31 Of The Worst Tourist Traps Around The Globe, As Shared By Members Of This Online Community

It will soon be two hundred years since Thomas Cook from England organized the first event that could be called a full-fledged tourist trip, and since then there have been many people who make money not only from organizing tourism, but also from rating various attractions and hotels, restaurants and other places that surround them.

“People have always loved travel stories, which were often incredibly detailed in the smallest detail,” says Valery Bolgan, a historian and journalist, editor-in-chief of Intent press agency in Ukraine, with whom Bored Panda got in touch for a comment here. “After all, the famous travel notes of the great travelers, starting from Marco Polo or Ibn Battuta, contained not only descriptions of unknown lands and customs of other peoples, but also detailed stories and assessments of lodgings and cuisine at inns.”

“Today, almost any popular place on Earth can, to one degree or another, be considered 'a tourist trap'. Firstly, because people tend to try to take advantage of the slightest opportunity - so any beautiful or memorable place will soon be surrounded by numerous cafes and souvenir stalls, like the bottom of the ship is overgrown with shells and algae."

“Secondly, people’s tastes and opinions differ greatly, so if one of your friends or some popular blogger didn’t like this or that place, it’s far from a fact that you won’t like it either. In the end, many Parisians literally hated the Eiffel Tower for several decades and sought its immediate demolition - and today it is the true pride of all of France. So the best thing is to form your own opinion about everything, to see with your own eyes. If, of course, the budget of your trip allows it," Valery summarizes.

Yes, many popular places on our planet today are totally overcrowded, but that, in the end, is the price to pay for popularity. Unfortunately, the level of service around such attractions sometimes decreases - because some owners and staff are often guided by the principle “you will still come here and visit us!” However, market competition also does its job, and over time, negligent business owners will be forced out of the best places.

Be that as it may, the list of places and locations in this collection is truly worldwide - from small towns to huge metropolises (although some do not agree that an entire city can be dubbed 'a tourist trap'). However, this is also a reason for additional discussion, so please feel free to join the comments section, but not before you scroll this list to the very end. Perhaps some of the opinions expressed here will be useful to you, saving you time and money, and maybe your own opinion will help someone too.