Toronto ranked most ‘disappointing’ Canadian city, based on online reviews

Toronto has been named Canada’s most ‘overrated’ city, according to a data analysis by independent market analyst King Casino Bonus in the United Kingdom.

The analysis found 10.9 per cent of visitors thought Canada’s largest city was “disappointing,” with the most regrettable attraction being the Toronto Zoo.

Montreal was a close second to Toronto, with 10.3 per cent of reviews suggesting the city didn’t live up to expectations. Its most disappointing attraction was the Biodome de Montreal.

Meanwhile, Vancouver placed third in the ranks — 9.3 per cent of visitors found the city disappointing, with Gastown being the most underwhelming attraction.

Ottawa and Quebec City rounded out the top five most disappointing big-city destinations in the country.

When compared to the world’s biggest cities, Toronto placed 36th overall, while Montreal sat 43rd and Vancouver 56th in global rankings of ‘disappointment.’

Bangkok tops global ranking

Bangkok, Thailand, took the overall disappointing crown, with more than 16 per cent of visitors leaving the city disappointed.

“The backpacking district Khao San Road is particularly badly reviewed by visitors and described as extremely touristy and only acceptable if you are young and looking to party. Even the world famous street food of Bangkok left most of the reviewers unimpressed. Famous dishes like Pad Thai might be cheap but lack in quality when handed over to non-locals,” King Casino Bonus said.

Miami, Florida, placed second in the global ranks, with 13.9 per cent of reviews determining the city is the most overrated in the United States.

“Particularly, the Havana district (with a high concentration of people from neighbouring Cuba) left several commentators feeling underwhelmed. Others expressed Little Havana has lost its charm and feels like a big tourist trap,” the analysis company said.

Maybe surprisingly, or maybe not considering people’s expectations of the major hub, but London, U.K., rounded out the top three, with 13.8 per cent of tourists being disappointed in what it had to offer.

“In particular, the London Eye Ferris wheel, Buckingham Palace, and the Big Ben tower received poor reviews. The majority of its visitors felt bored and led them to the conclusion that these sights and the city itself are totally overrated. It’s time to look for new must-see places in London, as the old attractions no longer excite tourists.

“Street food, concerts, nightlife, and art may be more interesting than old buildings and monarch sightings by future generations,” the company said.

How the rankings were established

The cities were selected based on pre-existing rankings from Euromonitor and the Global Destination Cities Index. The ratings/reviews analyzed were taken from TripAdvisor in December 2022.

The final ranking was based on a statistical calculation of the ration between 1-2-3 star ratings (disappointing) and 4-5 star ratings (good experience).

Reviews were also evaluated around certain keywords such as “very disappointing” or “not as nice as expected.”