Eiffel Tower tops the list of monuments where visitors have highest number of scam-related experiences (Photo: India Outbound)
A recent study by Bounce, an online travel and baggage company, says that Eiffel Tower, is not only the world’s most visited monument, but it also tops the list of monuments where visitors have highest number of scam-related experiences.
In a press statement, Bounce says that the Eiffel Tower falls just shy of the top three when considering the total number of reviews. Still, due to its popularity, this tourist hotspot has the highest number of individual scam-related mentions. More than 540 visitors have shared their scam-related experiences at this symbolic structure, from the three-cup and ball trick to pickpocketing, it adds.
More than 540 visitors have shared their scam-related experiences at this symbolic structure, from the three-cup and ball trick to pickpocketing
According to the statement, the study ranked Intramuros in Philippines, an ancient site showcasing the remains of one of Manilla’s oldest districts at the top of the list in terms of sites where tourists are susceptible to scams. Out of the 3,619 Tripadvisor reviews for Intramuros, 31 included the term ‘scam’, equating to 0.86 pc of all reviews for this attraction, a more significant proportion than any other tourist attraction.
The statement adds that other sites which suffer from the highest volume of tourist scams include the Forbidden city in China, making up 0.55 pc of all reviews on the site and Petra in Jordan with 0.50 pc.
India’s Taj Mahal is the 5th worst tourist attraction in the world for travel scams, according to the study, while Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, Times Square in New York, Great Wall of China in Beijing, the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul and the Pompeii Achaeological Park at Pompeii in Italy make up the top 10 sites for the scams.
The study further highlights that Riga, Latvia is the European city with the most scam-related forums at 2.53 pc and that Italians are more curious about scams than any other European country with 344 scam-related Google searches per 100,000 people
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