Before, traveling used to mean getting lost in a big city. Using a worn-out map, you would wander the streets using directions given by random people.
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Now, it’s a dash to the same places, a pilgrimage to discover the ‘not-so-undiscovered’ geotagged location. The dormant passion for travel that social media has captured has transformed peaceful and beautiful places as well as ancient marvels into a backdrop for the ideal selfie.
As a consequence, genuine experiences are being overshadowed by influencer tourism, and places of reverence are becoming content production sites.
The salt flats of Bolivia and the medieval walls of Dubrovnik, Croatia, tell the same story. Popularity caused these Instagram destinations to struggle with the overwhelming number of visitors.
The infatuation remains, yet it is obscured by the masses competing for the same photo, the same perspective, the same moment to seek social media notoriety.
This is more than just overtourism; it’s about the decline of the essence of travel, one hashtag at a time.
30) Dubrovnik, Croatia – Medieval walls swarmed by cruise ship visitors
The beautiful construction of the walls that surround Downtown Dubrovnik, which are almost two kilometers long, end up being a victim of their own beauty. Due to the beauty of the walls, coupled with the filming of the TV show Game of Thrones in the Downtown Dubrovnik area, a large influx of tourists has been created in the area. Cruise ships arrive in the downtown area with thousands of tourists in a single day. The tourists walk on the defensive walls that were built for protection instead of being designed for mass tourism.
What used to be a historic walk has now become a crowded shuffle with many visitors just standing still. Due to the high number of crowds and the noise distraction, Dubrovnik has taken steps to limit the number of cruise ships and, most importantly, has instituted a ban on wheeled suitcases in the historic Old Town.
29) Hạ Long Bay, Vietnam – Limestone karsts popularized but now congested with boats
Vietnam’s Hạ Long Bay has over 1,600 limestone karsts. This karst beauty is over 500 million years old and has emerald waters. Because of the Bay’s otherworldly beauty, it has become a social media sensation, and images of the landscape have made it to the top of many travel bucket lists.
The views that you see on Instagram do not paint the complete picture of the current situation. There are hundreds of tour boats that now offer daily trips to this UNESCO World Heritage site, which essentially makes the site look like a floating traffic jam. Visitors have to deal with the noise and pollution of the hotspot, taking away from the opportunity to reflect in peace and quiet. Everyone is trying to capture the same peaceful-looking photo.
28) Cinque Terre’s Vernazza – Popular pier packed to the brim with day visitors
The Vernazza Natural Harbor is a cute little stop, but during peak season it can get a bit too busy. The small pier that was only used by local fishermen to dock their boats has been made to accommodate the thousands upon thousands of visitors that come to the harbor daily.
Travelers gather at the village’s port to take pictures with the famous colored houses as the backdrop. The port has an amphitheater shape, offering great views. The cobblestone streets get blocked by the crowds, particularly by the day-trippers who come in by train or boat. The many people and social media picture craze make it hard to appreciate the true sailing culture.
27) Zaanse Schans, Netherlands – Photo-perfect windmills buzzing with tourists
The adorable wooden houses and classic Dutch windmills make the village look like a postcard and an Instagram moment. Interestingly, the relocated structures from 1961-1974 were moved to the village for a historic buildings open-air museum.
A little over a century ago, the purpose of the attraction was to showcase the 18th- and 19th-century Dutch way of living. Now, due to the overwhelming number of tourists, it resembles a theme park. Guests swarm the walkways in order to take a photo with one of the iconic windmills. The cheese-making and craft shop gimmicks provide little opportunity to engage with the culture and instead just serve as a medium through which to escape the throngs of other visitors.
26) Capri, Italy – Italian island charm diluted by influencer invasions
Capri’s famous Blue Grotto and stunning cliff views have drawn the attention of social media influencers and tourism. The island has become a content creation stage.
This change has turned the previously quiet hideaway into a busy center where people tend to go to certain locations to take pictures rather than enjoy the scenery. The real Italian atmosphere is undermined by the occurrence of photo shoots, and older local places may be disregarded because of more Instagrammable options.
25) Angkor Wat, Cambodia – Sunrise crowds threatening temple serenity
Before the sun rises, many buses and tuk-tuks fill the road to Angkor Wat. They take people to the best view for sunrise. Watching the sunrise behind the ancient temple is now a big tourist attraction.
Thousands of visitors flock to the top viewing areas every morning. The once peaceful sanctuary at the UNESCO World Heritage site has become a busy spot that is full of camera shutters and cell phone lights. In attempting to protect the site, Cambodian officials have established a visitor’s code of conduct.
