[leadin]Pinterest recently released its ’20 top-pinned places,’ resulting in a crowd-sourced hall of fame of the web’s most lusted-after travel spots.[/leadin]
A new “Place-Pin” feature on social media site Pinterest lets people add location information to photos. The result? Pinterest is now a major new player in the world of online travel information.
Will the change inspire more travel or just encourage users to lethargically flick through an endless photo conveyer belt of other people doing cool things? (We believe it’ll be a little bit of both.) Now, here’s the breakdown, a list democratically chosen by the people of Pinterest who vote with clicks to nominate the most lusted-after travel destinations around the globe.
20: New York City, New York
A cyclone of humanity and culture, NYC also offers the grandest spectacle of sky-high architecture the world over.
The lights of New York twinkle in many people’s dreams; photo by Aurelien Guichard
19: Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand:
The largest national park in New Zealand and a world heritage site – this natural wonderland of rugged alpine mountains, forests, and waterfalls seems straight out of a fairy-tale for natural beauty enthusiasts.
18) Reykjavik, Iceland
Unlike most other metropolitan travel destinations Reykjavik’s major attractions are its natural areas, which include huge parks, geo-thermal preserves, wilderness, and wild scenery — all inside or in close proximity to the boundaries of the city.
17) Los Angeles, California
Beach life, and celebrity envy, draw people to this sprawling metropolis of American culture, but one of its greatest attributes is year-round perfect weather.
16) Somoto Canyon, Nicaragua
An out-of-this-world, 5-mile river canyon, and one of the most-photographed places in Central America, this impressive rock formation is a natural tourist site that rivals any of the well known National Parks to the north. Amazingly, it was relatively unexplored until 2004, only recently rising to prominence as a tourist attraction.
15) Cape Town, South Africa
The most southern metropolis in South Africa, wedged drastically between the sea and the notorious craggy precipice called Table Mountain, Cape Town is the picturesque gateway to some of Africa’s best white sand beaches, gorgeous islands, and a multitude of wildlife attractions.
14) Marrakesh, Morocco
An intoxicatingly exotic ancient city, ripe with strong tea aromas and cobblestone streets, Marrakesh is situated between the snow-cap Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert.
13) Kjeragbolten, Norway:
The pearl of Norway’s mountains, this boulder is wedged in a nearly 1,000-meter deep abyss in a 24-mile-long glaciated landscape of polished crags and barren vertical rock that rival the grandest mountain spectacles on Earth.
12: New Orleans, Louisiana
This is an American city chock full of character. New Orleans, the hometown of Jazz music, is a fiery vortex of passion and creative energy built upon the swampy bayou of the Deep South. Add amazing food and the annual pageantry of Mardi Gras, and it’s no wonder people the world over lust to visit the Big Easy.
11) Lisbon, Portugal
Pastel neighborhoods, switchback cobblestone streets and narrow alleys form Lisbon’s slower-pace vibe; this seafaring city could be cut straight out of a romance novel.
10) Tulum, Mexico
The gateway town to one of the most magnificent archeological sites in the world, Tulum also has immaculate white beaches, abundant palapa style bungalows, and a delicious slice of Mexican culture. With easy access from Cancun (just an hour away by bus), Tulum is a popular destination for those escaping northern winters who prefer peace and tranquility over the crass commercialism of the party towns up the beach.
9) Glacier National Park, Montana
These spectacular glaciated peaks form the backbone of North America’s grandest mountains and one of the last and most spectacular untouched frontiers left in the Lower 48.
8) Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia
A beautiful, laid back coastal town with loads of natural beauty, Port Fairy not only has crater lakes, pristine beaches, and exotic islands, but its top attraction, Kruger National Park, is packed with wild koalas, wombats, kangaroos and other Aussie creatures for your viewing pleasure.
Lighthouse and wave in Port Fairy, Victoria; photo by Ed Dunens
7) Kyoto, Japan
Teeming with more temples, shrines and palaces than anywhere on Earth, this refined Japanese hub of culture boasts impressive architecture, famous cuisine, and traditional crafts and gifts of all kind.
6) Jarlshof, Shetland, Scotland
Another of the world’s most remarkable archeological sites, Jarlshof is a medieval spread of green hilly islands mixed with stone castles, rock ruins, and entire prehistoric villages.
5) Petrohué Falls, Chile
One of South America’s most visited natural attractions, Petrohué is Patagonia’s massive cascade, which pours over a volcanic landscape into the depths of the Earth.
4) Havasu Falls, Grand Canyon, Arizona
In a remote corner of the grandest canyon on Earth flows this dreamy series of milky turquoise falls, just below one of the most isolated indigenous villages in North America. It’s hard to believe this natural wonderland even exists in such a stark desert.
3) Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi’s southeast Asian culture, narrow streets, ancient pagodas, exotic markets, and mind-blowing street food make the capitol of Vietnam a must-see for world travelers.
2) Musha Cay Island, Bahamas
This tiny privately owned island in the Bahamas is only a pipe-dream vacation for most of us, but as the second-most pinned place on Earth, a lot of us are having the same tropical dream. Musha’s white beaches and untouched tropical forest hosts one of the most luxurious resorts in the world where Google execs, business tycoons, and high-level celebs come to be pampered like kings and queens.
1) Positano, Campania, Italy
A picturesque, incomparably romantic village on the hilly coast of Italy, this is the town that every other coastal town aspires to be like. It’s also the most coveted travel destination in the world. We can see why.
