Edinburgh's Royal Mile has been named the worst tourist trap in Scotland and the fifth worst in the world by travel experts at Nomad, who cited a 'complete lack of authenticity' and an overwhelming number of souvenir shops.
Nomad ranks tourist traps
Travel experts at Nomad compiled a roundup of the 50 'worst tourist traps' in the world, where visitors feel the 'most disappointed'. The list was created after analysing online reviews and monitoring the phrase 'tourist trap'.
According to Nomad, the worst tourist trap in Scotland is the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, which also placed at number five on the worldwide list. The Royal Mile is comprised of a mile-long collection of historic streets that run from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace.
Reviews and criticism
The research carried out by Nomad revealed that there were 539 reviews online that described the Royal Mile as a 'tourist trap'. The travel experts stated that the attraction has a 'complete lack of authenticity', and singled out the large number of gift shops as one of the reasons for this.
Nomad stated: 'This 1.81 km stretch of cobbled street in Edinburgh links two of the city's top attractions, the Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It attracts more than four million visitors annually. But with that heavy foot traffic comes an overwhelming number of souvenir shops, and complete lack of authenticity.'
Top five worst tourist traps
Claiming the number one spot on Nomad's list of the worst tourist traps in the world were both Fisherman's Wharf and Wall Drug in the United States. The former is a neighbourhood along the waterfront in San Francisco, while Wall Drug is a roadside attraction and shop in South Dakota that sells cowboy-themed merchandise.
The top five worst tourist traps in the world according to Nomad are: Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, and Wall Drug, South Dakota; Las Ramblas, Spain; Temple Bar, Ireland; Checkpoint Charlie, Germany; and Royal Mile, Edinburgh.
