Niagara Falls ranked top 10 destination by Forbes

What does Times Square, the Las Vegas Strip and Disney World all have in common with Niagara USA?

According to Forbes Magazine, they are among the nation's most visited destinations, with Niagara Falls placing eighth in the business publication's annual ranking of America's 25 most popular tourist destinations. For 2011, Niagara Falls beat out destinations such as Atlantic City, Cape Cod and Universal Studios Orlando among others named to the list when looking exclusively at total visitation.

Forbes used numbers from various agencies, including the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, to determine that approximately 12 million people visited Niagara USA in 2011.

"Being listed by Forbes magazine as a top 10 tourist destination for 2011 highlights the allure of Niagara USA and its ability to attract visitors from all over the world, with the beauty of Niagara Falls and unique, one-of-a kind attractions," said John H. Percy, president and CEO of the Niagara Tourism and Convention Corp. "In this instance, the numbers speak for themselves and truly showcases the need and potential for future development in terms of hotels, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses in downtown Niagara Falls. Our agency will continue to market Niagara USA as an entire region in an effort to not only continue bringing in millions of visitors each year, but in hopes of extending their stay in Niagara USA."

Times Square in New York City topped Forbes listing with approximately 38 million annual visitors. Disney World's Magic Kingdom came in at No. 5 with 17 million visitors.