Kathmandu has been awarded the 23rd most popular travel destination in the world becoming the only tourist spot in the entire South Asian region to feature in the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award 2016.

Rich as it may sound, the historic capital city has beaten even Sydney. The once mecca of the hippie world has won the 23rd position while the Australian city is the 24th most popular destination.

The prestigious rating coupled with Prince Harry’s ongoing visit is very likely to give an immediate boost to Nepal’s tourism industry which is the economic backbone of the Himalayan nation.

“Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for hotels, restaurants and attractions in destinations worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period, as well as traveller booking interest on TripAdvisor,” the travel planning and booking site said in a press statement on March 21.

Every year, TripAdvisor announces the winners of its Travelers’ Choice awards by recognizing its millions of customers’ favourite places around the world.

London has gone up five positions since last year to be the world’s most popular destination whereas as ‘The City That Never Sleeps’, New York leads the list of destinations within USA.

Barbara Messing who is the chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor suggested that the Travelers’ Choice Destination awards are not decided by any travel gurus but are based on the actual feedback and booking interests of millions of TripAdvisor community members around the globe. “For those planning a summer vacation, now is a great time to plan a trip to one of these popular destinations where hotels are bookable on TripAdvisor for an average of $200 per night from June through August,” she further said in the statement.

News Source: Southasia.com.au