London triumphs in destination awards, but North is best for UK breaks

Thursday, 3 May 2012 8:44 AM

 

With the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympic Games coming to London this year, perhaps it should come as no surprise that travellers have voted the UK's capital to be the best destination in the world during 2012.

The city beat popular short break destinations like New York, Rome and Paris to win the title in the The Travellers’ Choice Destinations awards - based on reviews and opinions left on the TripAdvisor website.

Emma Shaw, TripAdvisor spokesperson, commented: “To be crowned the world’s best destination in the Olympic year by millions of travellers is a tremendous honour for London. It’s fantastic to see the capital recognised and rewarded by those that have really experienced the city – travellers themselves.”

Although London may have triumphed in the global stakes, closer to home it was the North of England that conquered in the North-South divide. Scotland and Northern England dominated the UK top 10 and, despite London being named the best UK destination overall, Torquay was the only other Southern English destination to make it onto the list.

The Capital of Scotland and home to the Edinburgh festival, Edinburgh, was voted the second best destination in the UK - whilst 2008's Capital of Culture Liverpool proved it's still one of the nations favourites, by placing third and beating rival Manchester, which placed seventh.

However, none of the other UK destinations (apart from London) managed to place in the Top 10 for Europe - proving that, when it comes to travel, holidaymakers are still won over by classic destinations like Barcelona and Berlin - which can offer a mix of culture and good weather.

The full European Top 10 was:
1 London
2 Rome
3 Paris
4 Istanbul
5 Barcelona
6 Berlin
7 Florence
8 Prague
9 Dublin
10 Amsterdam

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