Toronto, Ottawa among Canada's most 'overrated' cities, says analysis of tourist satisfaction
According to independent market analysis, Toronto is Canada’s most 'overrated' city.
Data analysis by King Casino Bonus in the UK found 10.9% of visitors thought Canada’s largest city was "disappointing," with the Toronto Zoo as its most regrettable attraction.
They published their findings based on data from sites like Tripadvisor and tens of thousands of tourist reviews.
Specifically, the group looked at the ratio of five and four-star ratings to lesser ratings and how often keywords and phrases like "very disappointing" or "not as nice as expected" appeared in the reviews.
By analyzing reviews on popular online review sites, King Bonus Casino calculated the "odds of being disappointed."
Second to Toronto is Montreal, with 10.3% of reviews stating the Canadian city failed to meet expectations among tourists. Its most disappointing attraction was the Biodome de Montreal.
Meanwhile, 9.3% found Vancouver 'disappointing,' with Gastown listed as its most underwhelming attraction.
Ottawa and Quebec City rounded out the top five most disappointing big-city destinations in the country at 8.6% and 8.2%, respectively.
However, the site’s ranking did not sit well with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who took to Twitter to express his disappointment.
"I don’t normally comment on stories like this, but the headline, the article, and the study itself are misleading and missing the point," tweeted Sutcliffe. "I’ve heard from several people in Ottawa who share my view. So I feel compelled to come to the defence of our city."
Ottawa's mayor questioned the legitimacy of the list’s criteria for being overrated. He added that "any list that says Miami, London, Paris, and Tokyo are in the top 10 most overrated cities must be flawed."
Sutcliffe claimed that Ottawa should be proud that it is a top tourist destination, urging locals to unify and continue to "convince the world how beautiful and welcoming Ottawa is to visitors and residents."
Compared to the world’s biggest cities, Toronto placed 36th overall, while Montreal sat 43rd and Vancouver 56th in global rankings of 'disappointment.'
Ottawa is 60th globally for places tourists are likely to have a bad time, with Quebec City ranked 67th.