These Popular Destinations Are Struggling With Overtourism — and Experts Recommend Staying Away in 2025
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Fodor’s annual No List highlights destinations that, despite their beauty and cultural significance, are struggling under the weight of overtourism. These places, like Bali and Barcelona, reflect the critical need for sustainable tourism practices in 2025.
Imagine Bali’s pristine beaches crowded beyond capacity, with local infrastructure unable to keep pace, or Barcelona, where protests erupted in 2024 over skyrocketing housing costs due to short-term rentals.
These destinations were chosen because they present the urgent challenges posed by overtourism. Governments often prioritize tourists over locals, creating unsustainable pressures on land, resources, and communities. While Fodor’s does not advocate boycotts, the No List aims to draw attention to the need for thoughtful travel practices that preserve these iconic locations for future generations.
Below are 12 destinations to avoid in 2025—not because they aren’t worth visiting, but because they need time and support to address the stresses placed upon them.
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Bali, Indonesia
Bali, Indonesia’s most famous island, is being called out as a repeat offender in 2025. Unplanned development encouraged by overtourism strains Bali’s natural habitats and erodes the island’s environmental and cultural heritage. The post-Covid-19 pandemic rebound has only put the island under more pressure. Bali is also featured in World Wild Schooling’s list of places that are overwhelmed by overtourism.
As a result, once-pristine beaches like Seminyak and Kuta are littered with trash, and local waste management infrastructure needs to be improved to keep up. Bali Partnership estimates that the island generates over 1.6 million tons of waste annually.
Unsurprisingly, this damages Bali’s fragile ecosystem. To combat overtourism, Bali’s government aims to ban the construction of new hotels, villas, and nightclubs. Maybe it’s time to give another Indonesian island a chance.
Read also: 2025 Travel List from National Geographic
Barcelona, Spain
The second destination on Fodor’s No List is Barcelona, where overtourism has created conflict between tourists, locals, and the Spanish government. In 2024, thousands of residents protested against tourism in the streets. Overtourism in Barcelona has caused overcrowding and increased costs of living.
More than 32 million people stay in the city of 1.6 million residents yearly. When discussing the city’s tourism problems with the Guardian, Xavier Mas de Xaxàs also highlighted drug trafficking, petty crime, and the loss of culture as problems increased tourism causes.
Unfortunately, during the tourism protests in Barcelona, tourists were targeted with water, so 2025 might be a good year to avoid the city in the hope that tensions will soon ease. Barcelona is also prominently featured in World Wild Schooling’s list of places in Spain that suffer from overtourism.
Read also: Best Beaches in the World
Venice, Italy
Venice, Italy, is the first major city in the world to implement a day-tripper entrance fee. The €5 ($5.24) charge is designed to protect the UNESCO World Heritage site from the impacts of overtourism. By deterring day trippers, the city hopes to recover from excessive tourism.
However, many locals were displeased by the scheme, letting their feelings known at protests at Piazzale Roma. In recent years, overtourism in Venice has caused overcrowding, increased waste, a disregard for local customs, and environmental damage.
Regarding environmental damage, cruise ships are one of the main polluters. As such, they’ve been banned from Venice’s historic center.
Read also: Greenest Cities in the World
Canary Islands, Spain
Like Barcelona, the Canary Islands have seen their fair share of protests against overtourism in 2024. In October, thousands protested at holiday resorts in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote under the slogan “Canary Islands has a limit.” Protests were carried out because locals believe overtourism is pricing people out of the housing market.
Residents also claim that the arrival of millions of travelers yearly depletes already limited natural resources and damages the environment. Unsurprisingly, excessive tourism is also responsible for overcrowding in popular tourist spots.
To combat overtourism in the Canary Islands, tighter restrictions and new laws are being implemented to limit the number of short-term rentals.
Read also: Top Countries for Expats
Koh Samui, Thailand
Phuket was crowned the world’s most over-touristed destination by Money Transfers in 2023, and Koh Samui isn’t learning from the island’s mistake. With the new season of the popular HBO show The White Lotus coming to screens in 2025, many people fear the island will become overwhelmed.
Like Bali, Koh Samui already has major issues regarding waste management and public services. According to Channel News Asia, businesses and residents face daily water shortages. Many resorts have their water privately shipped in.
Worse yet, over 200,000 tons of waste are sitting in landfills. Besides the increase in unmanageable waste, rapid development has raised concerns regarding the safety of new villas and resorts.
