A new study has found which Christmas markets are the worst and most stressful in the UK this festive season.
The study by lifestyle magazine Dailybase analysed Tripadvisor reviews for 74 Christmas markets across the UK and EU, shortlisting 34 in the UK to rank those that may offer a more stressful experience for visitors than others.
Factors considered were the percentage of ratings that awarded four and five stars for each market as a proportion of all reviews, and the proportion of ratings giving just one or two stars.
As well as this, the study analysed over 150 positive terms in reviews such as ‘calm’, ‘affordable‘, and ‘amazing’, in addition to more than 150 negative terms such as ‘crowded’, ‘expensive’, and ‘disappointing’.
The percentage of reviews for each market that contained one or more of these categorised terms was then calculated.
These factors were collated and weighted equally, and each market received an index score of 100 for how stressful they may potentially be for visitors, the lower the score, the higher the likelihood of a stressful experience.
Scoring lowest in the index with just 4.21 out of 100, Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market tops the list as the most stressful in the UK.
A significant 55.02 percent of reviews contained negative words, and 79.65 percent of ratings were one or two stars.
However, only 12.55 percent of visitors gave it four or five stars, the lowest among all UK markets analysed, and positive terms were found in just 34.06 percent of reviews.
Edinburgh Christmas Market ranks second among the most stressful Christmas markets in the UK, scoring 9.64 out of 100 in the index.
The study revealed that negative words appeared in 56.25 percent of reviews, and 64.89 percent of ratings were one or two stars.
Only 20.48 percent of visitors rated the market highly, and positive words were found in just 41.03 percent of reviews, reflecting many visitors leaving somewhat dissatisfied after attending the market in the city.
With an index score of 11.40, Manchester Christmas Market is the third most stressful. Over half of the market’s reviews (53.16 percent) included one or more of the 150 negative words analysed in the study, and a significant 64.20 percent of the ratings were just one or two stars.
Merely 22.22 percent of visitors rated the market at least 4 stars and less than half of written reviews (41.14 percent) contained positive remarks.
Top five most stressful UK Christmas markets:
1. Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market – 4.21
2. Edinburgh Christmas Market – 9.64
3. Manchester Chrsitmas Market – 11.40
4. Bath Christmas Market – 16.06
5. York Christmas Market – 16.86