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The global hotspots travellers most want to return to 

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Many people plan their dream trips for a while, getting comprehensive travel insurance in place and filling their itineraries with attractions and sights they’ve patiently waited to tick off their bucket lists. But while many of us travel somewhere new each year, in fear of not having visited some of the best parts of the world, many travellers instead value familiarity, or even fall in love with places so deeply that they choose to return, time and time again. 

With this in mind, we wanted to investigate which places around the world are most captivating for those who visit. We’ve analysed thousands of comments on Reddit, scrutinised hundreds of reviews of global attractions, and ranked the countries, cities and attractions people most want to return to.  

Which countries and cities do people most want to revisit?

To figure out which countries and cities are drawing the most visitors back, we took to Reddit’s r/Travel board, which boasts almost 10 million members. We analysed over 7,500 comments from different subreddits discussing countries that people expressed a desire to revisit, tallying the number of mentions for each destination.  

Top 10 Countries People Most Want To Return To 

Rank Country Number of mentions 
1 Japan 324 
2 Italy 294 
3 Spain 209 
4 Mexico 151 
5 Thailand 136 
6 Ireland 135 
7 France 127 
8 Iceland 124 
9 Greece 120 
10 Germany 118 
  1. Japan 
    Japan is a country famous for its cherry blossom, delicious cuisine and unique culture and history, so it’s no surprise that it ranks as the number one place people want to return to. With over 300 mentions across subreddits discussing the places people are yearning to revisit, travellers to Japan often pinpoint the diversity and altitude of things to explore as the reason they most want to return. 
  1. Italy 
    From gastronomic delights in some of the world’s most famous food regions, to breathtaking architecture and art like the Colosseum or Florence’s choice of Renaissance masterpieces, Italy is the second country travellers most want to revisit. The Mediterranean country boasts several historical landmarks and beautiful landscapes for avid travellers to explore, with many of Reddit’s travel-obsessed users calling the country their ‘first love’. 
  1. Spain 
    Across the subreddits, Spain was mentioned over 200 times. From the sandy beaches of the Spanish Costas to the different varieties of tapas on offer, Spain ranks as the third most sought-after country to revisit. One Redditor named the culture, food and architecture as top reasons why Spain is their dream destination, saying they’d be “happy to spend the rest of my life wandering the stone streets and taking siestas, sipping great wines and snacking on melon con jamon or little bocadillos”.

Top 10 Cities People Most Want To Return To 

Rank City Country Number of mentions 
1 London England 93 
2 Paris France 89 
3= Barcelona Spain 64 
3= New York City * United States of America 64 
4 Rome Italy 59 
5 Tokyo Japan 44 
6 Amsterdam Netherlands 41 
7 Berlin Germany 38 
8 Edinburgh Scotland 33 
9 Mexico City Mexico 32 
10 Madrid Spain 27 
*As it is not possible to distinguish between the sentiment of returning to New York (the state) and New York (the city), both mentions of the acronym ‘NYC’ and ‘New York’ were counted. 
  1. London 
    London, one of the world’s most visited cities, lands itself in first place as the city people most want to return to. Across the subreddits we analysed, there were 93 mentions of London. From iconic buildings like Big Ben and the Shard to riding around the city on double-decker buses, Reddit’s travellers often mention how they’ve visited the UK’s capital multiple times already, with multiple commenters saying the city “just feels like home”. 
  1. Paris 
    Following closely behind London with 89 different mentions, is the city of love, Paris. Over 30 million people travel to France’s capital city each year, to enjoy the beautiful scenery, experience Parisien café culture and witness some of the world’s most famous art collections. One Redditor summed up the delights of this French city by saying “It has it all – art, history and food”, a winning combination that leaves people wanting to come back for more. 
  1. Barcelona & New York City 
    In joint third place, the city of Barcelona is mentioned over 60 times across the subreddits. Impressive sandy beaches, striking gothic architecture and delicious paella offer travellers no end of options to spend a week away. One Reddit user even called out how unique the city is for its architecture, saying “Casa Mila is my favourite museum for its wavy rooftop that resembles the body of a desert”. 
     
    Also in third place, and commonly referred to as the ‘big apple’, is New York City. Located in America, and one of the world’s most visited cities, one traveller mentioned going back to New York because they didn’t finish visiting the museums or popular spots during their trip, and with so much to do in the city, it’s no surprise travellers are wishing to return to experience more of it. 

Which global attractions do people most want to revisit? 

To figure out which global attractions are often drawing visitors back, we analysed thousands of online reviews for over 450 landmarks, looking at which ones had the highest percentage of reviews from people saying they’d love to “come back” again. We also analysed the percentage of reviews that gave the attraction four or five stars and used a weighted scoring system to assign “come back” scores to each one.

