While the global tourism industry continues to grow, some corners of the world are not celebrating anymore. There are many documented cases of tourists straining oversubscribed locations. Such destinations can at least be assured of visitors, which is more than can be said for other former tourist magnets.
These formerly glorious tourist retreats have been lost to the sands of time. Some suffered an environmental collapse, others were rendered inaccessible, or worse, they closed down for good. We can blame politics, economics, or geography, but many of these places have lost their mojo.
1. Blackpool, England
America has Las Vegas, and England has Blackpool. In Vegas, they have bright, flashing light shows, casinos, and sunshine; in Blackpool it is rainy skies, a tired ’50s ambiance, and crumbling infrastructure.
This comparison could continue for many pages, but the picture is clear. Britain’s hotspot for cut-price bachelor weekends and depressing seaside vacations isn’t lost to time; it is just stuck in a time warp. It’s so bad that influencers visit the official “worst seaside town” in Britain out of pure irony.
2. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
War is never a good thing, and the people of Sarajevo know this better than anyone. The city once came under siege during the Balkan War of the ’90s. Sadly, the place never recovered as a tourist area.
That’s not to say it isn’t worth visiting, nor are its residents unwelcoming. The issue is the deep-seated resentment one can sense in the population. Ethnic tensions exist because of underlying segregational laws. Travel writer BBQBoy explains the atmosphere in a fascinating review of a journey he took.
3. The Chacaltaya Glacier, Bolivia
Image Credit: Ixitixel – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.
This entry can be related to Earth’s warming cycle or climate change. Regardless of one’s definition, we can all agree that many glaciers have disappeared. One former ice river, once popular with crampon-wearing hikers, was the Chacaltaya Glacier in Bolivia.
Back in 2016, Simon Cook wrote for The Conversation about Bolivia’s melting glaciers and their potential effect on the land below. Unfortunately, the effects above have caused Bolivia’s only ski resort to become abandoned.
4. Cuba
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Cuba is by no means lost, but those who are prepared enough to go there will be transported into a different era. We all know about the old colonial architecture and the American cars, but time works in other ways.
Lonely Planet’s Cuba guide lists all the reasons few tourists visit this former American playground. The United States dollar was removed from circulation in 2021, causing a wild black-market exchange rate for most tourists.
5. Ctesiphon, Iraq
Image Credit: Safa.daneshvar – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.
This ancient Iraqi arched city was once larger than Rome, according to travel enthusiast Unusual Traveler. In its heyday, the main palace, Tas Ksra, was a royal stronghold from where kings would rule over Persia. The city fell to the Arabs during the Muslim Conquest in the 7th century before being mostly abandoned.
It became a popular tourist monument when Iraq’s tourist trade was making a comeback a decade after the 2003-2011 war. However, the ISIS insurgency of 2014 put access to Iraq’s national treasures on hold. It has barely recovered in the years since.
6. Lake Chad, Chad
Image Credit: Ryszard Vorbrich – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.
Remarkably, Lake Chad in the mid-Sahara Desert used to be the largest freshwater lake in the world. However, a litany of errors has caused the once-thriving lake to mostly dry up — it has lost 90% of its water since the ’60s.
Irrigation abuse, increasing temperatures, and a growing population have caused Lake Chad to shrink. Boat tours are still possible, but sadly, the effort visitors must make to get there will put other lakes above in the pecking order.
7. Atlantis Marine Park, Australia
Image Credit: Five Years – Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0/CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.
You have to love abandoned water parks, where the ghosts of young feet still walk in anticipation of the next attraction. Any visitors to Perth, Australia, who enjoy poking around such places will love Atlantis Marine Park.
Once home to performing dolphins, seal shows, and water slides, the park is a testament to the ’80s, not least its softer regulations. In 1990, new legislation to protect dolphins meant large enclosures were necessary, forcing the already struggling business to close.
8. Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt
Image Credit: Charles J. Sharp – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.
I lived in Cairo for a chaotic year, and the place holds a piece of my heart. Some moments were surreal, such as when a friend took me to Saqqara Country Club to rent quad bikes.
Nothing could prepare me for ripping through the sand as we passed the Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt’s oldest pyramid. Of course, the step pyramid structure has seen better days, though at least it’s a well-maintained visitor site now. Sadly, its larger nephews and that cat sculpture up the road grab all the acclaim.
