‘Tourist’ doesn’t have to be a dirty word: the destinations delighted to welcome record numbers of travellers
- From Turkey to Tunisia and Australia to Iran, international arrivals help to boost economies
- In increasingly popular countries, like Vietnam and St Lucia, it is easy to escape the hordes
Sunseekers continue to pour in, however, so if you’re craving somewhere authentic and unspoilt, it’s worth considering the small clifftop town of Hergla, which boasts a sandy beach minus the masses, a weekly market and a handful of family-run restaurants.
What passes for summer in the South Atlantic is expected to bring record numbers of visitors to the Falkland Islands. Almost 2,000 tourists stayed overnight in 2018/19 but that figure is likely to be beaten by the end of this season as a new weekly flight connecting the British Overseas Territory with Sao Paulo, Brazil, is due to begin on Wednesday.
Travellers to the windswept archipelago can visit the world’s southernmost Anglican cathedral and busy themselves hiking and kayaking, mountain biking and observing wildlife at close quarters. The only noisy, overcrowded beaches around here are those populated by penguins.
Despite perceptions to the contrary, Israel is generally safe to visit. It’s predicted that a record-breaking five million tourists will have visited in 2019, which suggests the rewards outweigh any risks. After checking off must-sees that include Jerusalem, Eilat, Masada and Ein Gedi, hire a bike and pedal around the Sea of Galilee.
You won’t bealone if you set out on November 16, when the 2019 Sea of Galilee bike race takes place, but at other times it shouldn’t be busy. There are beaches where you can pause for a cooling dip but don’t bother trying to walk on water – a local man beat you to it by about 2,000 years.
Switzerland has registered a record number of overnight stays this summer, which suggests the so-called currency firewall hasn’t discouraged people from visiting one of the world’s most expensive countries. Instead of heading to holiday honeypots such as Luzern or Interlaken, savvy sightseers select a small, out-of-the-way village or town to use as a base. Transport connections are excellent so you’ll never feel isolated.
Alternatively, book a stay in the undervisited Swiss capital, Bern. Domestic tourists and locals raft along the Aare River, which meanders around the enchanting medieval centre, and wonder where all the foreigners are.
But if the crowds get you down, make tracks for northern New South Wales, where the Tweed River meanders its way through a sublimely scenic region of rolling green hills and sugar-cane fields with Mount Warning forming a spectacular backdrop. In laid-back Murwillumbah, farmers and new-agers live side by side – shops around town sell tractors and tarot cards.
But if you’re determined to visit Croatia, head inland to Risnjak National Park, which is situated in the most mountainous region of the country. Hiking trails and cycling paths lead through pristine countryside, climbers scale craggy karst formations and winter-sports enthusiasts test their downhill skills at the Platak ski resort.
For eight successive months this year, the Caribbean island of St Lucia welcomed record numbers of overnighting guests (as opposed to day-tripping cruise passengers). Sugar Beach, which lies beneath the matching triangular peaks known as the Pitons, rarely gets overcrowded despite being St Lucia’s most popular attraction. There’s plenty of space on Reduit Beach, in the north of the island, except on cruise-ship days. Both are blessed with the traveller’s holy trinity of frosty white sand, turquoise seas and palm trees.
Beyond the world’s lowest-lying capital city, the Caspian Sea country is short on sights. The ancient Silk Road settlement of Sheki receives its share of sightseers but this is rural Azerbaijan and tour groups taking in the summer palace and caravanserai (roadside inns) are thin on the ground.