Ottawa ranks as one of the world's 'most overrated cities' for tourists
The OTTAWA sign as snow falls in downtown Ottawa. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)
Ottawa is one of the most overrated cities in the world to visit, but a new report suggests tourists will be less disappointed with their visit to Canada's capital over Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
A survey by U.K.-based King Casino Bonus looked at data from sites like Tripadvisor and assessed tens of thousands of ratings for the 85 most popular cities worldwide.
"By analysing reviews on popular online review sites experts were able to calculate the 'odds of being disappointed,'" the independent market analysis platform said in a news release.
Ottawa ranked 60th on the list of the world's most overrated cities, and fourth out of five Canadian cities.
The study concludes there is an 8.6 per cent chance tourists are likely to have a bad time in Ottawa.
The most disappointing attraction in Ottawa, according to King Casino Bonus, is the Canada Science and Technology Museum.
Toronto is the most overrated Canadian destination to visit, and ranks 36th overall in the study. The study finds the odds of being disappointed following a trip to the city is 10.9 per cent, and the most disappointing destination is the Toronto Zoo.
Montreal is the second most overrated Canadian destination, and 43rd overall, with a 10.3 per cent chance of leaving the city disappointed. Vancouver ranked third in Canada and 56th overall, with a 9.3 per cent chance of being disappointed with your trip.
The world's most overrated city is Bangkok, Thailand, followed by Antalya, Turkiye, Singapore, Munich and Rimini, Italy. London ranked eighth on the list for overrated cities, followed by Paris ninth and Tokyo 10th.
Ottawa's ranking as one of the world's most overrated cities comes just weeks after CNN Travel named Ottawa one of the best destinations to visit in the world in 2023.
"It doesn't have Montreal's French flair or Toronto's international oomph, so the Canadian capital can get overlooked," CNN Travel says on its website. "That would be a mistake. Graceful and understated, Ottawa has its own draws."
Festivals are expected to be back to normal this year in Ottawa as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Winterlude will hold in-person events for the first time since 2020 this winter, with opening weekend set for Feb. 3 to 5.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Phil Tsekouras
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