NEWTON, Mass., Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor(®), the world's largest travel site*, today announced the winners of its Travelers' Choice(TM) awards for Zoos and Aquariums around the globe. In total, 275 winners were identified, including the top 25 in the world and dedicated lists for Asia, Canada, Europe, India, South America, South Pacific, the U.K. and the U.S.

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"For those wanting to see the world's most wondrous creatures, TripAdvisor has named the Travelers' Choice Zoos and Aquariums, as chosen by the community of millions," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "Travelers can enjoy a fun and educational experience at any of these popular award-winning attractions around the globe."

Travelers' Choice awards honor top travel spots worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for zoos and aquariums worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

    Zoos - U.S.                                                            Zoos - World
    -----------                                                            ------------

    1.      Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska                              1.      Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha, Nebraska
    -----------------------------------------                              -----------------------------------------

    2.      San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California                           2.      San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California
    --------------------------------------------                           --------------------------------------------

    3.      St. Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, Missouri                           3.      Loro Parque, Puerto de la Cruz, Spain
    --------------------------------------------                           ---------------------------------------------

    4.      San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Escondido, California               4.      St. Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, Missouri
    --------------------------------------------------------               --------------------------------------------

    5.      Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, Colorado              5.      Singapore Zoo, Singapore
    ---------------------------------------------------------              --------------------------------

    6.      Memphis Zoo, Memphis, Tennessee                                6.      Chester Zoo, Chester, United Kingdom
    ---------------------------------------                                --------------------------------------------

    7.      Denver Zoo, Denver, Colorado                                   7.      Prague Zoo (Zoo Praha), Prague, Czech Republic
    ------------------------------------                                   ------------------------------------------------------

    8.      Riverbanks Zoos and Botanical Garden, Columbia, South Carolina 8.      Tiergarten Schoenbrunn - Zoo Vienna, Vienna, Austria
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------

    9.      Zoo Miami, Miami, Florida                                      9.      Bioparc Valencia, Valencia, Spain
    ---------------------------------                                      -----------------------------------------

    10.    Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth, Texas                               10.    Gramado Zoo, Gramado, Brazil
    ----------------------------------------                               -----------------------------------


    Aquariums - U.S.                                                       Aquariums - World
    ----------------                                                       -----------------

    1.      Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California                    1.      Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California
    ---------------------------------------------------                    ---------------------------------------------------

    2.      Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia                             2.      Oceanario de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
    ------------------------------------------                             ---------------------------------------------

    3.      Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, Tennessee                     3.      Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, Georgia
    --------------------------------------------------                     ------------------------------------------

    4.      Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg, Tennessee        4.      Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga, Tennessee
    ---------------------------------------------------------------        --------------------------------------------------

    5.      Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, Texas                           5.      Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Gatlinburg, Tennessee
    --------------------------------------------                           ---------------------------------------------------------------

    6.      Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois                              6.      Aquaworld Aquarium, Hersonissos, Greece
    -----------------------------------------                              -----------------------------------------------

    7.      National Aquarium, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland              7.      Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas, Texas
    ---------------------------------------------------------              --------------------------------------------

    8.      Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, Alaska                          8.      Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, British Columbia
    ---------------------------------------------                          -------------------------------------------------------

    9.      Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California                9.      Mundomar, Benidorm, Spain
    -------------------------------------------------------                ---------------------------------

    10.    Mote Marine Aquarium, Sarasota,  Florida                        10.    Two Oceans Aquarium, Cape Town, South Africa
    -----------------------------------------------                        ---------------------------------------------------

U.S. King of the Jungle for World Zoos and Aquariums Lists

The U.S. leads the tally of world lists of zoos and aquariums, with nine of the top 25 zoos including the top two with the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska (#1) and the San Diego Zoo in California (#2). Ten of the top 25 world aquariums are in the U.S., including five of the top 10 with Monterey, California's Monterey Bay Aquarium topping the world list.

Southern States Lead the Pack on U.S. Zoos and Aquariums Lists

Nine of the top 25 U.S. zoos are located in the South, including four in Florida with Zoo Miami (#9) top from the Sunshine State. Thirteen of the top 25 U.S. aquariums are also seated in the South including the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta (#2) and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga (#3).

For the complete list of winners from the 2014 Travelers' Choice Zoos and Aquariums, as well as reviews and candid traveler photos, go to:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Attractions-cZoos

http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Attractions-cAquariums

To see the best hotels for luxury, bargain, and more, as honored in TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards for Hotels from January, go to: www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor(®) is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching nearly 280 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 170 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 43 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.lafourchette.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, Q1 2014

**Source: Google Analytics, average monthly unique users, Q2 2014; does not include traffic to daodao.com

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SOURCE TripAdvisor

SOURCE: TripAdvisor