New Orleans named as best long haul city in the world

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

According to a new survey, New Orleans has been ranked the best long-haul city in the world. Which? readers rated the Deep South metropolis as the best world city with a score of 90 per cent. New Orleans is one of America’s most unique cities, with a vibe you simply can’t find anywhere else. Known the world over for jazz music, Cajun cuisine, and outrageous Mardi Gras celebrations, the city is a melting pot of cultures with a diversity that is reflected in everything from the music and food to the language and architecture.

New Orleans beat popular cities such as Las Vegas, Dubai, Tokyo and Cape Town – which had topped the ranking for the past four out of five years – thanks to its laid-back nature, friendly locals, fusion cuisine and the ease of getting around.

The consumer group asked thousands of holidaymakers to rate 40 city breaks around the world based on categories including cultural attractions, accommodation, shopping, food, value for money and the level of overcrowding. However, the city on the Mississippi River is struggling under the weight of its own popularity.

This year, residents announced they were fighting back after a surge in visitor numbers. The Louisiana city’s historic centre currently receives more than five times the number of tourists per resident than the centre of Venice.

The New Orleans Sustainable Tourism Task Force, an independent collective of concerned citizens launched in 2018, released a report highlighting the main areas of concern after a year of research and analysis. Singapore came second in the Which? survey, scoring 87 per cent, with readers ranking its shopping, food and drink and ease of getting around highly.

In joint second place was Sydney. Chicago took third place, while Tokyo, Jaipur and Washington DC (85 per cent) in joint fifth place. Other cities in the top 10 included Vancouver, Bangkok, Kyoto and Seattle.

At the bottom of the ranking was Las Vegas, which scored 57 per cent. Readers criticised the city’s lack of attractions and gave it low scores for food and drink and value for money. Los Angeles, Miami, Dubai and Delhi also scored poorly.

Rory Boland, Which? Travel editor said that what the destinations at the top of their survey all have in common is visitors thought they were fantastic value for money – which may not mean cheap, New Orleans certainly isn’t, but that the food, the accommodation and the attractions were well worth the money spent on them. And poor value for money is what Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Dubai all share. It doesn’t matter if you have Universal Studios, Celine Dion shows or the world’s tallest building when visitors feel like they are being ripped off.

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