Angel and Wall in landmark victory

May 5 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

THE Angel of the North and Hadrian’s Wall are Britain’s two most recognisable landmarks, a new study says.

Hotel chain Travelodge challenged 3,000 Britons to identify photographs of UK landmarks old and new and more than 80% of those quizzed correctly named Anthony Gormley’s Gateshead sculpture.

Just over 60% knew they were looking at the Roman Wall, but less than half of the sample group of 3,000 recognised Trafalgar Square in London and a mere 38% recognised St Paul’s Cathedral.

The Tyne Bridge between Newcastle and Gateshead fared less well in the survey, with a third of those shown a picture confusing it with the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

But the recognition factor of the Angel and Hadrian’s Wall have been welcomed by tourism chiefs at regional development agency One NorthEast.

A spokeswoman said: “We are proud of the North East’s cultural and historical landmarks and believe they are as eye-catching and memorable as those anywhere in the UK. The results of this survey back up those beliefs, and endorse the work we’re doing to promote the region nationally and internationally.”

While some of the region’s landmarks proved easy to name, there were a number of cases of mistaken identity.

More than one in three of those shown a picture of the Tyne Bridge confused it with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and almost a third mistook the renowned Roman-built Hadrian’s Wall for the Great Wall of China. Bizarrely, more than two thirds believed Brighton’s Royal Pavilion to be the Taj Mahal in India.

The survey confirmed that Britons favoured foreign holidays to those spent in the UK, with 45% having visited the Eiffel Tower compared to the 30% who had seen Edinburgh Castle.

Chief executive of national tourism agency VisitBritain, Tom Wright, said: “Britons seem to be too focused on destinations and attractions overseas and are missing out on the fantastic breaks they can enjoy in their own country.

“That they are confusing domestic destinations with those abroad proves holidays here can rival any other country in the world.”

But the report indicates that things are set to improve for British tourism, with 65% of respondents saying that they plan to spend more time travelling the UK over the next 12 months, citing cost savings and concerns about the environment as their primary reasons.

Travelodge chief operating officer Guy Parsons said: “Increased foreign travel has meant that Brits have sometimes ignored what this country has to offer. It seems their awareness of some British landmarks has suffered as a result.”