Press release -
Edinburgh and Glasgow named in top 10 TripAdvisor best-rated destinations for 2018
Edinburgh is today (20 March) named the second best rated destination in the UK and 20th Europe in the tenth annual Travellers’ Choice awards for Destinations, announced by TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site. Elsewhere in Scotland, Glasgow comes in sixth place in the UK top ten.
Paris takes the title of world number one this year, with London taking the runner up prize and Rome following behind London in third place, while Bali comes in fourth. Interestingly, New York, a long-time favourite with travellers worldwide, slips down to tenth place this year from fifth last year, with Crete, Barcelona, Prague Marrakech and Istanbul – which come in fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth respectively – all ranking above the Big Apple.
The TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice awards for Destinations reveal the world’s best-rated destinations each year, based on millions of reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions at destinations and islands worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period, as well as traveller booking interest on TripAdvisor.
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said: “It is amazing that Edinburgh and Glasgow continue to feature so prominently in TripAdvisor’s Destination Awards.
“Both cities offer incredible attractions and experiences for visitors so it is fantastic to see them receive recognition they deserve through these awards.
“Edinburgh and Glasgow also serve as key gateways to the rest of Scotland and give the perfect springboard for visitors to discover wider regions and our country’s hidden gems.”
European destinations dominate the world top ten this year with seven of the top ten from the region; Paris, London, Rome, Crete, Barcelona, Prague and Istanbul.
Hayley Coleman, TripAdvisor spokesperson, said: "It’s great to see Edinburgh retain its place as the best rated destination outside London and Glasgow jump up two places from eighth position las year. Both of these destinations offer travellers fantastic experiences and the competitive edge they have over London is value – the average nightly hotel rate on TripAdvisor for Edinburgh is 12% less than London, while Glasgow is over two thirds cheaper."
UK top 10
- 1.London, London
- 2.Edinburgh, Scotland
- 3.Liverpool, Merseyside
- 4.Jersey, Channel Isles
- 5.York, North Yorkshire
- 6.Glasgow, Scotland
- 7.Isle of Wight, Hampshire
- 8.Bath, Somerset
- 9.Blackpool, Lancashire
- 10.Belfast, Northern Ireland
For the complete list of Travellers' Choice Destination award-winners for 2018, as well as the latest reviews and candid traveller photos, visit www.TripAdvisor.co.uk/TravellersChoice-Destinations. Travellers can also follow the conversation on Twitter at #TravellersChoice.
ENDS
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- tripadvisor
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by five overarching strategies: Marketing, Events, Quality and Sustainability, Inclusive Tourism, International Engagement.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
2018 Year of Young People
- The Year of Young People 2018 will be the next of the Scottish Government’s series of themed years, following the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology 2017.
- The Year of Young People (YoYP 2018) will inspire Scotland through its young people aged 8 to 26, celebrating their achievements, valuing their contributions to communities and creating new opportunities for them to shine locally, nationally and globally
- Central to YoYP 2018 will be a celebratory events programme that puts young people at the heart of its development and delivery, creating new and valuable experiences for young Scots and the wider public, with links to the inaugural 2018 European Championships.
- Over 200 young people throughout Scotland are currently being recruited to become YoYP 2018 Ambassadors. Ambassadors will ensure that people and organisations in their communities know about what’s happening and will lead on projects and activities to create events and opportunities to celebrate young people.
- The Year of Young People will have six themes which were developed in co-production with young people themselves:
- oParticipation – looking at how young people can influence public services and decisions which affect their lives
- oEducation – creating a stronger role for young people in shaping their learning
- oHealth and Wellbeing – supporting young people to lead healthier, active lives and have opportunities to learn about and improve their mental health and resilience
- oEquality and Discrimination – broadcasting the value of young Scots, challenging negative perceptions of young people, and supporting young people to take leading roles in challenging discrimination in all its forms.
- oEnterprise and regeneration – celebrating young people’s role in innovation, entrepreneurship and the Scottish economy as well as making Scotland a greener and more pleasant place to live
- oCulture – celebrating young people’s talent and contribution to Scottish culture and arts.
- Further information on what’s happening and how people can get involved can be found on the new website www.yoyp2018.scot or @YOYP2018 on Twitter.
