The US travel agency, Fodors Travel, has warned travelers not to visit some tourist destinations by 2020, and has published a list of travel destinations and tourist activities that should be avoided for ethical, environmental and political reasons.
Writer Melissa Wiley on the American Business Insider website published the list that includes these places, hotels and activities:
Barcelona (Spain)
The author said that the excessive tourism in Barcelona had negative effects, which caused the high rental rates for the local population, the deterioration of the environment and the disintegration of societies.
Popular tourist destinations - such as the Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell - are located within residential areas that are no longer able to accommodate more visitors.
| Big Sur lost its hygiene due to the absence of bathrooms and illegal camping (Bixaby) |
Big Sur, California
Big Sur is a popular destination for wild trips in the United States, and it has a large flow of visitors, but it lacks bathrooms, causing the accumulation of "disgusting waste on the sides of the road."
Illegal camping in the area poses a threat to the environment, especially as California has over the past few years faced a series of serious forest fires.
Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
The Angkor Wat temple, which is about 900 years old, is one of the most visited places in Cambodia, but the stairs of the structure and notable archaeological inscriptions have begun to fade due to the constant touch of it by visitors.
| Indonesia's Kumoda Island Facing Environmental Problems (Bixaby) |
Komodo Island (Indonesia)
Komodo Island is on high alert because of the damaging effects of the influx of tourists on its ecosystem, and the infamous “Komodo Dragons” have become a target for fishermen on the island, and are accustomed to tourists who feed them despite signs that clearly warn against feeding these lizards.
Bali (Indonesia)
The Indonesian government announced in 2017 a state of emergency due to garbage, and in 2018 completely banned the use of plastics due to the beaches being filled with garbage, while Bali suffers from excessive tourism burdens, although many tourists consider it a paradise with its blue waters.
Train Street in Hanoi (Vietnam)
The Train Street is located in a residential area of Hanoi's Old Quarter, where tourists flock to narrow sidewalks and wait to capture the perfect shot of trains that pass twice a day.
The street became so crowded that the train could not pass, which should be re-routed, while the Hanoi government closed nearby cafes and posted signs advising against taking pictures and videos.
| Galapagos Island has lost its calm and has become crowded with visitors in recent years (Pixabe) |
Many lost their lives during attempts to climb the Matterhorn summit in Switzerland. In 2019, seven climbers died on the mountain, while 11 people were affected in 2018.
A geologist said that the warmer climatic conditions and the permanent melting of the ice have made climbing this summit dangerous, yet this summit is still open to the public.
Galapagos Island (Ecuador)
Galapagos Island is famous for being the land of giant turtles and blue-footed ganches, and is a popular tourist destination that many plan to visit, but many have been removed from their lists during the past few years due to the large number of visitors.
Cape Town witnessed about a thousand crimes in the first half of this year (Getty Images) |
Cape Town (South Africa)
Some areas of the city have witnessed a significant increase in crime rates sparked by guerrilla wars, with nearly a thousand murders recorded in the first six months of 2019.