The Best Sightseeing Destinations That Have Been Ruined by Tourists

When traveling, you always want to experience some of the area’s historic and cultural attractions. However, sometimes the very act of being a tourist can cause damage to the places you’re visiting.

Whether it’s due to vandalism or overcrowding, here are 25 beautiful destinations that have lost their original quality thanks to tourists.

Cinque Terre: Italy

The narrow streets of this Italian coastal village struggled to withstand the 2.5 million visitors it received every year forcing authorities to put a cap on the amount of tourists allowed to visit the location.

Fearing the fragile structure of the hiking trails, authorities developed an app that alerts hikers if a trail is too crowded.

Maya Bay: Thailand

The picturesque island in Thailand put a ban on tourists until 2021 because of its overtourism which caused a significant amount of destruction to the native coral. For years, 5,000 visitors flocked daily to Maya Bay which became famous after Leonardo DiCaprio filmed “The Beach” there in 2000.

Pompeii: Italy

Although you can still visit Pompeii, archaeologists are worried about how much longer the ancient ruins can withstand the millions of visitors that flock there each year. In 2018, over 20 new rules were introduced by archaeologists in order to protect the city from overactive tourists.

The Tree of Ténéré: Niger

It wasn’t the busiest tourist attraction, but it certainly did attract a hefty amount of visitors. The Tree of Ténéré was famous for being the only tree for a 250-mile radius in the Sahara Desert.

However, in 1973 it was run over by a drunk driver while they were following the popular caravan route where the tree served as a landmark.