Giant's Causeway places in top three of NI attractions
Completing the top three is Giant's Causeway on the Antrim coast.
THE GIANT’S Causeway has been placed in the top three of Northern Ireland’s top ten attractions, according to visitors to the area, and Ballintoy Harbour is in the top 20!
Choosing where to go for a day out in Northern Ireland can be surprisingly difficult. The region has everything from coastal landmarks to historic prisons and museums, and once you start comparing ticket prices, travel time and what other visitors have said, the list can get long very quickly.
Reviews often end up being the deciding factor. A famous name might get somebody's attention, but thousands of visitors saying they genuinely enjoyed themselves can be much more convincing.
With this in mind, media agency One Day Agency analysed Tripadvisor reviews for 472 attractions across the UK, including 40 in Northern Ireland, to find which ones visitors have responded to most positively.
The research considered both the percentage of five-star reviews and the total number of reviews received, with arenas and stadiums excluded from the ranking.
Taking first place is Crumlin Road Gaol, with a score of 69.74 out of 100. The former prison in Belfast has received 9,457 Tripadvisor reviews. The attraction also places 55th in the overall UK ranking.
The Ulster Aviation Society follows in second place.
Completing the top three is Giant's Causeway on the Antrim coast. The famous natural landmark has attracted 12,047 Tripadvisor reviews, with 68.73% awarding it five stars, helping it achieve a final score of 67.07.
City Walls in Derry/Londonderry comes fourth with 66.07. The historic fortifications have received almost 3,000 reviews.
Fermanagh's Marble Arch Caves rounds out the top five, scoring 65.57. Almost three-quarters of its 1,601 Tripadvisor reviews are five-star, putting the cave attraction just half a point behind City Walls.
In sixth is Royal Navy Museums, Ulster American Folk Park places seventh.
Not far behind is the Museum of Free Derry, which takes eighth place.
Another outdoor attraction follows in ninth. Tollymore Forest Park in County Down scores 64.11, with 75.95% of its 819 Tripadvisor reviewers giving it the maximum rating.
Rounding out Northern Ireland's top ten is Mount Stewart, also in County Down. It scores 64.01 from 1,091 reviews, with 72.59% awarding five stars.
The rest of the top 15 includes Ulster Folk Museum in 11th with 63.66, followed by Ulster Museum in 12th with 63.33. Grand Opera House places 13th, Tower Museum comes 14th and Ballintoy Harbour completes the top 15 with a score of 62.52.
One of the more surprising results is Titanic Belfast, which places 16th in Northern Ireland despite receiving 27,522 Tripadvisor reviews. That's more than twice as many as Giant's Causeway and almost three times Crumlin Road Gaol's total. However, its five-star percentage stands at 62.39%, considerably below the regional leader.
The Ulster Aviation Society offers another interesting comparison. Its 98.46% five-star share is comfortably the highest in Northern Ireland, but with only 650 reviews, it finishes second. Crumlin Road Gaol takes the top spot by combining a strong percentage of positive feedback with a much larger number of visitors leaving reviews.
Alexandra Gonçalves, Paid Media Manager at One Day Agency, said: “Smaller, specialist attractions can have an advantage because the experience often feels more personal. At this type of venue, visitors may spend more time speaking to knowledgeable staff, get closer to the subject and see the enthusiasm of the people running it. Those details tend to stick with people when they leave a review.”