A new study from InsureandGo has used facial recognition technology to reveal the happiest holiday hotspots from all over the globe.

With so many travellers sharing their favourite holiday snaps on Instagram, the Travel Insurance experts at InsureandGo have analysed thousands of photos posted on the social media platform in order to reveal which holiday hotspots are home to the happiest tourists.

The researchers analysed 100 popular global holiday destinations, collecting a sample of pictures from famous tourist attractions within each location, before using facial recognition technology to analyse the expressions of visitors and in turn, give each an average ‘smile score’. 

The Lake District ranks as the number one happiest holiday hotspot in the world, followed by Lofoten and Queenstown. Cumbria’s National Park tops the charts thanks to an impressive smile score of 88.4 out of 100, with most of its photos showing visitors smiling and enjoying their trip to the region.

Second place in the rankings highlights a lesser-known travel gem, with the dramatic mountains and pristine villages of Lofoten in Norway leaving visitors smiling more in their travel snaps than the heavily visited likes of Barcelona and New York City.

Queenstown in New Zealand completes the top three with a smile score of 84.2. Its blend of striking scenery, Lord of the Rings fandom, award winning wines and options for adrenaline junkies, making it a happy trip for any taste. 

1.     Lake District, United Kingdom

2.     Lofoten, Norway

3.     Queenstown, New Zealand

4.     Vancouver, Canada

5.     Gold Coast,      Australia

6.     Hong Kong, China

7.     Isle of Skye, United Kingdom

8.     Panama City, Panama

9.     Wellington, New Zealand

10. New Forest, United Kingdom