New seven wonders of the world revealed

THE winners of a new global campaign to find the seven most incredible cities in the world have been announced. They may surprise you.

Kate Schneider and TRAVEL EDITOR

less than 2 min read

December 8, 2014 - 12:03PM

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

WHAT do Beirut, Kuala Lumpur and La Paz have in common?

They are among the winners of a new global campaign to find the seven most incredible cities in the world.

The New7Wonders Cities was created by Swiss-born filmmaker and explorer Bernard Weber, who has been on the hunt for the best new spots across the globe for years.

More than 100 million votes flooded in back in 2007 when he asked the world which seven wonders were the greatest. The Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China were among the winners.

Then, in 2011, he did it all again, this time searching for natural wonders. Winners included Jeju Island in South Korea and the Amazon.

The latest list may be surprising to many, but Weber says it showcases the diversity of the planet.

“We began with more than 1200 nominees from 220 different countries and here have seven cities that represent the global diversity of urban society,” Mr Weber said. “For the first time in human history, more than half of our planet’s population lives in cities and this election emphasises the dramatically challenging character of our changing world.”

The winners were whittled down from a shortlist of 28 options, which had included Perth.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Beirut, Lebanon

Although it’s been home to a lot of unrest, Beirut has great shopping and sightseeing, even being called the “Paris of the Middle East” by Lonely Planet.