PHOTO: Move over Big Ben; the London Eye is on the list and you aren't. (Photo courtesy of VisitLondon.com)
Most destination marketing organizations stay away from making best of lists because they don't care to anger those that don't make the list. Not so with VisitLondon.com, the official city guide, which actually released a film of the city's 10 most popular attractions based on visitation according to statistics, released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) earlier this year. The film is created from footage shot by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or photographer drone. (Yes there are nice ways to use the technology).
The attractions, along with the rest of the city, can afford to feel giddy after a record-breaking year for London tourism in 2013, when the capital's visitor attractions enjoyed a 12 percent increase in visitor numbers. Something of an evolution in travelers' tastes is revealed by the list in the absence of such former A-list attractions as Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circle, London Bridge and others on the list. It may be that the inclusion of London's domestic tourists rearranges the hierarchy of top attractions.
"VisitLondon.com is a vital tool to millions of visitors to the city, so it's important to continually create new and inspiring content," said Director of VisitLondon.com Julie Chappell. "This film uses impressive footage achieved by UAV, giving fantastic visuals of our iconic attractions. We're really excited to share it and encourage visitors to London to experience the things that continue to excite and draw many millions of people each year."
"We were really excited about working on this project, as it is not often we get an excuse to fly in such amazing locations," said Jamie Cameron, HeliPOV company director. "You can't just put a UAV up in Central London without raising a few eyebrows. However by flying at un-sociable hours and working closely with all of the locations in conjunction with NATS and the CAA we got to see London from these unique angles - and the results did not disappoint."
The VisitLondon.com Top Ten Attractions are in order:
1. The British Museum
2. The National Gallery
3. Natural History Museum
4. Tate Modern
5. EDF Energy London Eye
6. Science Museum
7. Victoria and Albert Museum
8. Tower of London
9. Royal Museums Greenwich (Royal Observatory Greenwich, The Queen's House, National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark)
10. Madame Tussauds London.
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