24) Chefchaouen, Morocco – Blue city squeezed by Instagram-driven foot traffic
The blue-painted streets of this Moroccan mountain village have gone viral. While the tranquil blue walls of the local community previously faded into the background, they now draw crowds of people with cameras.
The little twisting alleyways were not built for the number of people visiting the city. This has made it difficult for the people who actually live there to move around their own neighborhoods. People walking and taking photos have damaged the famous blue walls, and the calm medina atmosphere that used to be the main attraction has faded away.
23) Amsterdam’s Tulip Fields – Burst of color turned into busy selfie playground
The tulip fields near Amsterdam have changed with social media. Lots of gardens create specific areas for visitors to take selfies and have fun photo ops throughout the gardens.
Instead of purely enjoying their natural beauty, people now interact with the flowers in a photo-op event. Many places have even set up special “selfie gardens” full of millions of tulips arranged for social media. People see photos of the tulips from the crowd, but the tulips look better in person.
22) Petra, Jordan – Wonder of the world turned into an overcrowded photo zone
Petra is one of the most popular ancient cities known for its beautiful architecture. People especially try to get pictures of the Treasury from the newly opened Siq. Because of this, people queue to get unsociable pictures of the Treasury.
These pictures most of the time devalue the experience of being in a 2,000-year-old city. Because of the number of people present, the feeling of spiritual discovery and connection is lost, if not completely absent. The once peaceful site is now full of busy photo takers; while posts covering the site can still be found, the quiet reverence is hard to find.
21) Lake Bled, Slovenia – Calm lake scenes lost in tourist selfies
Lake Bled is one of the most fairytale-like destinations in the world. It has a medieval castle, a crystal clear lake, and an island church. It is beautiful and used to be a place for quiet contemplation, but now the alpine views are highly sought-after photo locations.
Popular locations have a lot of people, tripods, and even pro lighting gear to get the best shot. Most of the day, people are taking pictures, and the serene beauty of this Slovenian location is being interrupted. Only in the early hours can some peace be found.
20) The Cliffs of Moher, Ireland – Views obscured by tourists jostling for ‘the shot’
An example of a famous natural site is the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. They get over a million visitors every year. The viewing platforms get super crowded, especially during peak hours.
Because of this, a large number of tourists have to wait, or barge their way into a clear shot of the famous cliffs. So rather than looking at the unspoiled beauty of nature and the stunning 214-meter drop into the Atlantic Ocean, people spend their time looking at the crowds.
19) Kyoto’s Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – Meditative stroll replaced by photo lines
The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto was once a calm and quiet place for reflection, surrounded by hundreds of tall bamboo stalks. But now, due to the power of social media, it has become one of the most visited areas in the city.
At busy times, the slim route through the grove turns into a cramped hallway of people, with many pausing to take pictures, causing long lines and bottlenecks. The calm rustling of the bamboo is often drowned out by the noise of cameras and people talking. Even though an early morning visit can still give a sense of peace, for the majority of the day, the experience is a social media checkpoint rather than the nature walk.
18) Boracay, Philippines – Party island fame led to overcrowding and clean-up bans
Boracay went from being a secret spot to a viral party island on social media. Because of this, the island faced a lot of environmental problems. The 10.32-square-kilometer island started seeing too much unregulated development and pollution. So much so that, in 2018, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called the island a ‘cesspool’.
The whole island had to be closed to tourists for 6 months for some much-needed rehabilitation. This affected many people working in tourism. When the island reopened, stricter rules were enforced to avoid another environmental crisis, like limited numbers of visitors and a ban on parties on the beach.
17) Venice’s St. Mark’s Square – Feeding pigeons? More like dodging influencers
For a long time, feeding pigeons in St. Mark’s Square was one of the classic tourist attractions. But because of the harm the large number of pigeons were doing to the historic monuments, Venice banned the activity in 2008.
Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon for visitors to the famous square to be more concerned about avoiding people selling staged photo shoots and selfie sticks than flocks of pigeons. Social media is causing influencers and content producers to travel to one of the oldest sites in the city, creating an outdoor studio at the location. Birdseed vendors have been replaced by people trying to get the best shots, and these new tourists are often the most frustrating part of the experience for other sightseers who are trying to appreciate the scenery.
16) Zermatt, Switzerland – Mountain charm watered down by incessant photo ops
The pyramid-shaped profile of the Matterhorn is one of the reasons it is one of the most photographed peaks worldwide. This has caused an influx of tourists to the alpine village of Zermatt. The once quiet settlement has been transformed into a thriving center of mountain tourism.
