Top destinations to reconsider before booking!
Dreaming about that perfect vacation photo? Well, this becomes harder and harder nowadays as the chance of someone photobombing your photos is incredibly high. Wondering why? The answer is simple: overtourism.
All of those horror stories about people visiting their favorite destinations and having to navigate a sea of selfie sticks in overcrowded museums and around famous landmarks are totally true. And this is very sad. The harsh reality of overtourism is unknown, but we can help by avoiding being part of it.
Sustainable tourism is rapidly becoming a thing, and because of this, we have prepared a list of destinations to reconsider before buying your tickets. Respecting local cultures, preserving the environment, and supporting responsible businesses should all become priorities, so why not make a change?
1. Venice, Italy
Oh, Venice! Such a romantic city and the favorite destination of many Americans. The city of canals and gondolas is a place a lot of people dream about visiting, but unfortunately, this place is slowly suffocating because of overtourism, and because of this, we will consider it one of the destinations to reconsider.
Venice has a population of just 257,777, and it hosted over five million tourists in 2023! This can sound like a good thing for the economy, but in reality, this huge influx of visitors is destroying the infrastructure and is threatening its existence.
For example, massive cruise ships have become more and more popular, and this has a huge environmental impact because they pollute the lagoon Venice depends on. Also, all the vacation rentals make the housing prices higher, and locals find it harder to live in their own city.
But there are more alternatives of places you can visit that still have that Italian charm we are searching for. The best nearby cities are Padua and Verona.
Padua is a university city and is home to the Scrovegni Chapel, famous for Giotto’s frescoes, and the Santo Basilica. Then Verona is the setting of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” which makes it an even more romantic destination than Venice for many. Here you can visit the Arena di Verona, an old Roman amphitheater that, surprisingly, is still in use today.
As you can see, even if Venice is one of the destinations to reconsider before booking your tickets, there are great alternatives you can visit and maybe get that thrill of exploring less popular but mesmerizing places.
2. Dubrovnik, Croatia
Also known as the “Pearl of the Adriatic,” this is the most visited city in Croatia, and it’s also on our list of destinations to reconsider. Maybe the medieval walls, cobblestone streets, and breathtaking views of the Adriatic Sea sound incredibly tempting, and you believe they are the things that will make your vacation perfect, but everybody thinks the same, and this has led to overtourism.
In 2023, Dubrovnik welcomed 4.5 million tourists, and right now all of those beautiful streets you see in the pictures of Dubrovnik’s Old Town are no longer peaceful but are instead full of people who also damaged the city’s historic sites.
Even more, this influx of tourists forced locals to move out of the Old Town because the prices were so high. What once was a beautiful community that gave you the chance to
meet the culture of the place and its people is now a near-commercialized zone.
If you want to visit Croatia, we have two places that are not among the destinations to reconsider: Split and Zadar. In Split, you can visit the Diocletian’s Palace, which now serves as an open-air museum. Also, the maze-like streets of the old town should not be missed. Zadar has a lot of Roman ruins and also a beautiful waterfront where you can listen to the Sea Organ.
3. Bali, Indonesia
Is the “Island of the Gods” the next place you want to visit? Maybe you should think again about that because Bali is one of the destinations to reconsider as the large number of tourists causes significant environmental and social challenges.
The tourists who visit Bali every year put a lot of pressure on the population, and one of the biggest problems is waste management. The amount of waste generated by all of these people exceeds the island’s capacity to manage it effectively, and this leads to the pollution of the land and the surrounding waters.
The second problem is that there’s not enough water for all the people on the island. Bali has limited freshwater resources, and the demand of tourists, hotels, and also the locals puts a lot of strain on the water system. The island experienced severe water shortages before, and this affected both the local community and also the agriculture.
Lombok and Flores are other two great places you can visit if you want to have a dream vacation on a tropical island. They are also part of Indonesia, but unlike Bali, not so many people visit them, so overtourism is not a problem anymore. Try them for a more sustainable and less crowded experience.
4. Barcelona, Spain
This is a city loved by tourists all around the world, and as you were expecting, it is one of the destinations to reconsider before going on vacation. Mediterranean beaches, tapas, and the architecture of Antoni Gaudí paired with the nightlife make this place an alluring city for many visitors.
Barcelona has a population of about 1.6 million and in 2023 welcomed over 12 million visitors. This creates various challenges, and locals became against tourism because rent prices are higher and higher because apartments are being converted into short-term vacation rentals.
Also, since so many people go to visit Sagrada Família this iconic landmark is now in danger. Its structural integrity is under threat, and the surrounding areas are always full of people, which makes the whole experience incredibly unenjoyable.
Instead of Barcelona, you can try visiting Valencia and Zaragoza. The first one is also on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and here is the place you can see the City of Arts and Science. Zaragoza is the home of La Seo Cathedral and the Aljafera Palace. The experience will be a more relaxed one, and you can be one of those who ease the burden on Barcelona.
5. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Maybe you were not expecting to see Amsterdam on a list of destinations to reconsider before booking, but here it is, and we want to tell you more about it. Just like Venice, Amsterdam is a city with a lot of canals that made it famous, and in 2023 it attracted 9.4 million visitors! This surely is good for the economy, but the consequences are disastrous.
Amsterdam’s historic neighborhoods are plagued by excessive noise, and tourists also leave a lot of litter behind. The normal state of these charming areas gets disrupted, and this greatly affects the locals. In the same fashion, like other places, the housing prices go up, and renting an apartment gets more complicated or almost impossible.
Trams, buses, and trains become overcrowded, and this is a nightmare for those who are making daily commutes to go to work or school.
If you are looking for a similar Dutch experience, Utrecht and Haarlem are amazing options. Utrecht is a university town, and guess what? It has its own network of canals and a beautiful historical center.
Haarlem is not far from Amsterdam, and here you are in for a more laid-back experience where you can visit local cafes, the Grote Markt, and also visit the Frans Hals Museum.
Do you know other destinations to reconsider? Tell us in the comments!
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