A new survey has revealed that we are a nation of home-bodies – with one in eight UK residents claiming they have never visited the iconic Big Ben clock tower.
Astoundingly, a quarter of Brits have never laid eyes on St Paul’s Cathedral, with one in 10 admitting they’ve never even stepped foot in London.
It’s not just our capital city that fails to be drawing us in though: of the 1,500 adults from across the UK polled by Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts - whose Westminster property has been nominated in ‘England’s leading hotel residences 2017’ category at the upcoming World Travel Awards Europe Gala Ceremony’ - half of Brits have never been to Land’s End in Cornwall, while more than four in 10 have yet to visit Windsor Castle. Ben Nevis, The Eden Project and the Angel of the North were also revealed among a list of British landmarks Brits have failed to see - as were Kew Gardens, Snowdonia and Stonehenge.
The poll discovered that 68 percent wished they had seen more of the UK – with four in 10 Brits never managing to reach the Scottish capital Edinburgh. It seems other major cities in the UK are missing out on the limelight too. A quarter of British adults have never been to Birmingham, 27 percent haven’t visited the city of Manchester and 37 percent are yet to visit Liverpool. Meanwhile, 42 percent said they haven’t been to Cardiff.
Greg Hegarty, Regional General Manager UK at PPHE Hotel Group, which operates Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts in the United Kingdom, told World Travel News: “We conducted this survey to celebrate the opening of our new and renovated London hotels. There are so many amazing adventures to be had on our very doorstep, with cities like London containing some of the most iconic landmarks and tourist attractions. There’s a rich fabric of culture and arts just waiting to be discovered. We’d like to encourage the nation to get out and tick off the bucket list!”
TOP 35 FAMOUS LANDMARKS BRITS HAVEN’T VISITED
1. Chesil Beach
2. Ben Nevis
3. Glastonbury Tor, Somerset
4. The Eden Project, Cornwall
5. Loch Ness, Inverness
6. The Jurassic Coast
7. Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
8. Hadrian’s Wall, Cumbria
9. Roman Baths, Bath
10. Cheddar Gorge, Somerset
11. Land’s End, Cornwall
12. Angel of the North, Gateshead
13. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol
14. Edinburgh Castle
15. Windsor Castle, Berkshire
16. Kew Gardens, London
17. Sherwood Forest
18. Stonehenge, Wiltshire
19. Snowdonia, Wales
20. Dartmoor, Devon
21. Brighton Pier
22. The Lake District, Cumbria
23. White Cliffs of Dover, Kent
24. Tate Modern, London
25. Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool
26. St Paul’s Cathedral, London
27. The London Eye
28. Natural History Museum, London
29. Buckingham Palace, London
30. Trafalgar Square, London
31. Houses of Parliament, London
32. Tower Bridge
33. Westminster Abbey, London
34. Tower of London
35. Big Ben, London