London was today named the third top destination in the world in the sixth annual Travellers’ Choice awards for Destinations, announced by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site*.

London beat the top two destinations in 2013 - Paris and New York, which dropped to seventh and twelfth place respectively this year - but the capital was still pipped to top spot this year, as Istanbul and Rome took first and second place.

Gordon Innes, the Chief Executive of London & Partners, said, “We’re delighted that London has come out as the 3rd best destination in the world in the annual Travellers’ Choice Destinations awards. During the last year we’ve seen record numbers of visitors to the capital, who have enjoyed everything our great city has to offer.”

James Kay, TripAdvisor spokesperson, commented, “These awards are based on millions of reviews and ratings by those that really matter - travellers themselves. There is no doubt the birth of the royal baby helped keep the eyes of the world on London in 2013, but the capital’s continued appeal among travellers around the world surpasses any one event.”

In addition to the world awards, TripAdvisor also named the top ten destinations in the UK.

Seaside towns honoured alongside major UK cities

Two destinations that stand out amongst the UK top 10 this year are Torquay and Llandudno. Coming in third and eighth place respectively, the two winners are both the only towns in the list, as well as the only beach destinations in the top 10.

This year, Manchester, Glasgow and Blackpool, all winning destinations in 2013, are absent from the list and replaced instead by Edinburgh, York and Leeds, coming in second, sixth and ninth place respectively.

Usual suspects make way for newcomers

Perhaps surprisingly, historical favourites, Paris and New York drop down the list of the world’s best destinations to seventh and twelfth place respectively. Newcomer to the top 10, Istanbul, swoops in to the number one position, just ahead of Rome, which itself rose two places from fourth last year.

Elsewhere, Asian destinations are named among the biggest risers, with Beijing, Hanoi, and Shanghai all awarded one of the top ten places for the first time.

The largest city in Turkey, Istanbul is the country’s cultural capital and embraces both its European and Asian roots as the country bridges the two continents.

The 2014 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Destinations winners

Travellers’ Choice Destinations honour top travel spots worldwide based on the millions of reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travellers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, attractions and restaurants in destinations worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period. 

These awards honour nearly 500 destinations including the winners for the top spots in the world, and individual lists for Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, China, Middle East, Russia, South America, the South Pacific, the U.K. and the U.S.  

For the complete list of 2014 Travellers’ Choice Destinations winners, sponsored by Samsonite, go tohttp://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/TravelersChoice-Destinations.