Top 50 Global Attractions People Most Want To Return To 

Rank Attraction Location “Come Back” score /100 
1 Dollywood Tennessee, USA 94 
2 Disneyland Park California, USA 87 
3 Stone Mountain Park Atlanta, USA 81 
4 Warner Bros Studio Tour London, UK 78 
5 Blenheim Palace Oxfordshire, UK 74 
=5 Grand Canyon National Park Arizona, USA 74 
7 Crazy Horse Memorial South Dakota, USA 71 
=7 Hampton Court Palace London, UK 71 
9 Tokyo Disneyland Tokyo, Japan 70 
=9 Yosemite National Park California, USA 70 
=9 Universal Studios Florida Florida, USA 70 
=9 Busch Gardens Florida, USA 70 
13 Universal Studios Singapore Singapore 69 
14 Hoi An Ancient Town Hoi An, Vietnam 68 
=14 The Eden Project Cornwall, UK 68 
16 Hong Kong Disneyland Hong Kong 67 
17 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ohio, USA 63 
=18 Chatsworth House Derbyshire, UK 63 
=18 Windsor Castle Windsor, UK 63 
20 Kew Gardens London, UK 62 
21 The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, USA 60 
22 Ha Long Bay Quảng Ninh, Vietnam 59 
23 The Victoria and Albert Museum London, UK 58 
=23 Niagara Falls Ontario, Canada / New York, USA 58 
25 Universal Studios Japan Osaka, Japan 57 
=25 The British Museum London, UK 57 
27 Singapore Zoo Singapore 56 
=27 Gardens by the Bay Singapore 56 
=27 Borough Market London, UK 56 
30 Thorpe Park Chertsey, UK 55 
31 Taj Mahal Agra, India 54 
=31 The Historic Centre of Brugge Brussels, Belgium 54 
33 Disneyland Paris Paris, France 53 
=33 Griffith Observatory California, USA 53 
35 National Gallery London, UK 52 
36 Natural History Museum London, UK 51 
=36 Las Vegas Strip Nevada, USA 51 
38 Trevi Fountain Rome, Italy 50 
=38 Tivoli Gardens Copenhagen, Denmark 50 
=38 Louvre Museum Paris, France 50 
41 Empire State Building New York, USA 49 
=41 La Sagrada Familia Barcelona, Spain 49 
=41 Singapore Botanic Gardens Singapore 49 
44 Tower of London London, UK 48 
=44 Central Park New York, USA 48 
46 Musée d’Orsay Paris, France 47 
47 The Alamo Texas, USA 46 
=47 Waikiki Beach Hawaii, USA 46 
=47 Dubai Mall Dubai, United Arab Emirates 46 
50 Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris, France 45 
  1. Dollywood – Tennessee, USA 
    Nestled in the foothills of Tennessee’s iconic Smoky Mountains, Dollywood is both a theme park and a nod to the local Appalachian culture as well as the living legend herself, Dolly Parton. The queen of country partly owns the theme park, which offers everything from thrilling rides, to live entertainment and music. Online reviews praise the park for its fantastic food and decorations during the Christmas period, while many visitors recommend getting the two-day pass, so you can explore everything there is to offer. 
  1. Disneyland Park – California, USA 
    To many, this is the happiest place on earth. Disneyland Park, which opened in 1955, is said to have once had a secret apartment inside that was used by Walt Disney himself. As part of the park’s vision for a self-sustaining future, all the plants in the Tomorrowland attraction are edible, and travellers reviewing the park online rave about it, with many saying they continue to come back every year. 
  1. Stone Mountain Park – Atlanta, USA 
    Stone Mountain Park sits in the picturesque landscape of Georgia, showcasing the region’s impressive history and natural beauty. Towering over the area, the imposing Stone Mountain provides a gorgeous backdrop to the many activities the area offers travellers. Tourists reviewing the park say they spend their visits camping, hiking up the mountain, learning about the area’s vast history, and often mention that there’s something to do for everyone. 

Whether you’re heading to a theme park, a grand palace, a new destination, or a familiar spot – we hope this research has provided you with the inspiration to book your next trip. Wherever you do end up though, always remember to book your travel insurance as soon as you book your trip, so you can plan your itinerary and prepare for your trip knowing you’ve got comprehensive insurance in place

Methodology: 

To assess the attractions people most want to return to, a list of 456 popular global landmarks was collated using desk research. Online reviews for each attraction were then analysed to calculate the percentage of reviews that mentioned the phrase “come back”, as well as the percentage of four- and five-star reviews.  

Reviews with a perceived negative connotation were removed, ensuring that the analysis included only positive sentiment commentary. 

Both data points were then assigned scores using a weighted formula, to provide an overall ‘come back’ score out of 100.  

To assess the countries and cities people most want to return to, a series of subreddits under the Reddit r/Travel thread that discussed destinations people wish to return to, were collated.  
 
Over 7,500 comments and replies were then evaluated for the number of mentions each country and city amassed, thus ranking the destinations people most commonly want to return to. 
 
All data correct as of April 2024.