Lifestyle / Travel

Top 25 travel destinations of 2013

Paris and New York have emerged as the most popular and sought-after travel destinations for 2013, according to travel site TripAdvisor.

May 23, 2013 | By AFPRelaxnews

Paris Champs Elysees

Paris and New York have emerged as the most popular and sought-after travel destinations for 2013, according to the millions of reviews and opinions of globetrotters on the world’s largest crowdsourced travel site TripAdvisor.

In the fifth edition of TripAdvisor’s top 25 Travelers’ Choice World Destinations, the City of Light moved up three places to take the top spot this year, while New York maintained its second place standing.

new york city skyline 2012

Rounding out the top five most popular world destinations this year are London, Rome and Barcelona in a list occupied by the usual suspects.

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The ranking is compiled based on the popularity of the destination, millions of reviews, opinions, favorites and the most highly ranked places among members within the online travel community.

london skyline

The French capital emerged the leader out of 412 destinations across 38 markets across the globe.

Meanwhile, though Paris has traditionally been a popular travel destination for its promise of romance, glittering towers, wine and cheese, this year the city suffered a few blows to its reputation, starting in March when a group of 23 Chinese tourists were robbed of their passports, plane tickets and cash shortly after landing in Paris.

Trevi Fountain Rome Italy

Most recently, what was supposed to be a public victory party for fans of the city’s soccer team, Paris Saint-Germain following their win of the French League turned into a full-scale riot near the tourist-heavy Eiffel Tower.

bangkok sightseeing

The biggest risers on TripAdvisor’s list include Prague and Cape Town, which both climbed 7 spots, while Siem Reap, Cambodia plummeted 14 spots, and Marrakech likewise dropped 13 spots. New entries for 2013 include Venice, Bangkok, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Grand Canal Venice Italy

Here’s how cities ranked around the world:

1. Paris
2. New York City
3. London
4. Rome
5. Barcelona
6. Venice
7. San Francisco
8. Florence
9. Prague
10. Sydney
11.  Berlin
12. Istanbul
13. Bangkok
14. Chicago
15. Tokyo
16. Cape Town
17. Rio de Janeiro
18. Buenos Aires
19. Marrakech
20. St. Petersburg
21. Beijing
22. Shanghai
23. Siem Reap
24. Chiang Mai
25. Queenstown, New Zealand

sydney opera house


 
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