From the best viewpoints, you can see the lines of people trying to get that perfect Instagram shot. While the picture-taking can be charming, the car-free streets can be filled to the brim with people taking their pictures, sometimes even with professional-looking setups. Instead of just the authentic mountain culture that consists of mountaineering and a quiet appreciation of nature, we now have an active photo-op culture.
15) Positano, Italy – Scenic cliffside town now bursting at peak season
Most recognizable in Italy and especially snapped by tourists, Positano is known for its stunning views of cliffs and houses that cascade toward the sea. Due to this fame, Positano has received overwhelming amounts of tourists, especially in the peak season.
With the town’s small and winding roads, it is not easy to walk and enjoy the surroundings. Many people want to visit Spiaggia Grande beach and take the same photos as those they see on Instagram. Fishing villages are no longer as peaceful because Instagram has turned them into a place that everyone wants to visit.
14) Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia – Salt flats overwhelmed by staged pics and camera crews
The biggest salt flat in the world, Salar de Uyuni, is a huge open-air photo studio. Tourists come to this 10,582 square kilometers to take weird photos, sometimes bringing costumes and props for the shoots.
The mirror effect, especially strong during the rainy season, draws large crowds and even tour groups hoping to capture the perfect reflection photo. With \”Instagram tourism\” on the rise, many professional photographers have started offering paid photoshoots. It has transformed from a peaceful natural wonder to a location for many elaborate photo shoots.
13) Tulum, Mexico – Beach vibe replaced by tourist throngs and commercialism
Tulum has transformed from a tranquil, bohemian paradise into a heavily commercialized tourist hotspot, and both sides of this transformation have their positives and negatives. Tulum’s aesthetic is extremely “Instagrammable” which led to a tourism boom in the area. This, however, led to overdevelopment, and the 2024 summer season was the first time we have seen a decline in tourism. This has resulted in many hotels seeing extremely low occupancy rates.
Tulum’s rising costs, safety concerns, and the seaweed on the beaches have all contributed to the decline in tourism. This decline was preceded by Tulum’s rapid rise due to it being on social media. Many people began to seek other less commercialized destinations (at a much lower cost) as Tulum lost the charm that made it special.
12) The Great Wall of China – Popular sections clogged with selfie seekers
The Great Wall of China receives over 10 million visitors per year and has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Badaling and Mutianyu sections have the best restoration and accessibility and receive the most visitors. Badaling has a daily limit of 65,000 visitors and has recorded daily numbers in the tens of thousands.
Tourists visiting the Great Wall of China frequently complain about crowds lining the wall and blocking access to important history. These crowds range from people blocking access to the wall to take a picture, to people jostling to get the best selfie.
11) Pamukkale, Turkey – White terraces tarnished by hordes snapping photos
Tourists flock to Pamukkale in Turkey to see the white travertine terraces, and the numerous hot springs that feed them. People flock to this location to take selfies, driving devastating impacts on the surrounding landscape. Instagram posts showcasing the beauty of this location do nothing to help the world see the beauty of the place. They only draw more and more people to the area and the damage it causes.
Tourists flock to the hot springs and travertine terraces located in this site, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors must queue to see the hot springs, and the incredible beauty of the area is often lost to the crowds that take photos instead of soaking up the area’s beauty.
10) Santorini’s Oia Village – Crowded streets make the famed views feel less special
Oia, in Santorini, Greece, is a beautiful village with narrow, cobblestone streets. The streets, the beautiful white buildings with the blue domes, and the beautiful blue sea are all impacted greatly by throngs of tourists that visit the village because of the beautiful scenery and the beautiful buildings.
As for the Byzantine Castle ruins, it is well known for its beautiful views of the sunset. Because of this, it becomes incredibly popular as it attracts many visitors snapping timed photos. During the peak season, the stunning marble walkways resemble long periods of waiting rather than a pleasant stroll through a village. Although there is no doubt Santorini is beautiful, a sunset experience there is usually an irritating, shoulder-to-shoulder experience.
9) The Maldives – Secluded islands now buzzing with social media-driven tourism
On social media, the Maldives with its transparent, blue ocean and famous bungalows is one of the top luxury destinations. Secluded, quiet islands that were once out of reach to tourists seeking the perfect travel photos have now become extremely popular.
Capturing the dreamy blue water of the Instagram account ‘Visit Maldives’ is one of the biggest attractions for tourists. As a result, the once quiet islands are now busy with tourists attempting to capture the same images seen online.
