Chile's Torres del Paine National Park Selected as 8th Wonder of the World by VirtualTourist Voters

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- VirtualTourist.com, a leading travel research website and community that is part of TripAdvisor Media Group, announced today that after more than five million worldwide votes, Turismo Chile's entry of Torres del Paine National Park has been named the "8^th Wonder of the World."  

Earlier this year, VirtualTourist declared it was on the hunt to identify the 8^th Wonder of the World through site visitor votes. Torres del Paine, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve known for its lakes, glaciers, waterfalls and granite towers, was chosen out of more than 300 entries from over 50 countries.

"VirtualTourist members and site visitors are some of the most well-traveled people.  We knew we could tap into their knowledge to select the 8^th Wonder of the World," said Kimberly Stirdivant Wason, head of pr and marketing for VirtualTourist. "With its awe-inspiring physical attributes and breathtaking landscapes, it's no wonder our site visitors named Torres del Paine the winner."

Formed approximately, 145 to 66 million years ago, Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia occupies 935 square miles (2,442 square kilometers) and is well known for its beautiful mountain peaks with its highest point reaching 9,462 feet (2,884 meters).

Chilean-born actor Cristian de la Fuente made the announcement on Los Angeles's top morning show "Good Day L.A."  De la Fuente, who recently appeared on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" and "Private Practice" and was born and raised in Chile's capital, Santiago, says Torres del Paine is a place where you can lose yourself.  "Chilean Patagonia is an amazing area of unlimited and unspoiled nature.  Whether on foot or by car, one of the most impressive destinations this region has to offer is Torres del Paine."

Torres del Paine has become known as a hikers' paradise where visitors can traverse through a remote environment unlike any other. This last year, the national park received 15 percent more visitors than previous years with more than 139,000 trekkers.

"We always believed Torres del Paine had the natural qualities to become the 8^th Wonder of the World due to its exceptional beauty and its breathtaking landscapes," said Chile Secretary of Tourism Daniel Pardo.  "Being named the 8^th Wonder by VirtualTourist, one of the most respected names in travel, we hope will bring even more adventure seekers out to Torres del Paine to experience its unique splendor."

El Salvador's Santa Ana Volcano and Lake Coatepeque, Colombia's Coffee Cultural Landscape, Guatemala's Tikal National Park, Slovenia's Skocjan Caves, Mexico's Copper Canyon, Scotland's Dunnottar Castle, Belize's Great Blue Hole, Curacao's Queen Emma Bridge and Croatia's Old Town Dubrovnik are the other landmarks receiving the most votes to make up the top ten. 

To see the complete list or for more information, visit www.virtualtourist.com/8thwonder.  To learn more about Chile's Torres del Paine, visit www.chile.travel/en.  

About VirtualTourist.com
VirtualTourist.com® is one of the largest online travel communities in the world and a premier resource for travelers seeking an insider perspective. Boasting close to 2 million travel reviews and over 4 million photos of 61,000 destinations worldwide from 1.3 million members, VirtualTourist (http://www.virtualtourist.com) attracts 8 million unique visitors per month. Unbiased, respected, insider advice on Hotels, Things to Do, Transportation, Favorites and more is posted entirely by VirtualTourist's membership from more than 220 countries and territories. Virtual Tourist is a subsidiary of TripAdvisor, Inc.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 125 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.1 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 34 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 21 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com,  www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn. 

 *Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, June 2013

 **Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013

©2013 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved. 

SOURCE VirtualTourist.com

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