2015 was a long year, filled with miles traveled, events seen and places explored for many of us. A new year has begun, and this is the perfect time to look back on the times past. And what better way to see what was hot (and what was not) last year than taking a good look onto the numbers, which – as we all know – never lie.
But, before I dig into the world of statistics, let me share a thought. When looking over the numbers, I’ve seen that gambling – which is a huge industry – is not one of the forces driving people to foreign lands. And neither Las Vegas – the gambling capital of the US – nor Macau (with a similar role in Asia) are among the top destinations for travelers.
One of the reasons for this might be the fact that Europeans – who love to travel – don’t need to do it for gambling. On one hand, they have their share of famous gaming destinations. Think Venice, Monte Carlo and the spa cities of Germany. Another reason might be the well regulated online gaming policy in Europe. People can join the fun and play mobile slots at Royal Vegas as easy as playing any other mobile game. The Royal Vegas is not only secure, regulated and fair, but also very accessible for players in Europe, both on desktop and mobile devices. They don’t need to dress up, or leave the house for that matter, to enjoy a great gaming experience. They simply need to head over to the Royal Vegas website, log on and start playing. The Royal Vegas is always open, there is never a crowd, and their favorite games are available at any time of the day.
And now, without further ado, here are the most popular travel destinations last year.
The Most Visited City in 2015
According to MasterCard’s Global Destination Cities Index, London was the city visited by the most international visitors last year, followed by Bangkok, Paris, Dubai and Istanbul. Note that this metric refers to “international visitors” only, meaning that only those coming from abroad are counted. London has maintained its top position in the list in all years since 2009, briefly overtaken by Bangkok in 2012 and 2013. The biggest growth in last year’s list was recorded by Istanbul, with its visitor count soaring by over 11%.
The Best Landmark in 2015
Angkor Wat, the huge temple complex in Cambodia, has been named the best landmark of 2015 by The Lonely Planet. This vast complex of over 1,000 buildings is not just a temple, but a massive city, complete with canals, shrines and tombs, spread over 150 square miles. Surely a lot to visit and explore.
Angkor Wat was followed on the list by Peru’s famous Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and the marelous La Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona.
The Biggest Festival of 2015 (by visitor count)
The Electric Daisy Carnival was the biggest outdoor music festival of last year, attracting over 130,000 visitors in one day. The Las Vegas edition of the festival had a total visitor count of over 400,000 EDM fans from all over the place. It is followed in the top list by England’s Glastonbury, Denmark’s Roskilde and Belgium’s Rock Werchter, each with a daily attendance of over 100,000. The fifth on the list is Peru’s Rock al Parque, a major rock festival that has attracted more than 85,000 visitors in one day.
Other events to make it into the top 10 were T in the Park (Scotland), Exit (Serbia), Coachella (USA), the Readings / Leeds (England) and Sziget Festival in Hungary, each with a huge international attendance.