In the ever-evolving landscape of travel, popular destinations rise and fall in popularity, like the cresting and troughing of the sea. Thriving destinations lose their appeal, sometimes due to pollution, safety concerns, permanent closure, or outright usurpation by newer tourist hotspots that took them off the travel spotlight.
1. Magaluf, Spain
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Towering beautifully on the Spanish island of Majorca, Magaluf topped the bucket list of European tourist centers before it fell into oblivion. The once-coveted destination lost its appeal due to a demographic change transforming it from a quiet, family-styled relaxation spot to a party central that only attracted young partiers who replaced the natural whispers of crickets and birds with the sonic boom of loudspeakers.
2. Hong Kong, China
A melting pot where Chinese culture merges seamlessly with those of the West, Hong Kong has been the fanciful destination for most experienced travelers in the last decade. Its fortune has, however, hit the decline due to worsening air quality, and fewer tourists visit the once venerated place for fear of developing health issues like asthma and bronchitis.
3. Varadero, Cuba
Varadero never lost its natural beauty or tourist grip. Improvement in relations between the United States and Cuba in the last few years has turned Varadero into an overcrowded tourist hotspot which in some ways has demeaned its attractiveness. Prices of hotels and resorts have also hit the roof, and most people no longer want to go there.
4. Acapulco, Mexico
”From glamor to gunfire” is how The Guardian describes it. Acapulco, a teaming tourist attraction of the high and not-so-high, lost its allure due to a massive upsurge in gang violence and homicide. Once famous for its exhilarating nightlife on the sandy shores of its turquoise beaches bordering towering skyscrapers, tourists avoid Acapulco for safety reasons.
5. Reykjavík, Iceland
Iceland is reputable as the land of natural wonders, and the flooding crowd of tourists is a testament to the allure of this destination. But fewer visitors want to visit Reykjavík as it’s often overcrowded. The sea of heads makes it harder to appreciate its mystic feel.
6. Atlantic City, Jersey
Dubbed the “Swindle City,” a formerly thriving traveler’s port of call for everything boardwalk and casino has grown into a scam hub many tourists say they’ll never go to. The unsavory reputation of Swindle City has withered its crowd from hundreds of thousands annually to a few hundred.
7. Beirut, Lebanon
A scintillating fusion of the Mediterranean and the Middle East, Beirut features glorious beaches and mountainous landscapes. Still, it faces problematic waste management issues that have continued to repel tourist attractions in the last few years.
8. Cairo, Egypt
Home to the last remaining wonders of the ancient world, Cairo’s disapproval by many tourists comes from the unpleasant experience meted out to travelers by locals. The police do not make things easier in case of dispute, and many explorers find the city’s congestion a turn-off.
9. Los Cabos, Mexico
A once-popular spot for many American travelers, Los Cabos has fallen off the shelf due to the high theft rate among locals picking specifically on tourists. News of the safety risk of this location spread wide, and many tourists have chosen to settle for other destinations.
10. Wedding Cake Rock, Australia
Wedding Cake Rock is the only destination on the list whose demise is entirely the tourists’ doing. It is now permanently closed to preserve its alluring beauty, as many travelers wouldn’t stop trying to jump and grab shots at the floating (read as suspended) rock.
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