9. Alpe du Grand Serre, France
Image Credit: Binabik155 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.
Ski resorts are a prime example of how weather patterns affect humanity, especially higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Unfortunately, any resort below 5,000 feet is at risk of going extinct due to insufficient snow.
We have living proof with the once-busy ski resort of Alpe du Grand Serre, once France’s third-largest mountain resort. In 2024, management announced the permanent closure of the hub just two months before the season began. According to Timothy McGill of The Cooldown, local business owners were in shock.
10. Latakia, Syria
Image Credit: Michael Goodine – CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons.
A recent addition to this category comes in the wake of recent events in Syria. The fall of former leader Bashar Al Assad has led to a new, if tenuous, dawn for the nation. Perhaps the most poignant reminder of the Assad reign is a now-defunct private beach resort in Latakia.
The coastal compound outside this Northwestern city has a large villa and private beach with extensive gardens. Ironically, this remnant of the past regime saw local residents strolling its heavily looted grounds following Assad’s exile, Reuters reports.
11. Herculaneum, Italy
Image Credit: Diego Delso – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.
When most tourists think of Italy’s Mount Vesuvius, they instantly think of Pompeii; however, it wasn’t the only city lost to the volcano. Nearby Herculaneum also bore the brunt of the pyroclastic flows, albeit in the second wave of eruptions. The town’s ruins are still well preserved and deserve more visitors, reports travel site RevealedRome.
Sadly, Pompeii’s UNESCO World Heritage badge garners more attention, and Herculaneum is also a tougher walk. Moreover, the site has limited accessibility. Like lava, time moves fast, and Pompeii’s legend has only grown as a result.
12. Varosha, Cyprus
Image Credit: TomasNY – CC BY 2.5/Wiki Commons.
Cyprus was once the theater of a bitter land war when Turkey invaded the Greek island in 1994, annexing the Eastern portion of the island. Following a peace agreement, a demilitarized zone was added, into which fell the beach resort, Varosha.
Tragically, the area’s once colorful beach resorts are ghostly shells. Even though the town opened to tours in 2020, Varosha still courts controversy. The Turkish side has sanctioned construction in certain parts, stoking the flames of division once more.
13. Detroit, Michigan
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For almost two decades, Detroit has been synonymous with economic decay, to the point where “ruins tours” emerged. It is unfair, considering the city’s proud past as the motor industry hub of a vibrant United States.
Since the government bailed out the motor industry in 2008, the city has suffered bankruptcy and wholesale population loss. However, the sky’s still blue above Motor City. Farah Stockman of the New York Times writes about a city being restored for better times ahead.
14. Geneva Basin Ski Area, Colorado
Image Credit: Greg Younger – SkiDogBum, CC BY-SA 4.0/CC BY-SA 2.0/Wiki Commons.
Colorado may still be America’s greatest skiing destination, though not all its resorts pass the test of time. Geneva Basin Ski Area opened in 1963, though it only lasted 21 years. It was owned by the former governor, Roy Romer, and the wealthy Burke family.
The resort suffered closure after a falling chairlift incident led to the shuttering. It remains a popular backcountry adventure ground for diehard enthusiasts like local skier and writer JustAColoradoGirl.
15. The Salton Sea, California
Image Credit: GregManninLB – Public Domain/Wiki Commons.
The Salton Sea Riviera was a tourist experiment gone wrong for many human-induced reasons. California’s largest lake in the Southeastern desert initially formed from a breach in a Colorado River irrigation project. In the 1950s, it became a tourist hotspot, advertising lavish watersport resorts with names such as Bombay Beach and Desert Shores.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website sums up why this lake’s resorts are all ghost towns now. “Because the Sea is a terminal lake, increasingly concentrated salts have resulted in a salinity that is currently 50 percent greater than that of the ocean,” reads one description.
16. Palmyra, Syria
Image Credit: Bernard Gagnon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.
Syria’s Civil War in 2011 led to a decade-long struggle between the government forces and armed insurgents. In a devastating blow to Syria’s tourist prospects, the ISIS insurgents desecrated many historical sites, including the Neolithic-era city of Palmyra.
