The best city destinations outside of Europe have been named – as well as some of the worst.
And it’s bad news if you have a certain US location on your travel bucket list.
The recent research – carried out by Which? – asked more than 1,800 members of an online panel to rate their experiences of world travel outside of Europe over the last three years, receiving feedback on more than 3,000 trips.
To form the comprehensive findings, locations were marked on seven separate criteria such as tourist attractions, quality of food, ease of getting around, value for money and more.
The results have shed light on some of the lowest-scoring destinations – and it’s bad news for Sin City.
Las Vegas, also known as the ‘entertainment capital of the world’, was bottom of the list with a city score of just 52%.
Lots of people on TripAdvisor have echoed this sentiment, with one individual named Julia G calling the city in the state of Nevada ‘outrageously expensive’, as well as ‘crowded’ and ‘unpleasant’ in her hard-hitting review.
While another reviewer called WorkTravelerTN said: ‘Absolutely never coming back. I can’t comprehend how anyone finds this place enjoyable.’
Others have noted that for an area so known for its wealth, there are a lot of people in need.
‘Zero effort to help the homeless,’ pointed out Mike F on the platform.
Over the past few years, the Las Vegas strip has seen a surge in homeless people sleeping on the sidewalks and in makeshift tents as the city grapples with an affordable housing crisis – with an estimated 6,500 people living on the streets in January 2023.
As a result, many visitors are calling for more to be done to help homeless individuals in the area.
In defense of Las Vegas…
Though the research voted Las Vegas in last place, Metro’s Lifestyle Editor, Rachel Moss, says Sin City will also have a special place in her heart:
‘People who hate Vegas don’t understand Vegas,’ she says. ‘I visited in 2019 and had one of the best weekends of my life.
‘Yes, it’s tacky. Yes, it celebrates almost every human vice, but that’s the point. It’s excessive and ridiculous, making it the perfect place to switch your brain off for a few days and let your hair down. People don’t go to Margate or Yarmouth for a classy time. Think of Vegas like that – but on steroids. Eat, drink, gamble, watch a show and be merry – just set yourself a budget.’
Though the homelessness crisis in Vegas is a problem (and is especially prevalent in the Downtown area) this isn’t unique to the city. Rachel notes that LA, New York and some areas of San Francisco face similar issues.
‘Clearly, this speaks to the wider housing crisis and lack of social support in America,’ she says. ‘But I don’t think it’s a reason to boycott the city just yet.
‘You don’t need more than a couple of days in Vegas, but walking around the locations of Hollywood films with a frozen margarita in hand is pretty special if you ask me.’
But this wasn’t the only US city to flop in the rankings. LA was also towards the bottom of a pile with a score of 60%.
On the other end of the spectrum Australia dominates the list, with Sydney scooping the top spot (88%) alongside Melbourne and Perth also appearing in the top 10.
Chicago and Washington DC also came out as the winners for the US, with scores of 83% and 82%, respectively.
List of top world destinations, according to Which?:
- Sydney – 88%
- Cape Town – 85%
- Chicago – 84%
- Kyoto – 84%
- Singapore – 84%
- Melbourne – 83%
- Perth – 82%
- Tokyo – 82%
- Washington DC – 82%
- Christchurch – 81%
- Vancouver – 81%
- Bangkok – 80%
- Boston – 79%
- New York – 78%
- Wellington – 78%
- Brisbane – 77%
- Ho Chi Minh City – 75%
- Kuala Lumpur – 75%
- Hong Kong – 73%
- Toronto – 72%
- Abu Dhabi – 71%
- Delhi – 71%
- Hanoi – 71%
- Marrakesh – 71%
- New Orleans – 69%
- Buenos Aires – 68%
- Orlando – 68%
- Auckland – 67%
- Montreal – 66%
- Seattle – 66%
- Dubai – 65%
- San Francisco – 64%
- Cairo – 62%
- Miami – 61%
- Los Angeles – 60%
- Santiago (Chile) – 58%
- Las Vegas – 52%
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