Jaunted

Seven Wonders of the World

Kids Decide Seven New Wonders

October 5, 2007 at 9:05 AM | 0 Comments

Whether you consider the New 7 Wonders project a stroke of marketing genius, a selfish farce or a magical way of recognizing the modern world's most important tourism sites, you'll probably be surprised to learn that the majority of votes were cast by children in the developing world.

Leading up to the big announcement on 07-07-07, participants the world over could vote for the likes of Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China to make the list of the world's New 7 Wonders. Votes could be cast by internet, SMS or phone. Europe, the US and Oceania practically ignore the whole rigmarole while Mali (home to nominated-but-unsuccessful-wonder Timbuktu) voted more in one week than Germany did the whole stretch of the contest.

Just why the organizers have released these voting statistics now isn't quite clear. Perhaps they think that we'll all go soft and gushy to hear it was the under-18s who really voted up a storm; but shouldn't the people who've had a chance to see and appreciate a few of the wonders be the ones to vote?

Related Stories:
· New 7 Wonders Coverage [Jaunted]
· World's Children Chose New Wonders [Herald Sun]
· New 7 Wonders [Official Site]

[Photo: achakladar]