A contentious new study based on Google reviews from thousands of the globe’s tourist hot spots has formed the basis of a Top 100 Most Boring Attractions Worldwide list.
The research — conducted by Solitaired in March — analysed 66.7 million reviews from 3,290 attractions on the search juggernaut spanning 71 countries and 384 cities.
Importantly, the study did not focus on the star-rating of Google reviews, but rather identified the number of times keywords, such as “tiresome”, “lifeless,” and “boring”, were written by reviewers within them.
“We ranked the attractions by the frequency with which tourists mentioned boredom-related keywords, comparing the mentions to the total reviews for each spot,” Solitaired said.
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READ NOWProud West Aussies may find their egos somewhat dented, with WA Museum Boola Bardip number 16 on the global list, and our unique Bell Tower scraping in at 92.
While the museum topped the seven-strong Aussie contingent of so-called “boring” attractions, Melbourne’s Immigration Museum at 52 and the Museum of Sydney at 32 were similarly dull, according to visitors.
Despite the Northbridge-based treasure receiving a boredom score of 2.5 out of 5 from 3446 reviews, its Google rating of 4.5 stars suggests the experience of visitors is overwhelmingly positive.
One five-star review read: “Highly recommended as one of the must-go places in Perth City! You might need at least 6 hours to cover all exhibits.
“The museum covers everything from Natural History, People, Astronomy and Culture. Suitable for all ages. Kids will surely love the Natural History section thanks to the dinosaurs and prehistoric animals exhibits. Tickets are free for kids 12 years and below.”
However, the occasional unimpressed visitor could be found expressing their negative appraisal on the platform.
“Very boring, there was no flow with the layout or the theme of the museum, seemed to me to be very bitsy and all over the show. Would have been good to see artefacts from around the world.
“Would not recommend if you are after some history from around the globe,” a one-star review read.
WA Museum CEO Alec Coles argued the findings were at odds with other “credible” sources, insisting feedback has been largely complimentary.
“The results of this supposed ‘survey’ contradict all credible data sources, all of which suggest that visitors are overwhelmingly positive about Boola Bardip,” Mr Coles said.
He considered the museum’s dynamic calendar of events as key to attracting both new and repeat visitors.
“Each year WA Museum Boola Bardip develops and presents a range of captivating local and international exhibitions, interactive displays, diverse programs, and events.
“Last year’s Discovering Ancient Egypt exhibition attracted over 135,000 visitors and people have come over the last two weeks in their droves to visit the To the Moon exhibition.”
WA Museum Boola Bardip has boasted a customer satisfaction score of between 95 and 99 per cent each year since opening in November 2020 — welcoming more than 1.68 million total visitors through their doors.
It even claimed the top awards for Major Tourism Attraction and Cultural Tourism Attraction at the 2023 Western Australian Tourism Awards, and was highly commended in the Australian National Tourism Awards.
Downtown, The Bell Tower holds a Google rating of 4.2 stars from 2,177 reviews — again, largely a positive attraction for tourists due to its unique design, aesthetic and picturesque location.
Most of the attraction’s mid-tier reviews were from visitors who had not paid to enter the tower and had only stopped for a brief glimpse outside.
One three-star review read: “We didn’t enter but only walked around the exterior of it and listened to the various bell tunes while we explored Elizabeth Quay.”
Branson Scenic Railway in the US state of Missouri claimed the world’s most boring mantle, with 3341 total reviews and a maximum boredom score of 5 out of 5.
Unsurprisingly, the expansive US comprised 62% of the 100 attractions noted in the unfavourable list.
More information on the study can be found here.