You probably think the "New 7 Wonders" have been around forever, or at least since the dawn of modern history. They haven't. Honestly, the whole thing started as a massive, slightly chaotic global popularity contest. If you’re looking for the new 7 wonders of the world start date, the clock officially began ticking in September 1999, but the real momentum exploded in the year 2000.
That was the year Bernard Weber, a Swiss filmmaker and museum curator, launched the New7Wonders Foundation. He had this wild idea. Since only one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—the Great Pyramid of Giza—was still standing, why not let the world choose a new set? It sounds simple now. Back then, it was a logistical nightmare involving the early, dial-up internet and international phone lines.
The 2000 Launch and the Chaos of Global Voting
The campaign didn't just appear overnight. Weber’s foundation officially kicked things off at the turn of the millennium. The new 7 wonders of the world start date is often cited as the year 2000 because that's when the nomination phase went live to the public. People could suggest any monument, provided it was man-made, completed before 2000, and in an "acceptable" state of preservation.
By 2005, the foundation had a list of 200 nominees. It was a mess of local pride and massive marketing campaigns. Imagine the world before social media, where people had to rely on SMS and landlines to cast a vote. It was the first truly global democratic exercise in history, or so the organizers claimed.
Not everyone was a fan. UNESCO, the group that actually handles World Heritage sites, basically rolled their eyes. They issued several statements clarifying that they had nothing to do with Weber’s project. They argued that a "popularity contest" shouldn't dictate what is historically significant. But the public didn't care. They wanted to see their national pride reflected on a global stage.
Why the Timeline Matters More Than You Think
The voting lasted years. It wasn't a quick weekend poll. Between the 2000 start and the final reveal in 2007, the world changed. Technology moved from clunky desktops to the early stages of the smartphone era. This long lead time allowed countries like Brazil and India to mobilize millions of citizens.
🔗 Read more: The Eloise Room at The Plaza: What Most People Get Wrong
- The 2000-2005 Phase: This was the wild west of nominations.
- The 2006 Finalist Stage: The list was narrowed down to 21 finalists by a panel of architects and experts led by Federico Mayor, the former Director-General of UNESCO. This added a layer of "prestige" to the otherwise populist vote.
- The 2007 Grand Finale: The winners were announced on July 7, 2007 (07/07/07) in Lisbon, Portugal.
There's a reason they picked that date. It was a marketing masterstroke. The "Triple Seven" date made it easy to remember and gave the whole event a sense of destiny. But if you're writing a history paper or planning a trip, the new 7 wonders of the world start date of 2000 is the real anchor point for when the travel world began to shift its focus.
The Controversy Giza Left Behind
You can't talk about the start date without mentioning the Great Pyramid of Giza. Egypt was furious. The Egyptian officials felt it was an insult that the only surviving original wonder had to compete in a popularity contest against "modern" sites like the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower.
The backlash was so intense that the New7Wonders Foundation eventually designated the Great Pyramid as an "Honorary Candidate." It’s basically a wonder by default. It sits in its own category, separate from the seven that were voted in. This tension between "old world" heritage and "new world" marketing is exactly what makes the history of this list so fascinating. It wasn't just about beauty; it was about politics, money, and national ego.
Meet the Winners of the Seven-Year Campaign
When the dust finally settled in Lisbon in 2007, we ended up with a list that arguably changed the economy of seven specific regions.
The Great Wall of China was a shoo-in. You could see that coming from a mile away. It represents centuries of labor and a scale that's almost impossible to wrap your head around. Then you have Petra in Jordan. This rose-red city carved into rock was a "hidden gem" to many Westerners until this contest put it front and center on every traveler’s bucket list.
💡 You might also like: TSA PreCheck Look Up Number: What Most People Get Wrong
The Colosseum in Rome represented the European heart of the list. It’s the only one in Europe that made the cut. Meanwhile, Chichén Itzá in Mexico and Machu Picchu in Peru locked down the representation for the Americas. These aren't just ruins; they are symbols of civilizations that were sophisticated way before European contact.
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro was perhaps the most "modern" addition. Completed in 1931, it’s much younger than the others. Its inclusion was largely due to a massive, nation-wide campaign in Brazil. People were literally getting free SMS texts to vote for the statue. It worked. Finally, the Taj Mahal in India—the ultimate monument to love—rounded out the list.
How the 2000 Start Date Changed Tourism Forever
Before the new 7 wonders of the world start date, places like Petra or Chichén Itzá were popular, sure, but they weren't "Seven Wonders" popular. After 2007, tourism numbers at these sites didn't just grow; they exploded.
For example, Petra saw its visitor numbers nearly double in the years following the announcement. This was great for the Jordanian economy but terrible for the site's preservation. The "Wonder" status is a double-edged sword. You get the money, but you also get millions of feet treading on ancient sandstone that wasn't designed for that kind of traffic.
The foundation also didn't stop there. Because the 2000-2007 campaign was such a massive financial and cultural success, they launched "New7Wonders of Nature" and "New7Wonders Cities." But let’s be real: nothing ever matched the hype of that original campaign that started at the turn of the century.
📖 Related: Historic Sears Building LA: What Really Happened to This Boyle Heights Icon
Nuance and the "Popularity" Problem
We have to be honest here. The list is subjective. It’s not a list of the "best" or "most important" sites—it’s a list of the sites that had the best PR teams and the most passionate voters.
If the new 7 wonders of the world start date had been 1950, the list would look totally different. If it started today, in the age of TikTok, it might be even more skewed toward "Instagrammable" locations. The 2000-2007 window was a unique moment in human history where we had the technology to vote globally but hadn't yet become completely cynical about online polls.
Many experts argue that the Angkor Wat in Cambodia or the Moai of Easter Island deserved a spot. They aren't wrong. The fact that they didn't make it doesn't mean they aren't "wonders"—it just means they didn't win the contest. This is the limitation of any crowd-sourced list. It reflects the crowd, not necessarily the reality of archaeological significance.
Real-World Action Steps for the Modern Traveler
If you’re planning to visit these sites based on the prestige of this list, you need a strategy. You can't just show up and expect a spiritual experience with 10,000 other people holding selfie sticks.
- Book "Shoulder Season" for Petra: Don't go in the middle of summer or the dead of winter. Go in April or October. The light is better for photos, and you won't melt.
- The Chichén Itzá Early Bird Rule: If you aren't at the gate when it opens at 8:00 AM, don't bother. By 11:00 AM, the tour buses from Cancún arrive, and the magic evaporates.
- Taj Mahal Fridays: Remember, the Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays for prayers. Every year, hundreds of tourists show up on Friday and are devastated. Don't be that person.
- Machu Picchu Permits: You can't just wing this. Permits for the Inca Trail or even just the base entry sell out months in advance. The new 7 wonders of the world start date made this site so famous that the Peruvian government had to strictly limit daily visitors to keep the mountain from literally crumbling.
The 2000 campaign changed how we look at our planet's heritage. It turned history into a global conversation. Whether you think it’s a brilliant celebration of human achievement or a glorified marketing gimmick, there’s no denying its impact. These seven sites are now etched into the collective consciousness of the 21st century, all because of a project that started when the world was worried about the Y2K bug.
Next time you're standing in front of the Colosseum or looking up at the Great Wall, remember that its "Wonder" status isn't ancient. It’s a modern label born from millions of clicks, texts, and phone calls that started over two decades ago. Check your local travel advisories and permit requirements at least six months before you fly, especially for Peru and Jordan, as regulations change frequently to combat over-tourism.