NEEDHAM, MA - June 24, 2003 - TripAdvisor (www.tripadvisor.com), the leading travel research site, announced today the results of its study on favorite family-oriented summer attractions for 2003 researched by travel consumers online. With families planning more trips within the United States this summer, TripAdvisor compiled a list of the favorite national family summer attractions, based on the quantity and quality of information found on the web about these attractions.
Dominating the list of family favorites were all types of national parks from well-known attractions such as the Grand Canyon, Walt Disney World and Busch Gardens, to interesting children-oriented theme parks such as Hershey Park and Legoland. The Kennedy Space Center, known among science enthusiasts as a highly informative, educational place to learn more about the space program and witness shuttle launches, was the favorite family attraction in the United States.
"Our website is a resource for people who need quick, easy access to research the best places to stay and things to do on their vacations," said Steve Kaufer, CEO of TripAdvisor. "Through our automated search technology, we have gathered and sorted information from the entire web on favorite attractions, hotels, and destinations throughout the seasons. While these spots may not always be the largest, or most well-known, they are the favorites based on what is being written about them on the web by actual travelers. The latest data on national attractions demonstrates that parks and aquariums as well as educational/historical activities are the family favorites for U.S.-based summer vacations."
Methodology and Results
The study ranked favorite family attractions in the United States based on the quantity and quality of information written about these attractions on the web over the last three years and then sorted those attractions by family-oriented summer activities.
The complete rankings are:
Top 15 Favorite U.S. Family Summer Attractions Researched Online
1. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.
2. Hershey Park, Hershey, Pa.
3. Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz.
4. Legoland, Carlsbad, Calif.
5. Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, Tenn.
6. Olympic National Park, Wash.
7. Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla.
8. Busch Gardens, Tampa, Fla.
9. Boston Duck Tours, Boston, Mass.
10. Graceland, Memphis, Tenn.
11. Sea World Adventure Park, Orlando, Fla.
12. San Diego Wild Animal Park, Escondido, Calif.
13. Arches National Park, Utah
14. Statue of Liberty, New York City, N.Y.
15. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo.
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