Ottawa ranks as one of the world's 'most overrated cities' for tourists

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
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING | U.S. President Joe Biden touches down in Ottawa
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Ottawa Thursday evening for a whirlwind 27-hour visit expected to focus on both the friendly and thorny aspects of the Canada-U.S. relationship, including protectionism and migration on both sides of the border.

Trudeau, Biden could agree to end 'loophole' in Safe Third Country Agreement: CP source
Canada and the United States are negotiating a deal that could see asylum seekers turned back at irregular border crossings across the border, including Roxham Road in Quebec.
Opposition parties affirm call for interference inquiry, amid questions over MP Han Dong
Amid renewed questions over the pervasiveness of alleged interference by China in Canadian elections and affairs broadly, opposition MPs voted Thursday afternoon to affirm a parliamentary committee's call for the federal government to strike a public inquiry.
'Scream as loud as you can': 5 boys rescued from NYC tunnel
Five mischievous boys had to be rescued after they crawled through a storm drain tunnel in New York City and got lost, authorities said.
Asteroid to hurtle past Earth closer than the moon this weekend
An asteroid discovered just last week will pass closer to the Earth than the orbit of the moon this weekend, an occurrence so rare it happens only once in a decade, according to NASA.
Number of Canadians receiving EI at record lows, down 44 per cent from last year: StatCan
The number of Canadians receiving employment insurance benefits are at record lows and down 44 per cent from last year, new figures from Statistics Canada show.
Indigenous sisters developing video games to revitalize Mohawk language
Two Kanien'keha:ka (Mohawk) sisters from Montreal are on a mission that is close to their hearts: to save their ancestors' first language by developing video games young and old can play.
Here are the locations of the first 12 new Zellers stores
Zellers has opened the first of 25 new locations within Hudson's Bay stores across the country. The Canadian retail chain launched 12 stores in Ontario and Alberta Thursday, along with a new e-commerce website.
South Carolina's top accountant to resign after US$3.5-billion error
Embattled South Carolina Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom will resign next month after a US$3.5 billion accounting error in the year-end financial report he oversaw.