UK Theme Park 'Alton Towers' Named the World's Most Disappointing Attraction
Half of Visitor Reviews Are Negative
Top 1 to 5 All in Europe... Rome's Trevi Fountain Ranks Fifth
The largest theme park in the UK has been dishonored as the world's most disappointing tourist attraction. Half of the visitor reviews were negative, citing expensive food prices and additional charges that were not properly announced.
The luggage storage service company 'Radical Storage' recently analyzed 95,352 reviews from 200 global tourist attractions and released a list of the 'most disappointing tourist destinations.' As a result, the number one spot went to the UK's 'Alton Towers.' Inspired by the success of Disneyland in the United States, Alton Towers transformed into a theme park in the 1980s and is the largest amusement park in the UK.
Looking at the survey details, nearly half of the reviews for Alton Towers were negative. This is significantly higher than the average negative review rate of 10.9% among the surveyed attractions. The main reasons for negative reviews were cost-related issues, including misleading information about ticket prices, expensive food and drinks, and complaints about having to purchase additional access to certain areas within the park.
The second place went to 'Sz?chenyi Thermal Bath' in Budapest, Hungary. This is the largest medicinal thermal bath in Europe and has been renowned as a wellness tourist destination since 1913. However, more than one-third of visitors left negative reviews. It received the third-lowest ratings particularly in terms of congestion and accessibility.
The third place, 'Siam Park,' a water park in Tenerife, Spain, holds the title of the largest water park in Europe but received many criticisms regarding rude staff behavior and accessibility issues.
The fourth place was 'Time Out Market Lisbon.' Established in 2014 by the British media company Time Out, this food market offers dishes from local chefs all in one place. It even won the Hamburg Food Service Award in 2018, but recently, visitor dissatisfaction has increased. One-quarter of the reviews were negative, with the most complaints about congestion and accessibility.
The fifth place was the 'Trevi Fountain' in Rome, Italy. Made world-famous by the movie 'Roman Holiday' starring Audrey Hepburn, it is known for the legend that throwing a coin into the fountain ensures a return visit to Rome. It is said that tourists worldwide throw coins worth about 1 million euros (approximately 1.4 billion KRW) annually. However, many visitors were disappointed due to overcrowding. One in four visitors reported a negative experience, and some pointed out accessibility issues. Additionally, the fountain was closed for a period last year due to renovation work, which was another reason for tourists' disappointment.
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