Hilton Hotels & Resorts revealed the newly-identified Seven Urban Wonders of the World. The new list spotlights the dream destinations of today’s experience-led travelers.
A world-first for a traveling index, the list was crowdsourced using influencers with a combined reach of more than 3.5 million.
The shortlisted wonders were analyzed and validated by Hilton’s intuitive travel tech partner LikeWhere, after crowdsourcing suggestions from travelers worldwide. Using the travel preferences of holidaymakers aged 18-35, the software was able to shortlist the locations that scored highest against criteria encompassing local cuisine, architecture, heritage and culture, diversity, activities available and Instagrammability.
As identified by smart data, the Seven Urban Wonders of the World include:
- Louvre, Abu Dhabi – Since opening in 2017, the Louvre, Abu Dhabi has instantly become one of the best art galleries in the world, featuring impressive installations, including Animals, Between Real and Imaginary and Japanese Connections: The Birth of Moden Décor.
- Sydney Opera House, Sydney – The iconic Sydney Opera House scored high among travelers, not only for its cultural contribution to the city but also its position as a very Instagrammable viewpoint, looking out to Sydney Harbour Bridge.
- Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo – With food and flea markets scoring high on travel preferences, this mega fish market fits the bill for modern travelers. With major changes due to take place in October 2018, including relocation to a new site nearby, this is a wonder set to evolve.
- Camden Market, London – Another one of the world’s most prominent food and flea markets, Camden Market has always had a rebellious and exciting persona, appealing to younger travelers throughout the decades.
- The Bund, Shanghai – As one of the city’s most historic features, this mile-long stretch of waterfront features 52 historical structures known locally as the ‘museum of buildings’.
- Temple Street Night Markets, Hong Kong – The markets are one of the city’s most vibrant meeting points, showcasing cultures, foods and craft goods; a winning combination among modern travelers surveyed.
- Albertina, Vienna – With history and art galleries continuing to be a major draw when on holiday, Albertina is one of the world’s finest examples. Set in a former Habsburg palace, but with modern, striking extensions, the building is also one of Vienna’s most photographed, with more than 70,000 posts on Instagram.
“With more than 575 hotels in some of the most coveted destinations in the world, we wanted to empower today’s experience-driven travelers to identify modern-day travel Wonders – which, as you will see, are much different from the original Seven Wonders of the World,” said Vera Manoukian, senior vice president and global brand head, Hilton Hotels & Resorts. “This list is set to inspire both the experienced and novice travellers as they begin to dream about their next global adventure.”
Methodology
To determine the final Seven Urban Wonders of the World, Hilton Hotels & Resorts executed a three-stage process:
- Conducted a survey of 2,000 18-35-year-olds on their holiday preferences when visiting urban destinations.
- Destinations were crowdsourced through 12 social media influencers from the UK, Germany, and UAE, with a combined reach of over 3.5 million people
- The full list of suggestions was gathered and then given to LikeWhere, a travel tech partner, which applied its access to thousands of data points to determine how well each scored against the key factors determined in stage one. From this analysis, it was possible to narrow the suggestions down to the final seven highest-scoring locations.
