Las Vegas strip named world’s leading tourist attraction

The Las Vegas strip in Nevada has been named the world’s leading tourist attraction of 2015.

The Las Vegas strip. Image by Marco Verch / CC BY 2.0

The Vegas strip, known for its glitzy casinos, neon signs and fabulous resorts, beat out fellow nominees the Angkor Temples in Cambodia; Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi; the Guinness Storehouse in Ireland; Machu Picchu in Peru; and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, for top attraction.

View of Dubai from the Burj Khalifa. Image by Maher Najm On / Off

Dubai, capital of the United Arab Emirates and another attraction known for its glitz and glamour, was also given a top award and named the world’s leading destination.

Kenya – home to some of the most famous places to see wildlife in Africa – was cited as the top destination for safaris. The award for world’s leading island destination was given to Madeira Island, an autonomous region of Portugal. Another island, Mauritius, located east of Madagascar, was singled out as the top honeymoon locale. For those who like the beach, the Maldives were named the world’s best beach destination, while those looking to get into the water should look to Zanzibar, Tanzania as the top place to dive.

Madiera Island, an autonomous island off the coast of Portugal. Image by Krzysztof Belczyński / CC BY-SA 2.0

Etihad Airways claimed the world’s leading airline award as well as winning top honours for first class and in-flight entertainment. The world’s leading airline for economy class was Oman Air, while the top airport award was given to Changi Airport in Singapore.

The World Travel Awards, which are in their 22^nd year, were presented in Morocco last week and honoured destinations and companies in a variety of travel, tourism and hospitality awards.

According to the awards organisers, in 2014, over 650,000 individual votes were cast by travel professionals and high-end tourism consumers.