People Are Sharing The Most Disappointing Tourist Traps Around The World (30 Pics)

Travel blogger and speaker A Lady in London has been to 112 countries and she's only visited a few attractions that she thought were over-hyped. It was primarily because she isn't really drawn to such places to begin with.

"Most of them were attractions that heavily marketed themselves or got lots of coverage on social media," A Lady in London told Bored Panda. "I went because I was curious after seeing them advertised or talked about online so much, and not because I was truly interested in them."

While the traveler acknowledges that some companies and individuals might prey on tourists, she doesn't think that makes the whole industry corrupt or dishonest. "I think most are genuinely trying to offer something that appeals to a certain demographic. If I'm not in their demographic, I'm probably not going to enjoy their attraction. But someone who is in their demographic might love it," she explained. "Like most things in life, the degree of enjoyment of tourist attractions tends to be relative to one's interests."

Don't worry. Everyone can find something they're into. "There are lots of ways people can discover cool, less popular sights when they're traveling," A Lady in London, who also documents her trips on Instagram, said. "As a professional travel blogger, I obviously recommend following blogs and social media accounts that share about under-the-radar places. Local knowledge is key, so if you can find influencers who specialize in a specific destination, you'll often discover great places through their content."

Cory and G Varga, the wife and husband duo behind the blog You Could Travel, have also been to a few tourist attractions they could've probably passed on. "The most disappointing was by far the Manneken Pis in Brussels," they told Bored Panda. "Then we have La Rambla and Mercado de La Boqueria in Barcelona: overcrowded and overpriced. The famed Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin is a bit of a tourist trap and Camargue in the South of France because of factories and pollution."

The couple is warier of the industry than A Lady in London and said that at the end of the day, people are here to make money. "Naturally, travel industry players invest heavily in marketing and as we know, marketing can sometimes be deceiving. Travel agents operate on commission so their goal is to sell you a dream: more expensive hotel, upgrades on flights, more experiences to visit. Luckily, travelers are also savvier and can see right through the ads."

"Modern travelers rely mostly on recommendations of friends and relatives, online recommendations, social media, and travel blogs. Commercial information is not so relevant to them anymore. We do appeal to all industry key players to change some of their practices ... and adopt a more ethical stance."

Cory and G Varga think the best way to learn about unbeaten paths is by simply exploring. "Ditch the hop-on-hop-off options and grab a city map (or just use digital maps on your phone) and go on an adventure. It's perfectly okay to want to see popular attractions but travel between them on foot if possible. It's the curious sights in-between that are so much more interesting and unusual. A cute family-run bistro, an obscure century-old shop, a friendly local with a story to tell," the wife and husband explained.

In 2020, global international tourism arrivals fell by 73%, according to the World Tourism Organization, and recovery hopes for 2021 have been dented by waves of new infections. But as vaccination programs advance around the world, opportunities are arising for restrictions to be gradually eased.

Destination and tourism businesses are trying to rebound while also being sufficiently nimble to manage the abrupt tightening of restrictions that could be imposed in response to future infection waves and the emergence of new variants of the virus. Let's hope this brings more transparency to the industry and more chances to travelers!