In 1980, the World Heritage List included Rome and in 2021 it was the most tagged site on Instagram. Photo / Michele Bitetto
In 1980, the World Heritage List included Rome and in 2021 it was the most tagged site on Instagram. Photo / Michele Bitetto
Folllwing two world wars within 30 years, UNESCO was formed in 1945 with a clear goal; to unite people and encourage an appreciation for the world's diverse destinations and cultures.
75 years later, the organisation have identified 1,154 sites (897 cultural, 218 natural, and 39 mixed) as worthy of being on UNESCO World Heritage sites list.
Around the world, a spot on this list is still considered one of the best achievements a landmark can receive. Although, it's not the only institution that now has the power to put places on the map.
"Venice and its Lagoon" made the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987. Photo / Henrique Ferreir
In recent years, Instagram has become a powerful force in travel and tourism, allowing people to share pictures and videos of certain places with millions of people.
One company decided to combine information from UNESCO and Instagram to see what World Heritage sites were most popular on the social media platform in 2021.
Design Bundles, a digital design company, analysed 145 sites that had been tagged most often on Instagram this year and ranked them in order of posts.
Winning by a mile was Rome's historic centre with around 61.2 million posts. In second was Rio de Janeiro with approximately 45 million followed by Venice and its lagoon with almost 25.8 million.
With more than 45 million posts, Rio de Janeiro was the second most popular UNESCO site. Photo / Augustin Diaz Gargiulo
The top 10 were claimed entirely by cultural sites such as Kyiv, the historic centres of Florence and Prague, Budapest, Brasilia, Saint Petersburg's historic centre, and Quito.
