10. Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong, China
6.2 million
Modeled after Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, The Avenue of Stars runs along Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade at Victoria Harbour, and pays tribute to the celebrities of Hong Kong’s film industry. Highlights include a six-meter-tall sculpture of the Hong Kong Film Award and handprints of cinema luminaries like John Woo.
SOURCE: Hong Kong Tourism Board
9. Mount Tai (Taishan), Tai'an, China
7 million*
Regarded as the first of China’s five sacred mountains of Taoism, Mount Tai is located just north of Tai'an City, in China’s coastal Shandong Province. The mountain served as a sacred retreat for emperors during the ancient Zhou Dynasty, and was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1987. Taishan Temple lies at the foot of the mountain, and some 7,000 stone steps lead to the Azure Clouds Temple at the top. Two sources estimate 8 and 6 million annual visitors, respectively.
SOURCES: Tai'an Municipal Investment Promotion Bureau
8. Everland, Kyonggi-Do, South Korea
7.2 million
Everland, opened in 1976, is South Korea’s largest theme park and ranked tenth, just ahead of Universal Studios Florida, in TEA/ERA’s 2007 attendance ranking of world theme parks. The park is divided into five sections, including “European Adventure,” “American Adventure,” and “Global Fair,” where “a road leads to a new world of Dream and Hope where the Orient and the West meet and match together.”
SOURCE: TEA/ERA
7. Forbidden City, Beijing, China
8 million*
According to the China Daily, Beijing’s Forbidden City was completed in 1420 and meant “to embody the idea of the emperor as the center of the universe and to evoke a visceral sense of his power. Surrounded by a wall more than 30 feet high and 20 feet thick, the walled fortress once served the emperor exclusively but became ‘a palace of the people’ in 1925 when the Republican forces transformed it into a museum.” Visitation estimates vary; our average of four sources puts the figure at 7.9 million.
6. Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan
8.7 million*
This Osaka outpost of the Universal Studios theme parks welcomed 11 million visitors in its first year of operation (2001). In 2007 the movie theme park, home to Snoopy’s Sound Stage Adventure and Hollywood Dream: The Ride, was visited by about 8.7 million people.
5. Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, China
9.4 million
Nearly nine and a half million tourists come to enjoy the view from Hong Kong Island’s highest mountain, which was developed as a resort for the wealthy in the 19th century, when a tram route was built. The Peak Tower, at the tram’s terminus, was renovated in 2005 and offers an oasis of dining, shopping and entertainment for those who ascend.
For more information: Hong Kong Tourism Board
4. Nagashima Spa Land, Japan
11.4 million
This massive tourist complex in Japan’s Mie Prefecture includes a sprawling botanical garden (home to Japan’s largest flower festival), a large network of indoor and outdoor hot springs, an outlet mall, and an amusement park that is home to the renowned “Steel Dragon 2000” roller coaster. The TEA estimates 2007 amusement park attendance alone at 3.9 million, and the Japan National Tourist Organization pegs overall visitation at 11.4 million.
3. Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China
12 million
When it added the Temple of Heaven to the World Heritage list in 1998, UNESCO explained that the site, built in the 15th century, “is a dignified complex of fine cult buildings set in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods. In its overall layout and in that of its individual buildings, it symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and also the special role played by the emperors within that relationship.” Today, about 12 million visit annually.
For more information: Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad
2. Great Wall of China, Bandaling
16 million
The Wall traverses some 4,000 miles across north China, and its construction began more than two millennia ago as a barrier against invaders. Today the wall is invaded only by tourists: The 10 km section open to visitors at Bandaling (the nearest portion of the Wall to Beijing) receives millions of visitors each year. Estimates vary, but according to the Xinhua News Agency, the local municipal bureau has limited yearly visitation to the Wall at 16 million.
1. Tokyo Disney Land/Tokyo Disney Sea, Japan
25.9* million visitors
The first Disney resort to be built outside of the U.S., Tokyo Disney Land/Tokyo Disney Sea celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, and its attendance was 25.4 million in 2007, according to the Japan National Tourist Organization. A separate trade-industry source comes up with a similar total for ‘07, breaking it down to 13.9 million visitors for land, and 12.4 million for sea.
Sources: Japan National Tourist Organization (25.4 million), Themed Entertainment Association/Economic Research Associates (TEA/ERA, 26.3 million)
