Climate change, overtourism   9 popular tourist destinations around the world at risk of disappearing

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The world’s breathtaking historical and natural attractions always draw crowds of pilgrims, but like a double-edged sword, while generating astonishing tourism revenue, they also push these sites to the brink of survival. According to a report by CNN, here are nine globally endangered attractions.

▲Over-tourism may damage Machu Picchu (Photo / from Wikipedia)

1. Machu Picchu, Peru
  Stefaan Poortman, Executive Director of the Global Heritage Fund, said that overcrowding at iconic sites like Machu Picchu not only affects the sites themselves, but if unregulated, tourism could also negatively impact the quality of life for local residents.

2. The Great Wall of China
  The thousands-of-kilometers-long Great Wall has in recent years been swarmed with tourists, and some sections have been vandalized with graffiti. According to the Beijing Times, natural erosion plus human damage have led to 30% of the Wall disappearing.

3. The Great Barrier Reef, Australia
  This world’s largest coral reef ecosystem is home to a vast array of marine species, but scientists say climate change could cause the Great Barrier Reef to vanish as early as 2050.

▲Angkor Wat attracts millions of visitors daily (Photo / from Wikipedia)

4. Angkor Wat, Cambodia
  The once-glorious temple ruins of Cambodia are now packed with tourists jostling for the perfect sunrise selfie with their smartphones. In 2013, over 2 million people visited Angkor Wat.

5. The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City
  The magnificent ceiling frescoes painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel took four years to complete, but millions of annual visitors often break the rules by using flash photography. The large volume of carbon dioxide exhaled by visitors can also damage the artwork.

6. Caves of Altamira
  For years, tourists have flocked to see the intricate bison paintings in the Caves of Altamira on Spain’s northern coast, but the heavy foot traffic has damaged the prehistoric Paleolithic art, which dates back more than 20,000 years. As a result, Spanish authorities decided to close the caves to the public starting in 2002. Since last year, partial access has been restored.

▲Sunset view in the Maasai Mara National Reserve (Photo / from Wikipedia)

7. Maasai Mara National Park, Kenya
  The expansive Maasai Mara National Park attracts numerous tourists each year on safari. These visitors are one of Kenya’s most important sources of income, but the large number of tourists puts pressure on the area’s resources.

8. Tomb of Tutankhamun
  The tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun was closed last April due to moisture buildup from decades of visitor breath, which caused damage to the tomb.

9. Taj Mahal, India
  With four million visitors annually, the influx of people has begun to affect the structure of the Taj Mahal. (Source: Central News Agency)