It's time for the Viator Travel Awards!
Editor’s Note: This post is part of the Viator Travel Awards, an annual awards competition where we let our travelers select the top things to do and see in each of the major regions we serve, as well as the top things to do in our most popular tour categories. The awards culminate in the Viator Top Travel Destinations and our annual list of the world’s most travel-inspiring attractions.
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Each year we post the Best Travel Photos of the year, selected from the thousands of photos submitted by Viator travelers (ie, by people just like you). Normally we select 10 photos that make us laugh, make us smile – and inspire us to take that next trip.
This year we took a slightly different approach. Why? Because we received so many amazing photos (almost 20,000!) from travelers on Viator.com in 2011. We simply couldn’t pick just 10 photos. It was too hard — there were way too many great photos!
So this year we narrowed it down to 30 of our favorite travel photos, and let you decide which ones made it into the top ten. And now, the votes are in! Thank you for helping us choose the Top 10 Travel Photos of the year.
#10. Peru
Viator traveler Hari in Peru
We love this shot that traveler Casey took of travel companion Hari sitting pretty with two gorgeously adorned local ladies in Peru on the Sacred Valley Pisac and Ollantaytambo Full Day Tour from Cusco.
#9. Valley of Fire Wedding
A Valley of Fire Wedding is a great time to take awesome photos!
The lure of a Las Vegas wedding proved too much for our member racinstacie who tied the knot with her fiancé at the Valley of Fire. Ahhhhh. Congratulations guys!
#8. Machu Picchu
The iconic Machu Picchu shot
This is one image that never fails to make a visual impact. Rodrigo makes it to stunning Machu Picchu after an impressive four-day trek along the Inca Trail from Cusco, Peru.
#7. Egyptian Desert
"Watch me pick up a giant rock with one finger!"
Leigh shows an incredible feat of strength – or does she? – on a quad biking tour in the Egyptian desert. This photo only made it to number 7 on our list, but it’s our favorite funny image.
Our next two romantically themed photos (coincidentally by two travelers called Emily!) received the same amount of votes in our competition.
#6. Paris Kiss
We hope Emily was strong enough to stand him back up!
It doesn’t get much more romantic than stealing a kiss from a loved one at a landmark in the City of Love. Emily doesn’t wait to be asked outside the Arc de Triomphe.
#5. Great Barrier Reef
Hello from Down Under.. the sea!
Guess where this photo was taken? Emily and Jeff stop for a photo while diving in the clear, blue waters of the Great Barrier Reef on the Great Barrier Reef Diving and Snorkeling Cruise from Cairns.
#4. Thai Elephant Antics
Shower anyone?
One can’t help wondering what happened next in this photo? Jill obviously had an awesome time on our popular Khao Yai National Park and Elephant Ride Day Trip from Bangkok trip. But did they get a free shower as part of the tour?
#3. Top of Europe
What a view!
Archana’s inspiring photo makes us want to travel to the ‘Top of Europe’ too! This photo was taken on the Jungfraujoch Top of Europe from Zurich tour from Zurich to Jungfraujoc, which takes you through Switzerland’s magnificent Alpine region on a cogwheel railway.
#2. Nassau SUB
It looks like Bernie & Anna had a great time in Nassau!
Just pipped at the post by Pisa, this fantastic photo by Charles Bernardo of his wife Anna Zaytseva shows how it feels to float around Nassau’s coral gardens in a SUB (Scenic Underwater Bubble) on a Nassau SUB Bahamas Adventure. Extra kudos goes to Bernie who, in an effort to secure votes for his photo, set up a Facebook page that got over 1,000 likes!
#1. The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Congrats to Croatiagirl!
An oldie but a goodie, our winning photograph is an image we’ve all seen many times before, but it never fails to make us smile. And it obviously had the same effect on our voters! We really like this quirky rendition by Croatiagirl. The photo was taken on our Tuscany in One Day Sightseeing Tour.
Thank you so much to everyone who submitted their photos and voted for their favorites in this year’s Top 10 Travel Photo Awards. And congratulations to the winners!
We love seeing your pictures and knowing that you get the best out of the travel experiences we offer. Just keep your photos coming, and you never know–you may get selected for the Top 10 Travel Photos in 2012! Until then, we hope you capture many happy moments on your travels in 2012.
Posted on January 19, 2012 by Viator Travel Team in Photos & Videos, Press & Publicity, Viator Travel Awards.