Travel Destinations Disappearing Right Before Our Eyes

The world is changing and some of our most treasured destinations are disappearing. But which ones are being destroyed even further by over tourism, and which ones should you see before they’re gone?

The town of Churchill in Manitoba becomes a tourist destination in the fall during the polar bear migration.

Well, Cape Churchill is melting, and the polar bears were recently put on the endangered species list.

The trick is to travel with companies that promote responsible tourism.

Frontiers North, for example, offers buggy tours, but lobbied the government to limit the number of vehicles allowed on the tundra.

In Antarctica, where the glaciers are melting, tourism has doubled in the past decade. But careful management has helped protect it from further damage from visitors.

But then you’ll hear about Machu Picchu in Peru which is also being destroyed.

It’s not the environment that’s killing it—it’s overtourism.

The area is geologically unstable and more than 4,000 people trample on it a day.

The same goes for Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which has barely any government regulations to protect it.

Bottom line? Do your homework.

If someone tells you that you have to see a place before it’s gone, find out why, and if your visit is going to be part of the problem, not the solution.

For more, check out Visiting the Pyramids of Giza, Great Barrier Reef–Before They Disappear.

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