20 Places That Are About To Become A Lot More Difficult To Visit
There's No Time Like The Present
Dreaming of ticking off that bucket-list destination? You may want to hurry. Several places are rapidly becoming much more difficult to access, whether because of tightening regulations, worsening instability, climate change, or over-tourism. Here are 20 destinations you’ll want to get to soon—before visiting becomes a major challenge.
1. Russia
The war in Ukraine has already significantly impacted tourism in Russia, with many Western countries putting a halt to direct flights. The ongoing war also poses security risks, and strained relations between Russia and the West may make it harder to obtain a visa.
2. Tonga
Tonga is a small, serene island in Oceania. It's one of the island's most vulnerable areas to sea level rise due to climate change. Over the next 50 years, parts of the island are expected to be swallowed by the ocean, displacing communities, and the area will experience more flooding and extreme weather conditions.
3. Italy
If you've ever been to Italy, you know how touristy it is, and the locals are sick of it. To reclaim their country, various cities in Italy, including Rome, Portofino, Venice, and Florence, are introducing new regulations for tourists, from taxes to enter the country to curfews and fines for taking selfies in certain areas.
4. Barcelona, Spain
Under pressure from protesters, the Barcelona government has introduced a new tourist tax. The city is also introducing a total ban on short-term rentals to try to make housing more accessible for locals.
George Kedenburg III on Unsplash
5. Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto, Japan, has become a hot tourism destination in recent years, welcoming millions of visitors annually, resulting in overcrowding and a dip in local well-being. To address this, the local government is introducing a new accommodation tax for tourists that will make visiting the city from abroad a lot less affordable.
6. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Another city that has become too cool for its own good is Amsterdam. To appease the fed-up locals, the city plans to limit river cruises, ban new hotels, and put a cap on overnight stays.
7. Kiribati
Kiribati, a small island in the Pacific, is facing an existential threat due to climate change. It's particularly vulnerable to sea level rise, which is already causing coastal erosion, flooding, and making freshwater sources undrinkable, problems that are expected to worsen in the coming decades.
8. Bhutan
Visitors to Bhutan can already expect to pay a hefty visitors' fee of $100 a day, but that's just the beginning. Bhutan is known for its treks and mountaineering, but these voyages are expected to become more dangerous in the coming years due to retreating glaciers, which are causing the ice and rock to be less stable.
9. Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is the second-most visited city in the UK thanks to its plethora of historical sites. To preserve the city's charm and capitalize more on tourism, the city is planning to introduce a new tourist tax on accommodation.
10. Machu Picchu, Peru
Due to the volume of tourists, Machu Picchu is under threat of erosion and damage. As a result, the Peruvian government aims to limit daily visits with a strict ticketing system designating time slots and requiring guided tours.
11. Athens, Greece
To curb the intense volume of tourism, which is threatening to ruin the character of the city and making housing unaffordable, the government of Athens is implementing new regulations. This includes banning short-term rentals, putting a cap on the number of visitors, and enforcing time slot registrations.
12. Maldives
The Maldives, a cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean, is under threat from climate change, particularly sea-level rise, causing portions of the islands to become uninhabitable. Some experts are predicting complete submersion by the end of the century.
13. Nepal
Similar to Bhutan, Nepal is experiencing changes to its mountain paths because of melting glaciers due to global warming. Catastrophic flooding, infrastructure damage, and water shortages are expected to become more frequent and severe.
14. Chad
Chad is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change in the world. Extreme droughts and floods, which are expected to worsen in the coming decades, have already begun ruining infrastructure, leading to widespread famine and displacement.
15. The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea, a salt lake in the Middle East, is shrinking at an alarming rate due to the overextraction of minerals and freshwater diversion, threatening its very existence.
16. Yemen
Yemen has long been unstable due to internal and external conflict; however, the situation is quickly worsening. Rates of terrorism, crime, famine, armed conflict, and kidnapping are on the rise as the country grapples with an intensifying food insecurity crisis.
17. Ukraine
Ukraine has been in the throes of war since 2022. While it's still possible to visit the country, the security situation is volatile, and safety and infrastructure, even in major cities, could quickly deteriorate.
18. Myanmar
Myanmar experienced a military coup in 2021, sparking a nationwide crisis. As a result, it's not recommended to travel here and is expected only to get worse in the coming years.
Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash
19. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the world's largest coral reef system, but it's under threat due to climate change, causing coral bleaching. As a result, the reefs are shrinking, and tourism to the area is becoming less prominent.
Erick Morales Oyola on Unsplash
20. The Arctic
Global warming is causing glacial melting, which is making the Arctic region a lot less accessible to humans as well as polar bears and other creatures. As a result, Arctic tourism is on the decline.
