World's most disappointing tourist attractions: #3

Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but sometimes it's just plain wrong. So my third pick for the world's most disappointing attractions is The World's Biggest Pineapple. Located in the small town of Bathurst, this giant fibreglass pineapple is famed as being the largest pineapple in the world. While it certainly looms large on South Africa's tourist landscape, it is in fact a rip-off of The Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. The Queensland idea was copied by a couple of South Africans who couldn't resist the chance to finally top the Aussies! At 16.7m high it's only a mere 70cm higher than its more famous counterpart. And, perhaps it's just my Queensland colours shinning through, but without the macadamia nut mobile it just isn't the same!

World's most disappointing tourist attractions: #2

From the land imaged with werewolves and vampires comes my second pick for world's most disappointing attractions; an attraction that really bites – Dracula's Castle in Romania. With Transylvania renowned as the setting of Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic novel Dracula (loosely based on Vlad Tepes, the revered prince from the Middle Ages who impaled his foes on stakes) Bran Castle has become synonymous with the Dracula myth. Yet despite what the guides may tell you, neither Bram Stoker nor Vlad Tepes ever stepped foot here. What's more, the castle, with its whitewashed walls, red-tiled turrets and fairytale towers, is far from frightening. You're more likely to find Rapunzel rather than Dracula lurking inside!

World's most disappointing tourist attractions: #1

Uluru, Angkor Wat, the Great Wall of China; some tourist attractions certainly make your jaw drop. But not all live up to the marketing hype. Overrated and overpriced, some attractions leave you feeling more than a little underwhelmed. For my latest article for MSN NZ I share my thoughts on the world's most disappointing attractions. My number one? Skywalk, Grand Canyon. This controversial glass-bottom, horseshoe-shaped walkway which cantilevers 1.2km above the canyon's Western Rim, might provide the kind of vertigo-inducing views only ever seen before by Wile E Coyote, but even Wile would be pushed over the edge by the cost. The US$20 parking fee is just the beginning. You have to buy a US$29.95 package tour which allows you to take a short bus ride (on a perfectly good road which you could have walked or driven down yourself) to the edge of the rim. It's then another US$29.95 to actually walk on the Skywalk and you can't even take your camera with you. Of course you can have a photograph taken of you on the bridge at an additional cost if you choose! Give it a miss and visit the Southern Rim instead.