Online travel specialist, TravelBird, has released a comprehensive list of the most "Instagrammed tourist destinations" in the world. Only one spot in Africa made it onto the "Top 500" list – South Africa's Kruger National Park, which was ranked 49th.
The ranking was based on Instagram's application programming interface (API), which sniffed out the locations that drew the most hashtags in the local language, as well as translations into English, Chinese and other languages.
According to TravelBird, phrases and taglines associated with specific tourist destinations were also included (such as #TheHappiestPlaceOnEarth for Disneyland), but common terms were excluded (such as #Disney), which is related, but not specifically about Disneyland – BusinessTech reported. Disneyland in the U.S. state of California topped the Travelbird list, taking the number one spot with 14.6 million tags on site. Eiffel Tower in Paris came in second with 7.2 million tags.
Meanwhile, South Africa's most popular tourist destination, Kruger National Park, recorded 410,763 tags – featuring just above Cedar Point in the U.S., and just below Anfield, England.
As one of the largest and most well-known game reserves in Africa, Kruger receives close to one million visitors each year. The park's top attractions include: buffaloes, rhinoceros, cheetahs, leopards, giraffes, hippos, elephants and lions, among many others.
TravelBird states that the Instagram barometer is a good indication of places that millennials are traveling to and experiencing.
Many factors are linked to why no other African countries feature in the Travelbird list. Safety is a huge concern for many, along with accessibility and cost of travel. As globalization and structural improvements take effect, chances are more countries in the African continent will start to feature on the list.
