The Biggest, Overrated, and Overpriced Tourist Traps Worldwide
Tourist traps are often overly crowded, overly commercial, and focused on taking your money. And let’s face it: they’re tacky. These spots generally don’t give a real feel for the culture or history. They can have high prices and lots of souvenirs. Some are still enjoyable in a kitschy way, but others are just a waste of your money… and time. And most of us have a limited amount of time when we’re on vacation.
A recent USA Today report examined the world’s top tourist traps, prompting us to avoid or indulge in their charm. They looked at 23.2 million Google reviews of the 500 most popular tourist spots worldwide in 65 countries across six continents. Their method was simple. They checked how often words like “tourist trap,” “overrated,” or “expensive” were mentioned in the reviews for each place. To compare the places, they divided the number of mentions by the total reviews for each attraction.
What they found about tourist traps worldwide
Their analysis revealed that the Four Corners Monument, spanning Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, stands as the foremost tourist trap globally. In Europe and Asia, the titles of top tourist traps belong to the Blue Lagoon in Iceland and Penang Hill in Malaysia.
During their study, the Great Mosque of Mecca in Saudi Arabia had 397,905 Google reviews without a single one branding it a “tourist trap,” according to their study. The California Academy of Sciences, Elvis Presley’s Graceland, and the South Carolina Aquarium emerged as the most excessively priced attractions in the United States.
Taking the title of the most overrated tourist attraction worldwide is Voodoo Doughnut in Portland, Oregon.
Witches, ghosts, and UFOs
Their analysis shows that eight of the top ten tourist traps globally are in the United States. Three draw attention to paranormal phenomena like witches, ghosts, and UFOs. These attractions include the Salem Witch Museum in Massachusetts, Calico Ghost Town in California, and the International UFO Museum and Research Center in New Mexico. Reviews for each site frequently referred to the term “tourist trap,” says USA Today.
Check out the complete study here, where they dive deeper into global tourist traps and offer tips on avoiding them.
8 Seemingly Unreal Places to Add to Your Travel Bucket List
Antelope Canyon, Arizona
This Arizona canyon was naturally carved by rainwater streams within the sandstone. The Navajo Nation gave it the name ‘The place where water runs through rocks.’ Visit Arizona explains that the Upper Antelope Canyon tour is more frequented due to increased sunlight and towering walls reaching 120 feet. Alternatively, the Lower Antelope Canyon tour is equally remarkable, providing visitors with an immersive encounter among the swirling sandstone walls.
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Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming
Among the world’s largest springs, the Grand Prismatic measures an expansive 370 feet in diameter, exceeding the size of a football field. Its vibrant appearance stems from bands of orange, yellow, and green that encircle the deep blue waters. These diverse colors originate from different strains of thermophile bacteria, thriving in the progressively cooler waters around the spring, as explained by Yellowstone National Park. For a bird’s-eye-like view of the Grand Prismatic, they suggest visitors follow the half-mile Fairy Falls trail to a lookout.
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The Door to Hell, Turkmenistan
Located in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert, the Door to Hell is a large fiery crater. It emerged when a natural gas field accidentally caught fire in 1971 and has been burning continuously since then, according to National Geographic. A well-visited tourist spot, the Door to Hell permits visitors to hike down into the crater for a close view of the flames and an opportunity to experience the unique atmosphere of the site. The Door to Hell, also referred to as the Darvaza Gas Crater, is located in a rural part of the country.
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Diamond Beach, Iceland
Found along Iceland’s South Coast, the Diamond Beach is a volcanic black sand shoreline adjacent to the Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. Ice blocks from the glacier lagoon wash ashore after breaking into smaller pieces at sea, as mentioned in the Diamond Beach Travel Guide. The beach is also a natural habitat for seals.
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Mendenhall Glacier Caves, Alaska
According to the Tongass National Forest, the Mendenhall Glacier is among the numerous expansive glaciers originating from the Juneau Icefield, an area spanning 1500 square miles of rock, snow, and ice. The glacier gradually advances under the influence of gravity, descending down the slope. Over time, it carves the bedrock and erodes during its 13-mile path until it reaches Mendenhall Lake.
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Thor’s Well, Oregon
Located on the Oregon coast near Cape Perpetua, there’s a large sinkhole that appears to swallow seawater continuously, resembling a bottomless pit. According to Yachats Oregon, it’s often called the “drainpipe of the Pacific.” They explain that the well is actually a hole in the rock that gives the impression of draining ocean water. Some researchers believe this well might have started as a sea cave shaped by waves. Over time, its roof likely collapsed, creating openings at the top and bottom, which spray ocean water.
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Crooked Forest, Poland
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Found close to the town of Gryfino in West Pomerania, Poland, the Crooked Forest consists of 400 peculiarly contorted pine trees. As revealed by Discovery, these pine trees were planted approximately in 1930, back when the area was part of the German province of Pomerania. Starting from the ground, the pine trees exhibit a distinctive feature: they grow with a sharp 90-degree bend towards the north, before gracefully straightening up towards the sky.
Pink Beach, Padar Island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia
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The beach is named for its pink sand, which comes from tiny organisms in the coral reefs nearby. Visitors can swim, snorkel, and see marine life like sea turtles and manta rays in the clear water. The beach also has great views of hills and turquoise waters.
