America's Most Visited Tourist Attractions (best, places, people, Boston)

[tmac9wr]

Forbes Traveler (http://www.forbestraveler.com/best-lists/most-visited-attractions-us-2009-story.html - broken link)

Saw this list posted on a Boston architecture website and figured I'd share it with the rest of you...I don't think this has been posted before

1. Times Square; New York City (37.6 Million annual visitors)
2. The Las Vegas Strip; Las Vegas (30 Million)
3. National Mall and Memorial Parks; Washington DC (25 Million)
4. Faneuil Hall Marketplace; Boston (20 Million)
5. Disney World's Magic Kingdom; Orlando (17.1 Million)
6. Disneyland Park; Anaheim, CA (14.9 Million)
7. Fisherman's Wharf/Golden Gate National Recreation Area; San Francisco (14.1 Million)
8. Niagra Falls; NY (12 Million)
9. Great Smoky Mountains National Park; TN, NC (9.04 Million)
10. Navy Pier; Chicago (8.6 Million)

The list goes all the way up to 25, but I didn't feel like typing them all out, so check out the list if you're interested!

[UrbanLover]

When I read the headline........ I assumed Times Square would be one and Disney at second.

I was close.

[tmac9wr]

Originally Posted by UrbanLover

When I read the headline........ I assumed Times Square would be one and Disney at second.

I was close.

Note that is only Magic Kingdom, not all of Disney World.

[BPP1999]

Hmm. I wonder if the #'s for Boston's Faneuil Hall include the nearby office workers who frequent the marketplace for lunch. I have a very hard time believing otherwise.

OK, I just checked the Forbes website, and shoppers do in fact include a large portion of the #, but the Hall was included on the top 25 list because of its historical significance.

[HenryAlan]

I think that's one of the cool things about Faneuil Hall. It is popular with both tourists and locals.

[john_starks]

that many people visit the delaware water gap?

[BPP1999]

Originally Posted by john_starks

that many people visit the delaware water gap?

Sure, and probably 95% of them are from Philadelphia, NJ, and NYC.

[GLS2010]

interesting

[14thandYou]

Interesting that Disney World is the only one of these that requires an entrance fee.

[LINative]

Originally Posted by 14thandYou

Interesting that Disney World is the only one of these that requires an entrance fee.

I believe Disney World and Disney Land are the only ones listed that could actually verify their numbers coming in. I wonder if some of the other places are counting the same people coming through day after day?

In other words, I do not think that 37 million DIFFERENT people are visiting Times Square each year. There are tons people visiting of course but I think alot of it is the same people over and over again. And that assumes the numbers are accurate in the first place.

Even the Disney figures MIGHT include the same workers coming in every day for all we know.