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Summary

These Are The Biggest 'Tourist Traps' In The World & 9 Canadian Spots Made The List

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The Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver.

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If you're travelling, it's natural to end up visiting a tourist trap or two. But if you're looking to avoid an expensive or crowded day out, a new study has ranked some of the biggest "tourist traps" around the world.

The study from USA Today has revealed 100 of the world's biggest "tourist traps" and while the top 10 is largely dominated by spots in the United States, one Canadian tourist attraction was also mentioned.

The study looked at over 23 million Google reviews of the world's 500 most popular tourist attractions to determine how often the term "tourist trap," "overrated," or "expensive" was used when talking about the spot, compared to the total number of reviews.


The top 10 biggest tourist traps worldwide according to the study were:

  1. Four Corners Monument, Arizona, U.S.
  2. Salem Witch Museum, Massachusetts, U.S.
  3. Calico Ghost Town, California, U.S.
  4. Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota, U.S.
  5. International UFO Museum and Research Centre, New Mexico, U.S.
  6. Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, Iceland
  7. Voodoo Donut, Oregon, U.S.
  8. Capilano Suspension Bridge, B.C., Canada
  9. Penang Hill. Penang, Malaysia
  10. Pike Place Market, Washington, U.S.
Capilano Suspension Bridge was the only Canadian spot to make the top 10 list for tourist traps.
The 450-foot bridge takes you through the towering rainforest in North Vancouver and while it's certainly beautiful, visiting can be pricey with tickets costing $66.95.

In fact, it came second in the world in USA Today's separate list of the most "overpriced" attractions, behind Iceland's Blue Lagoon.

Canada's Wonderland and the Calgary Stampede were also in the top 10 "overpriced" attractions.


Despite some regarding the bridge as a tourist trap, it still has a 4.6 rating on Google reviews, so it may still be worth the visit.
A few more Canadian spots made the top 100 tourist traps with the Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls coming in at 19, followed by ByWard Market in Ottawa at 31.
More Ontario spots were also considered tourist traps including the Distillery District in Toronto which came in at 62 and Niagara Falls at 63.
Other spots that made the top 100 included the CN Tower and Casa Loma in Toronto and Grouse Mountain and Butchart Gardens in B.C.
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    • Charlie Hart

      Creator

      Charlie Hart was a Calgary-based Creator for Narcity Media. Hailing from London, U.K., Charlie moved to Calgary with a passion for learning more about what Canada has to offer. She studied Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University and has over five years of experience for titles including Supply Management, Elle UK and InStyle UK.

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