Read also: Best Cities Around the Globe
Mount Everest, Nepal
Only seven decades ago, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to conquer Mount Everest. Fast-forward 70 years, and what was once considered one of the world’s most unreachable places has become overrun with tourists. Skill is no longer the barrier to Mount Everest; money is.
Today, tourists without mountain experience can pay a team of local workers to help them reach the top. In 2023, 600 climbers summited Mount Everest. However, 13 people died, and a further four are missing, making it the deadliest season on record.
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Furthermore, the increased demand strains local communities, increases waste on the mountain, and causes environmental degradation. Not to mention, there’s a lot of human poo.
Read also: Best Cities To Travel in 2025 by Lonely Planet
Agrigento, Sicily, Italy
Agrigento has been crowned the Capital of Culture for 2025, so an increase in tourism can be expected. However, the historic hilltop city on Sicily’s southwest shore couldn’t have picked a worse time to be so. Unfortunately, Agrigento, renowned for its ancient sites, is in the midst of a water crisis.
Water shortages in the city have caused businesses to shut down and locals to store water supplies in containers. Regarding tourism, many hotels and guesthouses need help to provide their guests with water.
In August, some accommodations had to limit bookings because they feared they couldn’t guarantee a water supply. To make matters worse, the region has also experienced a severe drought.
Read also: Top Friendliest Nations
British Virgin Islands
The eighth destination to avoid in 2025 on Fodor’s list is the British Virgin Islands. There is concern that the current trajectory of the tourism industry isn’t in the best interests of local residents and the environment. On the face of it, the British Virgin Islands are thriving from a tourism standpoint.
The first half of 2024 set a new tourism record, with more than 683,000 visitors. However, overnight visitors remain nearly 24% down. The reason is an increase in cruise tourists who don’t stay on the islands or spend money locally.
Furthermore, fragile coral reefs are damaged, and large groups of cruise passengers overwhelm local resources.
Read also: Best Countries To Travel in 2025 by Lonely Planet
Kerala, India
For many years, Kerala has been one of India’s go-to places for tropical charm, pristine beaches, and impressive natural beauty. However, overtourism threatens everything that made “God’s Own Country” so special. In 2023, Kerala set a new tourism record, welcoming almost 22 million domestic and 650,000 international visitors.
While this is undoubtedly excellent news for Kerala’s economy, it’s not without problems. Sadly, the surge in Kerala’s tourism has worsened the impact of natural disasters, especially in areas where development has negatively influenced natural water flows. Unfortunately, development is also largely unregulated and unsustainable, damaging communities and ecosystems.
These problems come with deadly consequences. In 2024, over 350 people were killed in Kerala following landslides.
Read also: Top Countries for Quality of Life
Oaxaca, Mexico
According to the experts, Oaxaca, Mexico, is the eleventh travel destination to avoid in 2025. Once a sleepy town in Mexico loved for its rich history and culture, Oaxaca has sadly been transformed into an overtouristed tourist destination. Today, the town has lost much of the charm and authenticity that made it so popular.
Overtourism in Oaxaca has caused tension among local communities, leading to protests against the town’s gentrification. Residents complain that commercialization destroys their customs and culture, leading to significant wealth gaps and environmental degradation.
Traditional buildings have become shops, rental prices have skyrocketed, and local traditions are disrupted.
Read also: Top Countries with Investment Programs
Scotland North Coast 500, Scotland, United Kingdom
The Scotland North Coast 500 is a 516-mile (830-kilometer) road trip around the north coast of Scotland. Also referred to as the NC500, this road trip was established in 2015 but quickly became one of the most famous road trips in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, that has led to some problems.
The NC500’s enormous popularity has led to increased traffic congestion, more road accidents, and concerns over the safety of Scotland’s natural environment. Furthermore, wild camping along the route has caused increased human waste, as there aren’t the necessary facilities.
However, work is underway to solve the NC500’s most severe problems. The Rural Development Infrastructure Fund plans to add parking, public toilets, and motorhome facilities along the NC500.
Read also: Top Destinations for 2025 by Booking.com
Kyoto, Japan
In Kyoto, congestion cameras have been installed to monitor crowds at popular tourist attractions and help locals and tourists avoid overcrowding. Residents have also come together to remind tourists to behave appropriately by distributing information packs. Tourists have also been banned from entering certain streets in the famous Gion district.
In Japan, the words kankō kōgai describe overtourism, which translates to tourism pollution in English. These words highlight Japan’s urgent need to tackle overcrowding, loss of culture, and strained public services. However, tourists continue to flood the country.
At almost 3.3 million, July 2024 saw the highest-ever number of international travelers visit Japan.
Read also: Countries with the Longest Life Expectancy
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