Fifteen locations around the world have been identified as overtourism hotspots best to avoid by travel experts.
Almost half the places which appear on Fodor’s “No List” for 2025 are in Europe, including a roadtrip on the north coast of Scotland and other popular desinations such as Venice and Majorca.
Travel guide Fodor’s lists spots which it says are worthy of your time and money, but that face real and urgent “challenges”.
The list highlights places where tourism puts “unsustainable” pressures on the environment and communities, but cautions against travel boycotts, which Fodor’s says can harm local economies and “fail to bring about meaningful change”.
Top of the list is the Indonesian island of Bali where “rapid, unchecked” development is affecting natural habitats, eroding cultural heritage and causing an explosion in plastic pollution.
In Europe, overtourism is putting a strain on local infrastructure and natural resources as well as pushing up the cost of property, blocking locals from getting on the housing ladder.
Fodor’s points to protests in Barcelona, Mallorca, Venice and the Canary Islands. Sixty percent of dwellings in Lisbon are reported to be holiday lets, according to figures cited by the travel experts.
Tourism levels on Thailand’s Koh Samui island have returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 3.4 million viisting last year and HBO’s popular series The White Lotus set to increase numbers as the destination will be the setting for the next instalment.
A surprise entry on the No List is Mount Everest, where visitor numbers have more than doubled to around 58,000 yearly visits. Human excrement and rubbish reportedly litter the mountain’s slopes and a trail used to reach them.
Concerns have also been expressed over Agrigento in Sicily, the British Virgin Islands and Kerala in India, where a surge in tourist numbers is said to have worsened the impact of natural disasters where developments have blocked the flow of water.
In Japan, locals have come up with the term “kanko kogai” or “tourism pollution” to describe a flood of tourists.
Overtourism is said to be an issue in the capital, Tokyo, and in Kyoto, where some sites are so congested it’s not possible to walk around them comfortably, according to an expert cited by Fodor’s.
An influx of tourists has also changed Oaxaca in Mexico, where English is said to be replacing Spanish as the domiant language.
Finally, a loop around the north of Scotland which had aimed to boost economic growth and showcase the region’s natural beauty has sparked opposition from locals.
Some tourists on the Scotland North Coast 500 camp out, leaving behind their rubbish, campfire burn marks and even poo, much to the ire of local people.