Eye-tracking study ranks Banff as world's most beautiful summer city

A new study by hotel chain Premier Inn used eye-tracking technology to rank the world's most beautiful summer cities. Researchers showed images of over 60 major cities to participants and measured how quickly they noticed each image and how long they gazed at it. Banff, Canada, topped the list with a score of 96.0/100, as participants spent an average of 3.2 seconds looking at its image—the longest for any city in the study Source: Euronews.

The top five

• Mykonos, Greece (87.3/100) ranked second, and was the fastest to grab attention, taking just 1.5 seconds to be noticed Source: Euronews.
• Sydney, Australia (85.6/100) came third, praised for its vibrant urban beaches and laid-back vibe Source: Euronews.
• Bruges, Belgium (84.1/100) placed fourth, described as a labyrinth of canals and gabled townhouses Source: Euronews.
• Bristol, UK (83.7/100) rounded out the top five Source: Euronews.

Regional highlights

European destinations dominate the top 30, with 19 spots on the list. The UK has five cities in the top 30: Bristol, Liverpool (15th), Bath (25th), Glasgow (27th), and Brighton (29th). Germany also has four: Munich (14th), Freiburg (16th), Hamburg (22nd), and Dresden (23rd) Source: Euronews.

The study's methodology—using eye-tracking to measure aesthetic appeal—offers a novel, if subjective, approach to ranking city beauty. No conflicting data was reported across the sources.