As part of an annual year-end review, Facebook shared the top global trends of 2013 and the single-most checked-in location in 25 countries (excluding transportation hubs such as airports). After relationship announcements, travel was the most discussed life event users added to their pages in 2013. The map of the most checked-into destinations includes sports stadiums, music venues, public squares and theme parks.
Looking over the social media network’s collection of the most popular places, I was surprised by some of the results. Disney theme parks dominated the list, holding the number one spot in four locations — Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris and California. Elsewhere in the world, some lesser-known tourist destinations came in ahead of the more predictable attractions. For example, the Golden Temple generated more check-ins than the Taj Mahal in India, and Gorky Park had more than the Red Square in Moscow.
According to Facebook, here are the 25 most popular locations of 2013:
- Argentina: Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires
- Australia: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), East Melbourne, Victoria
- Brazil: Parque Ibirapuera, São Paulo
- Canada: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia
- Egypt: Sharm el Sheikh, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt
- France: Disneyland Paris, Marne La Vallée
- Germany: Reeperbahn, Hamburg
- Hong Kong: 香港迪士尼樂園 | Hong Kong Disneyland:
- Iceland: Blue Lagoon, Reykjavík, Iceland
- India: Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple)
- Italy: Piazza San Marco, Venice
- Japan: 東京ディズニーランド (Tokyo Disneyland), Tokyo
- Mexico: Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City
- Nigeria: Ikeja City Mall, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria
- Poland: Temat Rzeka, Warsaw
- Russia: Центральный парк культуры и отдыха им. Горького | Gorky Park of Culture and Leisure
- Singapore: Marina Bay Sands
- South Africa: Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
- South Korea: Myungdong Street, Seoul
- Spain: Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Catalonia
- Sweden: Friends Arena, Solna
- Taiwan: 花園夜市Tainan Flower Night Market, Tainan City
- Turkey: Taksim Square, Istanbul
- United Kingdom: The 02, London
- United States: Disneyland, Anaheim, California
Have you visited or would you like to travel to any of these locations? I’ve been lucky enough to explore Spain’s most popular location and would love to check out Iceland’s Blue Lagoon!
— Monique Barrett, advertising and editorial coordinator
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FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.
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