8) Eiffel Tower, Paris – Long lines and packed spaces drain the magic
Like the Eiffel Tower, which is one of the most visited monuments, waiting for tickets and even for the elevators can take hours. For many, it is a long wait.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most photographed monuments in the world, but it is rare for photos to show how huge the crowds are at the bottom and on the observation decks. Wall-to-wall visitors make it difficult to take a clear picture or even enjoy the moment. Due to the long lines, taking a photo may seem like more of a logistical issue than a fun experience.
7) Cinque Terre, Italy – Colorful towns losing charm due to day-trippers’ rush
Social media has transformed the five charming villages of Cinque Terre from quiet fishing communities into a major tourist attraction. With the increased popularity, social media has also increased the number of day-trippers to the area.
People traveling by train and boat create a lot of congestion in the narrow streets of the villages. Visitors tend to hurry to each of the five villages to take photos, disrupting the work of local residents and detracting from the authentic coastal culture of Italy.
6) Lake Como, Italy – Quiet villages swamped by Instagram crowds
With the increase of social media use, areas along Lake Como, like Varenna and Bellagio, have seen increased tourism, particularly after visitors discovered the charming cobblestone streets and brightly colored houses. Before this increase, these areas were quiet and peaceful.
The southern part of the lake, especially, has problems with overtourism. To control visiting numbers, daily limits were introduced at popular sites like Villa del Balbianello. In peak season, the small streets of Bellagio become extremely busy. The little calm town on the lake turns into an overwhelmed tourist destination. It can be difficult to appreciate the genuine village ambiance.
5) Iceland’s Blue Lagoon – Overrun with tourists turning natural calm into chaos
The Blue Lagoon used to be a peaceful geothermal spa. Now it’s one of the most visited places in Iceland and is very crowded. Daily, many visitors come to see the milky blue waters, which have become very popular on social media as an Iceland travel hotspot.
As a result of demand, visitors must now make reservations ahead of time. However, even with a reservation, certain customers must wait in lines. It is typically hard to find a peaceful area to sit and absorb the unique beauty of the geothermal lagoon. Many users’ calm and relaxing memories of the Blue Lagoon have been altered to a more commercial and ever-changing environment.
4) Bali’s Tegallalang Rice Terraces – Picturesque but overwhelmed by constant visitors
The beautiful Tegallalang rice terraces, not far from Ubud, are among the most photographed places in Bali. A long wait at some of the best selfie spots is a good trade to get the perfect Instagram shot of the stunning rice paddies.
Even though the “subak” irrigation system is still operational and functioning as an agricultural landscape, tourists have transformed parts of it to look like a theme park. To avoid crowds, photographers arrive at the location before dawn. However, many photographers have the same idea. Some local farmers have adapted to the tourism and charge entrance fees for picture-taking. The terraces are still beautiful, but the experience can feel artificially created.
3) Venice, Italy – Gondolas packed with tourists chasing perfect shots
The Grand Canal in Venice is arguably the most famous place in the world. A TikTok video explains how to cross the Grand Canal using traghetto gondolas. These gondolas only cost two Euros to ride as opposed to four hundred Euros to ride a private gondola.
The viral tip caused unintentional problems for local residents who use the traghetto crossing points to get to work, as the tips caused massive wait times to cross. Once again, social media is using a city that is struggling with overtourism to promote more tourism. In some cases, gondolas with too many people have been reported to have capsized due to people ignoring safety rules to take selfies.
2) Santorini, Greece – Iconic sunsets drowned out by influencer mobs
The caldera sunsets of Santorini with the blue dome churches provide an Instagram-worthy experience. Unfortunately, this ideal moment is often not peaceful.
In the village of Oia, near the castle ruins, many people gather to see the sunset. Influencers and photographers come hours in advance to grab the best spots and set up tripods and other gear. As the crowds grow, the once peaceful atmosphere becomes competitive. Many of the calm-looking photos online are taken in ways to avoid showing the hundreds of people who are in them.
1) Machu Picchu, Peru – Once a serene trek, now a sea of selfie sticks and crowded paths
Machu Picchu, the Inca Empire’s most famous archaeological site and formerly a sacred site for the Incas, is the most popular tourist site in Peru. To mitigate the effects of mass tourism, daily limits are imposed on visitors. Starting in the year 2024, the daily limit will be increased to 4,500 visitors, with additional capacity of 5,600 visitors on select days.
These changes have resulted in diminished enjoyment of visiting this site. Visitors must wait in order to capture selfies at approved photo-taking locations. The experience of traversing the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu is now highly controlled, with assigned pathways and policies that prohibit having to double back on any given path. As such, the experience is no longer that of an archaeological wonder, but of an emplaced photo opportunity. The magic and serenity of visiting Machu Picchu is gone, taken over by numerous distractions, including the sounds of hundreds of camera shutters.
