According to a new poll conducted by travel company Tripadvisor, Edinburgh is the second most popular tourist destination in the UK. The poll was conducted as part of the company’s ‘Travellers Choice Awards 2011′, taken from the opinions of visitors from around the world.
As expected, holidays in London topped the poll; however other prominent Scottish locations such as Glasgow and Aberdeen were also placed at 11th and 20th respectively.
Visitors were drawn to the city because of famous attractions such as the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, the palace of Holyroodhouse and the dramatic hills that surround it. The Edinburgh Festival and the Hogmanay celebrations is also a massive draw for the culture and arts fraternity.
Talking to the BBC, Mike Cantley, chairman of VisitScotland was understandably overjoyed: “This is marvellous news for Scotland.
“For Edinburgh to be voted one of the most popular destinations in Europe is a fantastic accolade for Scotland’s capital, although it should come as no surprise to those who have experienced the city’s splendour first hand.
“The fact that Inverness, St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Oban also feature in TripAdvisor’s Top 25 UK destinations shows that Scotland continues to capture the imagination of visitors from around the world.”
The English city of Bath was voted the third most popular location, with Cambridge and Oxford in fourth and fifth. Belfast was the most popular destination in Ulster, coming thirteenth overall. The Welsh capital of Cardiff came seventeenth and is the most popular place to visit in Wales.
