Looking to avoid the crowds on your next holiday? 10 often overlooked destinations
The likes of Verona, Choquequirao, Seville Mount Toubkal and Turin offer alternatives to Venice, Machu Picchu, Barcelona, Mount Everest and Rome
During a trip to the Czech Republic this summer, Bret Love desperately wanted to escape the crowds at Prague Castle but could not. He was stuck in a Vltava River of humanity.
“There were thousands and thousands and thousands of people jostling for space,” said the co-founder of Green Global Travel. “You start to feel like cattle being herded.”
No matter what you call it – over-tourism, overbooked or a foreign invasion – it’s the same squeeze: a handful of destinations around the world are under siege by too many tourists.
The stampede is having a damaging effect on the culture, environment and spirit of these places. Locals are getting pushed out. Foundations are crumbling. Tourists are complaining about other tourists.
“You try to keep these cities liveable for the residents,” said Martha Honey, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Responsible Travel, “but over-tourism is killing these neighbourhoods and the reasons we go there.”
The issue is not the industry itself but the hordes of people who descend on one place during the same time period.
Destinations that are ill-equipped for the masses are unable to keep up with the demand, and everyone suffers for it.
Travellers can help ease the pressure by visiting during the quiet season, booking tickets to major attractions in advance or venturing beyond the historical core.
Longer holidays of two weeks over short getaways of two to five days are also recommended.