The incident is the most serious to happen at the 35-year-old Staffordshire resort, one of Britain's leading tourist attractions, which attracts around three million visitors each year.
Queues for rides were short: the Guardian's reporter at Alton Towers waited no longer than 15 minutes to get on the most popular attractions.
There are also some further south around Ushuaia, the southernmost town in the world, where among other attractions you can try several delicious craft beers.
The precision parachute drops and state-of-the-art aircraft were among the attractions of a military parade that was once the highlight of the country's National Day but which officials have not dared host since 2008.
Many have seen a big rise in the number of evening attractions such as restaurants, bars and clubs as the presence of traditional specialists selling clothes, flowers or even newspapers has waned.
The internet company has unveiled navigable images of the ancient monument and other Egyptian attractions – including the pyramids of Saqqara, Saladin's citadel, and the ancient city of Abu Mena.
Saffron, the brand consultants who prepared the report, put the question like this: "How well do cities use their assets – climate, GDP, attractions, safety, infrastructure – to generate buzz?" You can see their full ranking, methodology and sources here.
Future trips planned by the School of Life include one entitled Around the World inside the M25 (exploring London's different ethnic cuisines and attractions) and a Simple Living weekend, which will combine discussions about living austerely with simple pleasures such as walking, baking and cloudspotting.
Group bookings only from mid-September to Easter The delightful valley of Glaisdale goes almost unnoticed in the eastern half of the North York Moors, with the nearby attractions of Goathland (Heartbeat country), the steam railway to Pickering and even Whitby soaking up most visitors.
But there are also excellent bike paths that connect many of the central attractions.
The star attractions are the towering Fitz Roy massif at its northern end, and the huge, turquoise-coloured Lago Argentino to the south.
