By Steve Taggart
A list of the Top 30 landmarks in the has been revealed with three British entries coming in the top five.
France’s Eiffel Tower took the top spot but Big Ben, Stonehenge and the Houses of Parliament took positions three, four and five respectively in a great showing from the British Isles. The poll of 2,000 adults also ranked European gems as being the most iconic in the world with the Colosseum in Rome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Edinburgh Castle making up the top ten.
Colm Lacy, British Airways’ commercial manager for Gatwick, which commissioned the study to celebrate their ‘Inspire Us’ travel photography challenge, said: ‘When dreaming about travel, we often add our favourite landmarks to our bucket list.
“The research shows that London leads the way with three of the top five most iconic sights, proving that travel inspiration starts at home. Then the fun really begins when you start exploring new destinations on the list. Europe, the USA and Australia in particular have proved really popular.”
Further afield, the Great Wall of China, Statue of Liberty in New York and Sydney Opera House were also among the symbolic geographical favourites. And when it came to representing a country it wasn’t just man-made structures that made the cut – participants in the survey rated natural wonders highly too. Nepal’s Mount Everest, the highest peak on the globe, came in at number 17 on the list; while many chose the home of mythical Nessie – the vast Loch Ness of Scotland.
Other sites of outstanding beauty came in the form of Egypt’s Pyramids, India’s Taj Mahal, and Ayres Rock.
BA’s ‘Inspire Us’ photo challenge runs until 15th March 2015. There are 10 trips up for grabs from London Gatwick. Enter your best photographs of Europe at www.ba.com/inspireus
Top 30 Landmarks in the World
1. Eiffel Tower- Paris – France
2. The Grand Canyon – USA
3. Big Ben – England
4. Stonehenge – England
5. Houses of Parliament – England
6. Statue of Liberty- USA
7. The Pyramids of Giza – Egypt
8. Great Wall of China – China
9. Tower of Pisa – Italy
10. Niagara Falls – USA/Canada
11. The Taj Mahal – India
12. The Colosseum – Italy
13. The Great Sphinx – Egypt
14. Edinburgh Castle – Scotland
15. Empire State Building – USA
16. Sydney Opera House – Australia
17. Mount Everest – Nepal
18. Pompeii- Italy
19. Golden Gate Bridge – USA
20. Ayres Rock – Australia
21. Great Barrier Reef – Australia
22. Loch Ness – Scotland
23. The Rivers of Venice – Venice
24. Acropolis of Athens – Greece
25. The Louvre – France
26. Machu Picchu – Peru
27. Christ the Redeemer – Brazil
28. The Hollywood Sign – USA
29. The White House – USA
30. Mount Rushmore – USA