1. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France :
The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the entrance to the 1889
World's Fair, it was initially criticised by some of France's leading artists
and intellectuals for its design, but it has become a global cultural icon of
France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The Eiffel
Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.91 million people ascended
it in 2015.
The tower is 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building, and the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 125 metres (410 ft) on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1930. It was the first structure to reach a height of 300 metres. Due to the addition of a broadcasting aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 metres (17 ft). Excluding transmitters, the Eiffel Tower is the second tallest free-standing structure in France after the Millau Viaduct.
2. La Sagrada Familia, Spain :
The BasÃlica de la Sagrada FamÃlia, also known as the Sagrada FamÃlia, is a large unfinished Roman Catholic minor basilica in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by Catalan architect Antoni GaudÃ, his work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tourism in Spain is the third major contributor to national
economic life after the industrial and the business/banking sectors,
contributing about 10-11% of Spain's GDP. Ever since the 1960s and 1970s, the
country has been a popular destination for summer holidays, especially with
large numbers of tourists from Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy,
the Benelux, and the United States, among others. Accordingly, Spain's foreign
tourist industry has grown into the second-biggest in the world. As of february
2019, Spain holds 1st place in the World at international tourism ranking The
TourismRank.
In 2018, Spain was the second most visited country in the
world, recording 82.8 million tourists which marked the sixth consecutive year
of record-beating numbers.
3. Times Square, New York, United States :
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment center and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue. It stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. Brightly adorned with billboards and advertisements, Times Square is sometimes referred to as "The Crossroads of the World", "The Center of the Universe", "the heart of The Great White Way", and "the heart of the world". One of the world's busiest pedestrian areas, it is also the hub of the Broadway Theater District and a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Times Square is one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists, while over 460,000 pedestrians walk through Times Square on its busiest days.
4. Great Wall of China, China :
The Great Wall of China is the collective name of a series of fortification systems generally built across the historical northern borders of China to protect and consolidate territories of Chinese states and empires against various nomadic groups of the steppe and their polities.
Tourism in
China is a growing industry that is becoming a significant part of the Chinese
economy. The rate of tourism has greatly expanded over the last few decades
since the beginning of reform and opening. The emergence of a newly rich middle
class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are
both fueling this travel boom. China has become one of the world's most-watched
and hottest inbound and outbound tourist markets. According to Xinhuanet, the
world is on the cusp of a sustained Chinese tourism boom.
As of 2015,
China is the fourth most visited country in the world, after France, United
States, and Spain, with 56.9 million international tourists per year.
In 2017,
tourism contributed about CNY 8.77 trillion (USD 1.35 trillion), 11.04% of the
GDP, and contributed direct and indirect employment of up to 28.25 million
people. There were 139.48 million inbound trips and five billion domestic
trips. Data from 2016 indicated that the majority of China's foreign tourists
came (transferred) from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Among the number of
tourist arrivals who stayed for at least a night, 27.72 million came from Hong
Kong, 4.81 million from Macau and 5.09 million from Taiwan. When adjusted to
exclude transfers from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the number of tourist
arrivals from foreign countries directly to China is 21.65 million.
5. Colosseum, Italy :
The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of travertine limestone, tuff, and brick-faced concrete, it was the largest amphitheatre ever built at the time and held 50,000 spectators.
With 58.3
million tourists a year (2017), Italy is the fifth most visited country in
international tourism arrivals. People mainly visit Italy for its rich culture,
cuisine, history, fashion and art, its beautiful coastline and beaches, its
mountains, and priceless ancient monuments. Italy also contains more World
Heritage Sites than any other country in the world .
6. The Blue Mosque, Turkey :
The Blue Mosque (Called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish) is an historical mosque in Istanbul. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design.Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I. just like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasa and a hospice.Besides still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction in Istanbul.
Besides
being tourist attraction, it's also a active mosque, so it's closed to non
worshippers for a half hour or so during the five daily prayers.
7. Tulum - Mayan Port City, Mexico :
Tulum is a town on the Caribbean coastline of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It’s known for its beaches and well-preserved ruins of an ancient Mayan port city. The main building is a large stone structure called El Castillo (castle), perched on a rocky cliff above the white sand beach and turquoise sea. Near the ruins is the Parque Nacional Tulum, a coastal area with mangroves and cenotes (natural limestone sinkholes).
The park is
rich in wildlife such as iguanas and loggerhead turtles. The area around Tulum
is a popular diving destination due to cenotes like the underwater caves of the
Gran Cenote. In the south, numerous Mayan sites lie within the Sian Ka’an biosphere
reserve. This coastal wetland with mangrove-lined canals is home to manatees,
ocelots and howler monkeys. To the north is Xel-Há, an eco-park offering
snorkeling, cave diving and wildlife encounters.
8. Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany :
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and in honour of Richard Wagner.
Germany is
the eighth most visited country in the world, with a total of 407.26 million
overnights during 2012. This number includes 68.83 million nights by foreign
visitors, the majority of foreign tourists in 2009 coming from the Netherlands,
the United Kingdom, and Switzerland . Additionally, more than 30% of Germans
spend their holiday in their own country. According to Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness Reports, Germany is ranked 3 out of 136 countries in the 2017
report, and is rated as one of the safest travel destinations worldwide.
9. Phi Phi Islands, Thailand :
The Phi Phi Islands are an island group in Thailand, between the large island of Phuket and the Straits of Malacca coast of Thailand. The islands are administratively part of Krabi Province.
Tourism is a
major economic contributor to the Kingdom of Thailand. Estimates of tourism
revenue directly contributing to the Thai GDP of 12 trillion baht range from
one trillion baht (2013) 2.53 trillion baht (2016), the equivalent of 9% to
17.7% of GDP. When including indirect travel and tourism receipts, the 2014
total is estimated to be the equivalent of 19.3% (2.3 trillion baht) of
Thailand's GDP. The actual contribution of tourism to GDP is lower than these
percentages because GDP is measured in value added not revenue. The valued
added of the Thailand's tourism industry is not known (value added is revenue
less purchases of inputs). According to the secretary-general of the Office of
the National Economic and Social Development Council speaking in 2019, the
government projects that the tourism sector will account for 30% of Thailand's
GDP by 2030, up from 20% in 2019.
Tourism
worldwide in 2017 accounted for 10.4% of global GDP and 313 million jobs, or
9.9% of total employment. Most governments view tourism as an easy moneymaker
and a shortcut to economic development. Tourism success is measured by the
number of visitors; the more, the better.
10. Big Ben, United Kingdom :
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the striking clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London and is usually extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower. The official name of the tower in which Big Ben is located was originally the Clock Tower, but it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II.
The tower
was designed by Augustus Pugin in a neo-Gothic style. When completed in 1859,
its clock was the largest and most accurate four-faced striking and chiming
clock in the world. The tower stands 315 feet (96 m) tall, and the climb from
ground level to the belfry is 334 steps. Its base is square, measuring 39 feet
(12 m) on each side. Dials of the clock are 23 feet (7.0 m) in diameter. On 31
May 2009, celebrations were held to mark the tower's 150th anniversary.