This article looks at 5 beautiful places in the world ruined by overtourism. If you wish to view our analysis of overtourism and sustainable travel, please check out 20 Beautiful Places in the World Ruined by Overtourism.
In addition to covering topics like beautiful places that are ruined by overtourism, at Insider Monkey, we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. For example, artificial intelligence technology is on the cusp of earth-shattering breakthroughs, so we identified the cheapest AI stock that is trading at less than 5 times its market value excluding cash and investments with the potential to deliver 100x returns. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. You can subscribe to our free daily enewsletter by entering your email address below. Now, let’s take a look at the 5 beautiful places in the world that are ruined by overtourism.
5. Santorini, Greece
Insider Monkey Score: 8.6
The Greek island of Santorini is a hotspot for summer vacationers due to its beautiful vistas and white-stoned buildings. Alarmingly, the island hosted approximately 2 million tourists in 2019, despite having a local population of around 15,000. Even though the Santorini municipal authorities have been regulating the number of daily cruise ship passengers on the island, Santorini continues to suffer at the hands of overcrowding.
4. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Insider Monkey Score: 8.8
The Ecuadorian archipelago is renowned for its incredible biodiversity and breathtaking lava plateaus. However, overtourism became such a concern that in 2007, the Galapagos Islands were added to UN’s list of World Heritage sites considered to be in danger. As of 2010, the archipelago has been removed from the list, however, unbridled tourism continues to pose a threat to the area’s sustainability. In 2024, tourist taxes for entry to the islands have been doubled for visitors from most nations.
3. Maya Bay, Thailand
Insider Monkey Score: 9.9
Maya Bay was a filming location for Danny Boyle’s The Beach (2000), which starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Ever since, the beach has witnessed heaps of tourists each year, at the neglect of the island’s natural beauty. In 2018, the beach was sealed off to tourists after it was estimated that nearly 50% of the neighboring corals had been destroyed by boat anchors and the shark population had declined considerably. Since 2022, the beach has been reopened with the introduction of sustainable protocols.
2. Venice, Italy
Insider Monkey Score: 10.6
The floating city of Venice is one of the most famous vacation spots in Europe. The continuous infiltration of tourists into the city has driven up housing and living costs, forcing many locals to relocate away from the city. Any effort to combat overtourism has been ineffective so far. In April 2024, the city introduced a temporary €5 tourist fee for daily visitors, however, this was met with fierce opposition from both locals and visitors, resulting in protestors clashing with the city’s riot police.
1. Machu Picchu, Peru
Insider Monkey Score: 10.8
Ironically, a city that was completely abandoned until a little over a century ago is now one of the most beautiful places in the world ruined by overtourism. Owing to the threat of tourists damaging the city’s structure, UNESCO has issued several warnings to the Peruvian government, even expressing that it may add the city to the list of World Heritage sites in danger in 2016. Currently, the Peruvian government has placed a cap of 4,500 daily visitors to the city, however, overcrowding continues to be a concern for the sustainability of tourism at Machu Picchu.
Insider Monkey focuses on uncovering the best investment ideas of hedge funds and insiders. Please subscribe to our free daily newsletter to get the latest investment ideas from hedge funds’ investor letters by entering your email address below. You can also take a peek at 15 Best Places to Retire in Florida That You’ve Never Heard Of and 12 Most Hated Countries in Europe.
