Bin the bucket list, travellers urged
Experts advise tourists to widen their horizons as deluge of visitors puts vulnerable sites at risk
THE Taj Mahal is a chaotic experience, Machu Picchu is creaking under the pressure and there are queues to reach the summit of Everest.
The trend for compiling travel “bucket lists” before traipsing around the world, ticking off world-famous destinations with a certain air of self-satisfaction, is stronger than ever.
But the practice simply encourages travellers to follow the same beaten path, flocking with thousands of others to the same places with little attempt to discover unknown gems or be more original, experts have warned.
Sean Tipton, from the Association of British Travel Agents, said that while the concept of a travel bucket list was not particularly new, the trend to include some of the world’s most vulnerable sites was proving highly damaging.
“Particular areas that so often feature on these lists are the problem,” he said. “Architectural areas are suffering from the pressures of tourism, such as Machu Picchu, Pompeii or Cinque Terre.
“But if you do a little research you can be a bit more adventurous and find other places that reduce the impactand give you a better experience.”
Levison Wood, the explorer and writer, said: “There are obviously certain places that people will always want to see, like the Pyramids.
“But people tend to get fixated on just ticking things off just to say they have been there.” Mr Wood highlighted “worrying” recent research suggesting that the biggest priority for millennials when choosing a holiday was how “Instagrammable” the destination was.
The all too familiar list of popular “bucket list” destinations includes the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Wall of China, Venice and the Galapagos Islands. Coach tourists mingle with backpackers and cruise ship passengers while selfie sticks and mobile phones dominate the skyline.
However, the effect of mass travel on some of these fragile places is having an increasingly detrimental effect on infrastructure, alienating locals and in some cases, perpetuating climate change. Maya Bay on the island of Ko Phi Phi Leh in Thailand became one of the world’s most famous beaches due to its starring role in The Beach, Danny Boyle’s film, starring Leonardo Dicaprio. But the influx of tourists since its release in 2000 has caused such damage to its coral reef that the beach will be closed to tourists from June to September.
Similarly, the success of Game of Thrones has resulted in a surge in tourists travelling to Dubrovnik, testing the limits of sustainability and resulting in a limit to the number of cruise ship passengers allowed to visit each day. Last year, the Peruvian tourism authorities decided to restrict access to Machu Picchu, a settlement that was never meant to host thousands at a time.
Mr Tipton added: “We have always wanted to go to a specific list of destinations; Americans in Europe will always want to visit Rome, Barcelona, Paris and London. It would be remiss not to go to Barcelona if in Spain but it is incredibly popular and there is a lot of resentment from local people. Girona, not too far away, is very beautiful, attracts fewer tourists and has some of the best restaurants in Spain.
“Pompeii has similar problems but Paestum and its Greek temples is spectacular and just a train ride away.
“We should think about having a positive impact. Spend money in local restaurants rather than taking a packed lunch so locals, who can get resentful, reap some benefits.”
Mr Wood added: “I would encourage people not to follow that sheep mentality but to widen and diversify, to look at places which might hold a personal interest. Being open to new experiences is important. Leave your phone in the hotel room and just get lost, wander down alleyways and see what you find.”