Looking at the list with all the visits ( http://worldheritagesite.org/allvsitesa.php ) what is most popular site you haven't visited, and the least popular site you have visited?

The most popular site I haven't visited is Salzburg (#22).

The least popular site I have visited would be Mistaken Point (#1042) and East Rennell (#1031)

The most popular I haven't visited is the Vatican (#6)

The least popular I've visited is Fray Bentos (#966)

Most popular not visited Acropolis #23 (I feel a little ashamed on that one)

Least popular visited: Pampuhla #967 (though it may benefit from it being a recent inscription and not everyone updates their profile, of the sites that have been on the list for 10 years or more Senegambian Stone Circles #858)

Most popular site I haven't visited is Edinburgh (#21).

Least popular site I have visited is Saryarka (#910)

Most popular site I haven't visited is Prague (#8), but I'm sure I'll get there on a future visit to Europe.

Least popular site I have visited is Turaif Quarter (#953).

Most popular unvisited site for me is Istanbul (18), least popular visited site is St.George, Bermuda (704). Quite some catching up to do here :)

Most popular unvisited site is the Great Wall (#31). Least popular that I have visited is Poverty Point (#877), but I'd imagine that will increase in popularity with its proximity to New Orleans, the Natchez trace, and also relatively recent inscription.

Most popular site I haven't visited is Paris, Banks of the Seine (#1). LOL! (In fact, of the top 50, I have only visited 5!)

Least popular site I have visited is Cerrado Protected Areas (#971)

Most popular I haven't visited is the Grand Canyon (#26). In Europe it would be Granada (#31), but I'm going to change that when coming to our meeting in September. Not so strong on the rear end. I visited Wadi Al-Hitan (#863) and the Lenggong Valley (#861) with both 18 visits.

Least Visited Visited:
Fray Bentos for me, too. But I think this is mostly due to the recency of the inscription. Cueva de los Manos seems a more appropriate choice.

Most Visited Not Visited:
Istanbul. Wanted to go for a while, but a bit afraid due to security concerns.

After a weekend reminiscing about it by gorging on Turkish Delight and Baklava I need to get around to writing up my review.
Having returned from there just hours before the most recent downturn really kicked off we were talking about if we would have ventured there now, My wife was pretty sure she wouldn't, I think I would have gone (if it was just myself), but I do understand the hesitancy.

In saying that I've spent the last two weeks saying to friends, family and acquaintances in the USA, that London is perfectly safe (though I'm not really sure they were won over) so I understand how different things can feel when viewed from outside.

I do think that American television is not very well in representing the security of Europe. But well, if you watch German reports on Mexico then it's supposedly a drug fueled hellhole.

I started wondering of assigning difficulty scores to the sites. I would feed into it:
* v = visitors
* y = years of inscription


In the end the sites should be mapped to a distribution resulting in a score between 1...5. Need to read up on creating measures. Anyone with a quant background here? ;)

I tried to find the most difficult sites and came to the conclusion that visit ranking is misleading - for example Timbuktu is rather high on the list (#761 with 29 visits) but, given security situation, it may be one of the most difficult sites now. Palmyra is almost exactly in the middle of the ranking (#528), but I would not consider it easier to visit than, say, Mtskheta (less visited according to the list):-)

I also think that cost factor should be included - there are some sites that are not difficult, but require a couple of thousand $ and at least one week to visit - e.g. Tubbataha. Basically, almost all of our connection "Takes more than 5 days to visit" http://www.worldheritagesite.org/tags/tag.php?id=1214 should be treated as most difficult (except Ogasawara, much cheaper than the others) and some more (e.g. Putorana, Malpelo, Salonga).

Oh, and for me - Most Visited Unvisited - Versailles (#10), Least Popular Visited - Virgin Komi Forests (#962).

It isn't a ranking of difficulty, it is a ranking of popularity.

Yes, those places are difficult to get to NOW, but they weren't always that way, so in the past, more people went there.

True. The Pyramids of Giza are a classic example (as well as Syria, Libya, Tunisia). Perfectly safe to visit before the Arab Spring; massive lack of tourists thereafter.