% of the 29,303 reviews were rated one or two stars as more than 50,000 people visit the palace as guests for events such as banquets, lunches, and dinners, according to the royal family’s website.
Meanwhile, according to the study, the Great Wall of China is the least complaining tourist attraction, with only 114 out of 23,785 reviews rated one or two stars. The Internet has made it easier to share opinions online, both positive and negative, and with social media at our fingertips, this lifestyle is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
List of the world’s most criticized tourist attractions
- Hollywood Walk of Fame, USA
- Palace of Versailles, France
- Stonehenge, UK
- Hollywood Sign, USA
- Big Ben, UK
- White House, USA
- Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
- Empire State Building, USA
- Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
- Buckingham Palace, UK