Tokyo named the world’s most stressful city
With a travel destination, typically, people look for good food, vibrant nightlife, stunning architecture, or spectacular views of natural landscapes. However, anyone who has planned a dream vacation to a new place knows that sometimes, expectations and reality do not align. Instead, one might discover that the picture-perfect holiday rental is situated directly above a nightclub or that the quaint, cobbled streets are actually rammed with other sightseers.
All of this can lead to a stressful holiday and leave you wondering how you can avoid the same pitfalls next time. A recent survey from the travel website Radical Storage takes the mystery out of the equation to reveal which cities are the most stressful for travellers. While it might not dissuade you from visiting these destinations, it will at least help you manage your expectations.
To conduct the survey, the site analysed 97,409 reviews of tourist attractions in the 100 most visited cities in the world and based their conclusions on the appearance of 31 anxiety-related keywords and phrases. These included “crowded,” “worried,” “chaotic,” “unsafe,” and “difficult to navigate.” Any tourist attraction with fewer than 400 reviews was discounted.
Landing in the top spot after this analysis was Tokyo. According to the research, one in every four reviews of common tourist attractions in the Japanese capital contained words related to anxiety. 60% of them involved words associated with being crowded, which isn’t exactly revelatory given that Tokyo, with approximately 37million inhabitants, is the largest and one of the most vibrant cities in the world.
Another city in Japan landed in second place. According to the data, one in five reviews of Osaka featured stress-related keywords. Kyoto was third. The first city to land outside the top three was London, which receives more than 18million visitors every year and is full of busy tourist spots.
The least stressful city in the world
If you’re looking for a stress-free holiday, the study revealed which of the 100 most visited cities is the least anxiety-provoking. Topping the list was Tallinn, Estonia, a Baltic town famous for its medieval architecture. Reviews of its tourist attractions prominently featured words like “serene,” “relaxing,” and “quiet.”
China landed in second and third place, with the “city of romance” Zhuhai in second and the picturesque Guilin and Guangzhou tied for third. Known for being China’s “most liveable” city, Zhuhai features relaxing beaches and modern architecture. Only two per cent of reviews for the city’s most prominent tourist attractions mentioned stress.