Very rarely do tourist attractions in the West Midlands get to rub shoulders next to iconic sights such as the Burj Khalifa, Disney World, or the Empire State Building. But these two near Birmingham have done so for all the wrong reasons. They’ve ended up on a list of the worst-value tourist attractions in the world.
Scouring TripAdvisor reviews for tourist attractions with the most mentions of the word “expensive”, money saying website SavingSpot has found the most overpriced tourist attractions to visit in the world. And it seems like England has suffered the brunt of most people’s financial ire – filling nine of the 20 spots, plus one more in Scotland (Edinburgh Castle).
The top two spots belong to Warner Bros. Studio Tour – The Making of Harry Potter and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, while other overpriced tourist attractions in the UK included Chester Zoo, the Eden Project and the Tower of London. Outside the UK, the list included the CN Tower in Canada, Tivoli Gardens in Denmark and Piazza San Marco in Italy.
But what about the West Midlands? Well, coming in the ninth and eleventh respectively were Warwick Castle and Alton Towers. Every Brummie has been to these two places at some point in their life and most likely holds some fond memories of both.
While we wouldn’t describe either as “cheap” (Warwick costs £39 on the day, £26 if you pre-book, and Alton Towers £68 on the day, £36 advanced), we wouldn’t exactly call them “bad value” either. They are equally jam-packed with activities – providing a great day trip from Birmingham – with exceptional seasonal events demanding repeat visits.
Both currently hold a 4.0 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor, which suggests most people agree with us. Looking at the rest of the big-hitting tourist attractions on the list, maybe these two should feel proud to be featured. Great success is always followed by more criticism and haters. It’s when they’re not talking about you that you should worry!