In 2017, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova condemned the destruction of the Greco-Roman and Persian-influenced metropolis. The current geopolitical changes in Syria may see it return as a tourist destination, though it remains to be seen.
17. Myanmar
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Some countries experience changes over time, not least political instability. Myanmar has fallen into this category since the military coup d’etat in 2021. While the country remains open for business, all areas are strictly controlled, and some are restricted.
World Nomads’ Sergio Molina Aguado lays out the landscape, listing sites that are no longer accessible. Any areas near the China and Laos borders, while Rakhine remains off-limits due to ongoing separatist tensions.
18. Hashima Island, Japan
Image Credit: kntrty – CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons.
Japan’s Hashima Island is located almost 10 miles from Nagasaki. The tiny island looks like a post-apocalyptic anime movie set. A former coal mine town, it became inhabited in the late 19th century and once housed 5,000 people at its peak.
However, the story has a dark edge — most of the architecture was built by forced labor, namely Chinese and Korean prisoners of war. The Little House of Horrors reviews some of its dark horrors. “Abandoned does not mean empty,” reads the post, “because the ghosts of the past have taken over the island and its buildings.”
19. Venezuela
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Where do we begin with Venezuela? Put simply, the country is lost to all American tourists — at least those with any sense. “The Department has determined there is a high risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals in Venezuela,” reports the Department of State. “Security forces have detained U.S. citizens for up to five years.”
It is such a shame. A cursory search for Venezuela’s landscape shows some of the most stunning natural wonders anywhere. The world’s longest uninterrupted waterfall is the Angel Falls, and none of us can see it — for now.
20. Fun Spot Amusement Park, Indiana
Image Credit: MrHarman – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wiki Commons.
In Angola, Indiana, you will find a fascinating abandoned theme park, Fun Spot Amusement Park. It opened its doors in 1956 and was America’s only park with an inversion, “The Afterburner.”
The appeal is only cemented by its faded glory. Skeletons of several old rides and an almost-intact roller coaster haunt the land, their retro name badges still hanging over them. Courtney Johnson explains the park’s history in more detail for local site Only In Indiana.
21. Chernobyl, Ukraine
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Fans of the HBO series Chernobyl (2019) will know all about this part of Ukraine. Here’s a summary in five words: nuclear, meltdown, evacuation, abandonment, and desertion. This lexicon might explain why nobody can go to the fallout area surrounding the Chernobyl Power Plant.
Like others on this list, Chernobyl has only grown in legend as a dark tourism spot for those with an ironic wanderlust. There are many time-warped reminders of the early eighties Communist satellite-state civilization here. Many favor the overgrown Pripyat amusement park.
22. Craco, Italy
Image Credit: Maurizio Moro5153 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons.
Italy oozes ancient history out of every pore, so finding ruins of the past is never too hard. A perfect summation of the country’s generational, rural decline comes in Craco. The Greeks founded the mountaintop village during the post-Roman empire, according to Oliver Smith in a TimeOut Magazine article.
In 1963, the town became abandoned after seismic activity and unstable hillsides made the town too dangerous. Its ghosts now cook in the summer heat, waiting for intrigued visitors who don’t mind the long drive from any other city in Italy’s Basilicata region.
23. Montgomery Pass Casino, Nevada
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OnlyInNevada reveals one of the cooler abandoned spots in the state: Montgomery Pass, a former casino town near the California state line. The town was once an appealing escape for Golden State gamblers seeking a quick fix across the border.
It lost most of its residents in the ’90s, leaving behind houses, a motel, and a burned-out casino. There is something eerie about places like this — many of the old slot machines and card tables still exist, as evidenced in YouTuber WonderHussy’s tour video.
24. Marco Island Dome Homes, Florida
Image Credit: Andy Morffew – CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons.
Just south of Naples, Florida, there is a curious discovery for off-the-beaten-path wanderers. Oil tycoon Bob Lee built a series of stilted domed homes on the shores of Cape Romano, Marco Island. The science-fiction-esque spot began as a revolutionary beach living idea in the ’80s. Several hurricanes later, it was under 20 feet of water and 200 feet from the sand.
Though parts of certain domes still rise from the depths, the ocean has more or less reclaimed these structures, which make a cool diving spot. Architecture platform RethinkingTheFuture’s Russel de la Peña reports on the current state of this bizarre attraction.
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