December 3, 2024, 6:44 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Bali, Mallorca, or Mount Everest – these are just a small selection of popular vacation destinations that you should not travel to in the coming year, according to the travel guide “Fodor’s”. Not because there are dangers lurking for tourists, but because the destinations are increasingly suffering from the effects of mass tourism. TRAVELBOOK explains it in more detail and shows the entire “No List” for 2025.
Increased waste production, water shortages, and higher living costs for locals – tourism has all kinds of negative effects when it gets out of hand. To draw attention to these problems and prevent people from traveling to places that suffer greatly from overtourism, the travel guide “Fodor’s” publishes an annual “No List”. It lists popular travel destinations that you should not visit in the coming year in order to avoid contributing to the existing problems.
Overview
Find out which destinations you should not visit in the coming year, according to the “No List” from “Fodor’s”:
Destinations You Shouldn’t Visit in 2025
TRAVELBOOK presents a selection of travel destinations that have been suffering from overtourism for years and should therefore not be visited in 2025.
Bali, Indonesia
After the pandemic, Bali experiences a strong upswing in tourism with millions of visitors, but this also puts a considerable strain on the island. Mountains of waste, especially plastic, overwhelm the waste disposal system, while 33,000 tons of plastic are being released into the environment every year. At the same time, inadequate wastewater treatment and coastal pollution worsen the water quality. The unregulated tourism boom does not only damage the environment, but also the quality of life of the locals due to the rising cost of living, increasing traffic, and conflicts with tourists. In addition, cultural traditions such as the Subak irrigation system are coming under pressure. Without sustainable measures, Bali is at risk of losing both its natural landscapes and its cultural identity. So until the Indonesian dream island has found a better solution for tourism, it is better not to visit this destination for the time being.
Destinations in Europe That Suffer from Mass Tourism
Tourism in Europe reached a record high in 2024. However, the growth also brought massive challenges and disadvantages. Overcrowded cities, rising living costs, strained infrastructure, and cultural homogenization led to growing discontent among locals. In popular tourist destinations, such as Barcelona, Mallorca, Venice, and the Canary Islands, tensions escalated into protests against overtourism and measures, such as entrance fees. In Amsterdam, measures such as banning cruises, halving the number of river cruises, and reducing the number of vacation accommodations this year showed the first positive effects against mass tourism. It remains to be seen whether the measures there and in other polluted places will continue to be crowned with success.
Koh Samui, Thailand
The popular Thai vacation island of Koh Samui is facing serious challenges in the face of rising tourist numbers. According to Fodor’s, 3.4 million tourists visited the island in 2023, and this figure is expected to rise further. However, problems such as a waste crisis with 200,000 tons of waste, unused sewage treatment plants, unregulated construction projects, and an overloaded infrastructure are endangering the environment and the local quality of life. Illegal construction projects and deforestation also increase the risk of landslides and damage wildlife and marine life. Local people are also struggling with increasing water scarcity. The “White Lotus” effect could further exacerbate the pressures if the series makes Koh Samui as popular as Sicily was previously. So if you don’t want to put even more strain on the island’s infrastructure, it’s better not to visit this destination in 2025.
Mount Everest
Adventure tourism in Nepal has changed dramatically over the last 76 years, as more and more inexperienced tourists are able to climb Everest by paying local workers to transport their equipment. This creates significant safety risks for the workers. Also, it contributes to overcrowding in Sagarmatha National Park, which attracts around 58,000 visitors a year. The region suffers from extreme garbage problems, with an estimated 30 tons of waste and enormous amounts of human excrement on the Everest slopes and trails. Despite these environmental pressures and an increasingly fragile natural infrastructure, the number of tourists continues to rise, and the government is encouraging even more visitors. Local organizations and activists warn of the long-term consequences of mass tourism and call for a limit on the number of visitors in order to protect nature and the quality of life of the locals.
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Destinations that are Increasingly Suffering from Overtourism
In addition to the destinations listed above, which already suffer massively from overtourism, “Fodor’s” compiled another list of places that you should avoid in 2025. Although these destinations have not yet attracted too much media attention, industry insiders are already expressing concerns based on their observations and experiences.
Also avoid these other destinations in 2025:
- Agrigento, Sicily, Italy
- British Virgin Islands
- Kerala, India
- Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan
- Oaxaca, Mexico
- North Coast 500 (NC 500), Scotland