Bradford, Wakefield, Dundee, Sunderland and Newport have been declared as the UK's top five 'No Entry' cities by Britons due to them being ugly, boring and dangerous. These findings have been revealed in a new travel report issued today.
The study conducted by Travelodge who has 392 UK hotels, surveyed 5,000 Britons in order to locate the UK's least visited cities and investigate why these locations are such a turn off for British travellers.
Research key findings revealed the UK's least visited cities are at risk of falling off the tourist map and becoming 'lost cities' to future generations as a result of Britons misconceptions, lack of UK cities knowledge and poor geographic skills in being able to locate these cities.
Britains sixth largest city, Bradford topped the poll of the UK's least visited city despite it being famous for its industrial heritage, striking architecture and being the birthplace of pop princess Kimberley Walsh (Girls Aloud) and soap beauty Jennifer Metcalfe (Hollyoaks). Eight out of ten respondents from the survey stated they would not visit Bradford due to it being an ugly and boring city which offered no attractions. Fifty eight per cent of adults from the study reported they would avoid Bradford because they perceive the city to be dangerous as it has a high crime rate.
Neighbouring city Wakefield which is 14 miles from Bradford and the birthplace of Loose Woman star Jane McDonald and Claire Cooper (Hollyoaks) came in second place within the poll. With 73% of adults stating they would avoid Wakefield because its a dull and depressing location.
Third position was awarded to Dundee with 72% of Brits stating they would not visit Scotlands fourth largest city because its considered to be an unexciting location, despite it being marketed as the 'City of Discovery'. A quarter of respondents reported they would avoid Dundee because it has a reputation of having bad weather throughout the year.
Sunderland achieved fourth place in the UK's least visited city poll with 69% of respondents stating the city by the sea, has noting to offer them and 25% of adults would avoid it because they dislike the local accent.
Fifth place was awarded to Newport, the city which offers the gateway between England and Wales with 60% of Britons stating they would bypass the city - because it has nothing of interest and is perceived as a high crime rate city.
St David's, Wells, Ely, Rippon and Lichfield completed the top ten listing of least visited cities predominately due to the fact that Britons have not heard of these cities and they do not know their geographical locations. (Further research findings on these locations can be found in the notes to editors). Listed below are the UK's top ten least visited cities by Brits:
1. Bradford
2. Wakefield
3. Dundee
4. Sunderland
5. Newport
6. St David's
7. Wells
8. Ely
9. Ripon
10. Lichfield
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said:
"We live in a world of misconceptions, and often dont realise it. A significant proportion of the images of cities we have in our minds may be biased, out of date and not in tune with reality. The UK has 66 great cities, each one offering a unique experience and with the Easter holidays, fast approaching there has never been a better time to go and discover a less familiar UK city. To ease the cost of taking a city break Travelodge has released 190,000 rooms for £19 across its 392 UK hotels."
Patricia Yates, Director of Strategy and Communications from Visit Britain said:
"This report has highlighted that Brits need to reacquaint themselves with some of the UK's great cities. Its a shame that misconceptions and lack of UK's knowledge of what cities have to offer could stop British travellers from having a great weekend break. Our cities have seen a renaissance with modern hotels, cafes and galleries and are just waiting to be explored. If we do not invest in discovering the cities that make Great Britain great, these cities will be lost to future generations."
To help Britons reacquaint themselves with the top three least visited cities, Travelodge asked its hotel managers in Bradford, Wakefield and Dundee to recommend their top five must see attractions and places to visit within their area.
Listed below are their suggestions:
Bradford:
1
The world famous Mumtaz Restaurant which has been visited by a host of celebrities, royalty and politicians. Feedback on the restaurant includes:
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll said: "The food was beautiful and the atmosphere was delightful". David Cameron said: "The best curry I have ever had in Britain". Both quotes are from www.mumtaz.co.uk
2
National Media Museum
3
Sliver Blades ice rink (Where many of the Dancing on Ice Stars train)
4
Industrial & Bronte Museum
5
Holmfirth - Location of the comedy programme Last Of The Summer Wine
Wakefield:
1
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
2
La Fort Tezza Restaurant - favourite restaurant of singer and TV Star Jane McDonald
3
New Millar Dam Country Park / Elsecar Railway Museum which Thomas the Tank Engine visits
4
National Coal Mining Museum with underground pit tour
5
The Wakefield Art Gallery / Magna Science Museum
Dundee:
1
Mills Observatory - the UK's only full time public observatory.
2
The McManus - Dundees Art Gallery and Museum
3
Broughty Castle
4
Discovery Point - An award winning attraction that transports you to Antarctica, telling the tale of the most heroic voyage of exploration ever undertaken.
5
Verdant Works an award wining attraction which transports you back over 100 years when jute was king and Dundee was its realm
Jane Glaister, Bradford Council's Strategic Director Culture, Tourism and Sport, said:
"Bradford is a great city to visit. Its home to the National Media Museum, the most visited museum outside London and host to the nationally acclaimed Bradford Film Festival. Also Bradford has recently been designated as UNESCO City of Film - the only city in the world to achieve this designation."
"Our magnificent theatre, the Alhambra, stages many highly successful West End shows and has a growing reputation for international dance attracting visitors from far and wide. The Impressions photography gallery in the city centre hosts cutting edge exhibitions and workshops and work has now started on our spectacular City Park which is scheduled to open next year and will be one of the most beautiful public spaces in a city centre in the UK. This demonstrates the wide variety of what this amazing area has to offer."
Further findings from the report revealed the top ten most visited UK cities by Brits are:
1. London
2. Birmingham
3. Manchester
4. Edinburgh
5. York
6. Liverpool
7. Bath
8. Nottingham
9. Brighton
10. Bristol
The top ten UK cities Brits are planning to visit this year are:
1. London
2. Edinburgh
3. Manchester
4. York
5. Birmingham
6. Liverpool
7. Bath
8. Glasgow
9. Brighton
For further information please call:
Shakila Ahmed
Travelodge
Tel: 01844 358 638
Notes to editors:
The survey to identify the UK's top ten least visited cities was conducted in February 2010 with 5,000 adults.
St David's the UK's smallest city in Britain which is named after the patron saint of Wales and is surrounded by some of the finest coastline in Europe achieved sixth position in the UK's least visited poll due to 83% of Britons not knowing its location.
Britain's second smallest city Wells which lies sheltered beneath the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills, combining a wealth of historic interest and beautiful architecture achieved seventh position in the listing of the UK's top ten least visited cities. The main reason why Somersets only city made the poll was due to 78% of Brits not knowing the city exists.
Eighth position in the poll of the UK's least visited cities was awarded to the city of Ely because 72% of adults did not know where this beautiful historic city was located.
Ripon the charming Yorkshire city came in ninetieth place as a result of 67% of Britons being clueless on the city's whereabouts. Lichfield, Staffordshires premier heritage city completed the top ten listing of the UK's least visited cities with 59% of adults reporting they had never heard of the city.
About Travelodge:
The first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge now operates 395 hotels (28,000 rooms) 11 in Ireland, three in Spain and the rest in the UK. Travelodge plans to grow its estate to 70,000 rooms (approximately 1,000 hotels by 2020).
Six and a half million people stayed with Travelodge last year and 87% of reservations are currently made online at travelodge.co.uk, where room rates start at £19 a night. The chain employs 5,500 staff and is owned by Dubai International Capital.