Warwick Castle comes out fighting against study claiming it's the world’s most ‘overrated’ tourist attraction

The team at Warwick Castle has come out fighting against a study that claims it is the world’s most ‘overrated’ tourist attraction.

Yesterday (Monday February 4), controversial research by flight booking site Wingie was released.

According to the booking site, it analysed TripAdvisor reviews for the top 50 tourist experiences in every country.

The ranking was based on the number of keywords indicating whether an experience was perceived as overrated relative to the total number of reviews.

A list of 40 keywords and phrases was tracked. An overall percentage score was then calculated to determine the ranking.

From the study, Warwick Castle was named the ‘most overrated tourist spot in the world’.

According to Wingie, it received the highest proportion of overrated mentions compared to the number of reviews than any other landmark worldwide.

Of 16,430 reviews, 9,430 overrated mentions or approximately three comments to five reviews (57.4 per cent).

The attraction also had more than 1,000 mentions of the terms ‘disappointed,’ ‘expensive,’ and ‘not worth it.’

Over 500 reviewers said it was ‘overpriced’ and there was ‘not much to see.’

And while some people may agree, it is also worth pointing out that the list also includes national treasures Stonehenge and Bletchley Park – so there is no pleasing some people!

Speaking out against the study, a Warwick Castle spokesperson said: “We have not heard of this research, which is not reflected by the feedback on recognised sites where 73 per cent of guests rate the attraction as “excellent” or “very good”.

"Our own data from thousands of guests every week tells us they have a wonderful time, with 93 per cent telling us they are satisfied or very satisfied with their visit in 2023.

“Warwick Castle is one of the UK’s most-loved family visitor attractions, bringing history vividly to life for all through a range of unique live shows and popular events.”

The castle team were also keen to point our that, according to TripAdvisor, Warwick Castle is listed as number 40 out of more than 90,000 things to do in the UK, and listed as number one of 732 things to do in Warwickshire.

It was also highlight that out of 16,448 TripAdvisor reviews, 73 per cent of these are listed as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ giving Warwick Castle an overall four star rating on the site.

The castle itself, which is owned by Merlin Entertainments, is well-known for its shows and events throughout the year – including the award-winning Dragon Slayer.

It has also been shortlisted for the West Midlands Large Visitor Attraction of the year and was awarded Best Visitor Attraction in Warwickshire at the What’s On Awards.

The study by Wingie, comes days after other research was published naming Warwick Castle in a top 10 list for castle wedding venues in the UK.