A NEW TripAdvisor list compiles winners of the Travelers’ Choice awards of the world’s most beloved landmarks, of which only two were in the Asia-Pacific region.

Cambodia’s Angkor Wat clocked in at number three in the top ten while India’s Taj Mahal snagged the fifth spot.

The top spot was awarded to Machu Picchu with other landmarks in the list including St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican as well as The Alhambra fortress complex in Granada, Spain.

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Here’s what made the top ten:

  1. Machu Picchu, Peru
  2. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
  3. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
  4. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Italy
  5. Taj Mahal, Agra, India
  6. Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain
  7. Church of the Savior on Split Blood, St. Petersburg, Russia
  8. The Alhambra, Granada, Spain
  9. Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Washington, D.C., U.S.
  10. Milan Cathedral, Milan, Italy

Meanwhile, The Great Wall of China, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok, and the Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine in Kyoto made the top 20.

Save for a few clear favourites, it’s an unconventional list that eschews many of Asia-Pacific’s most iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Bagan temples and pagodas of Myanmar, the Borodubur Temples in Indonesia and the Taktsang Palphug Monastery in Bhutan.

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CNN too called out the list as “curious” for the lack of clear favourites including the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

The winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings gathered over a 12-month period.

The post Only two sites in Asia crack ‘curious’ top 10 list of world’s best landmarks appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.

Source: travelwireasia.com