INSIDER names these North American locations as being "ruined by tourism":
- New York City - people posing for pictures at locations that appear in films
- Forks, WA - location of "Twilight" films
- Vancouver, Canada - movie locations, 2010 Winter Olympics venue
- Tongass National Forest, AK - cruise tourists
- Big Major Cay Island, Bahamas - tourists feeding and trying to ride pigs
- Hanauma Bay, HI - sunscreen poisoning coral reefs
- Cabo San Lucas, MX - too many Americans
- Cancun, MX - too many Americans
- Grand Canyon, AZ - people taking selfies, falling in
- Niagara Falls - people taking selfies, falling in
- Coachella Valley, CA - mobs attending music festival, making social-media posts
- Austin, TX - Google and Apple offices, SXSW event
- Burning Man Festival (NV) - commercialization by affluents and influencers
- Portland, OR - "Portlandia" TV series
- Disneyland/Disney World (FL/CA) - crowds have driven prices up, too much shopping focus
- Universal Studios (CA) - Harry Potter films
- Jackson Hole, WY - people photographing Moulton Barn
- New Orleans, LA - French Quarter: Mardi Gras, Instagrammers
- Miami Beach, FL - spring break
- San Francisco. CA - changes to Bay Area draw tourists and contribute to homelessness, dirty streets
- Napa Valley, CA - older tourists visiting wine country
- Cuba - too many Americans despite restrictions
- Maho Beach, Saint Martin - low-flying panes endangering tourists
- Yellowstone National Park, WY - soaring tourism numbers make safety a concern
That makes a pretty good checklist of places to think twice about before visiting in 2020.
I'm sorry for the problems tourists are causing those places - but I'm glad to see there are no New England destinations on that list (although omission of Acadia National Park is a little surprising).
