Paradise lost! Join us as we explore iconic destinations that have fallen from grace. From Venice's overwhelming cruise ships to Mount Everest's deadly traffic jams and Maya Bay's environmental devastation, these places show the dark side of tourism. Once beloved for their beauty and cultural significance, they're now cautionary tales of overcrowding, pollution, and exploitation.
00:00Walking around in Venice can be a challenge, and no wonder, the city gets about 30 million tourists every year.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:09And today we're looking at once iconic locations that drew millions of visitors, but have since become nightmares in disguise.
00:16Until recently, three and a half thousand people visited the beach every day.
00:20In those crowds, it felt a lot less like heaven.
00:24Mount Fuji, Japan.
00:26From inspiring poetry and art to being a destination of pilgrimage, Mount Fuji has been an enduring symbol of Japan for centuries.
00:34But the mighty peaks of the dormant volcano now feature congested trails, accumulated trash, and waste facilities struggling to keep up with tens of thousands of inexperienced and careless hikers.
00:45The situation has become so dire that officials have even called it a garbage mountain.
00:50Amid the noise and litter, Fuji's spiritual experience has gone missing.
00:55Although the Japanese government has introduced new regulations, problems persist.
01:00From afar, Fuji remains breathtaking.
01:03But upon closer look, its slopes reveal the downsides of tourism overload.
01:08Santorini, Greece.
01:10Even amidst the beauty of the Greek islands, this one stands apart.
01:14Tourism has its pros and cons.
01:17On one side, it brings much-needed business to a venue.
01:20On the other, when unchecked, it can cause irreversible damage.
01:24The island of Santorini in Greece has learned this the hard way.
01:28The cliffside villages, whitewashed houses, and spectacular sunsets make it one of the most photographed destinations in the world.
01:35But mass tourism has resulted in thousands of passengers overwhelming the narrow streets.
01:40Visitors often find themselves stuck in gridlock.
01:43Soaring prices have pushed many experiences out of reach for ordinary Greeks.
01:49Meanwhile, locals find themselves left behind and their culture sidelined.
01:54An undeniably stunning place is now a cautionary tale of beauty overwhelmed by popularity.
02:00We need to put a stop into building new hotels and new hotel beds and new Airbnbs.
02:07The Dead Cities, Syria.
02:09He can't believe that some of the priceless ancient ruins of this site have been lost forever.
02:15Scattered across northwestern Syria are over 700 Byzantine-era settlements.
02:20From stone churches to houses and agricultural estates, the settlements now stand as Dead Cities.
02:26Despite the passing of centuries, the ruins were so well preserved that they offered a window into ancient life in the region.
02:33Attracting scholars, archaeologists, and adventurous travelers, this once-incredible heritage has now been ravaged by war.
02:41Since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, shelling, looting, and instability has made the region dangerous or impossible to visit.
02:50Some ruins have been damaged beyond recognition, while others remain neglected.
02:54Once a treasure trove in time, the dead cities of Syria now symbolize cultural loss and the historical cost of modern conflict.
03:02We need combined local and international efforts to restore what can be restored.
03:08Varosha, Cyprus.
03:10Another resort turned abandoned town, Varosha was once a glamorous Mediterranean hotspot.
03:15Attracting global celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Varosha's golden beaches and luxury hotels were the craze of the 60s and early 70s.
03:24Then, in 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus.
03:27The very first paratroopers are now hitting Cyprus soil.
03:31Residents fled overnight.
03:33The once thriving resort town has remained largely empty ever since.
03:38Hotels stand frozen in time, windows broken, and streets reclaimed by weeds and silence.
03:44Continued political disarray has left Varosha in limbo.
03:47This eerie ghost town is no longer the playground of the elite, but Europe's most haunting example of sudden abandonment.
03:54The North has been under Turkish occupation for almost 50 years.
03:58All moves towards reunification to date have failed.
04:01Salton Sea, California.
04:03It's hard to imagine today, but this place used to be a bustling tourist destination.
04:09Now, it's kind of where California's water goes to die.
04:13An accidental sea turned resort hotspot is now dead.
04:17The Salton Sea was never supposed to exist.
04:20It formed by chance in 1905 when the Colorado River flooded irrigation canals.
04:25Soon, it became a major vacation destination.
04:28Once known as the California Riviera, the Salton Sea boasted an inland coastline thronged by beachgoers.
04:35However, decades of pollution from agricultural runoff found its way into Salton, causing salinity and toxins to rise.
04:43Birds and fish died en masse.
04:45The smell of decay and toxic dust continues to permeate the air today.
04:50Entire towns around the man-made lake were abandoned.
04:53They now stand as eerie ghost towns.
04:56Once hailed a miracle in the desert, the Salton Sea is in reality an environmental disaster.
05:02Kuta and Seminyak, Bali.
05:05As travelers flock back to Bali after the pandemic in record numbers, the impact of over-tourism is starker than ever.
05:13Another paradise, another venue to disturb.
05:16That has been the pattern of modern tourism.
05:18Kuta and Seminyak in Bali are the next set of victims to add to this list.
05:22Bali has long been associated with tranquility, spirituality, and postcard-perfect beaches.
05:28Much of that is now a thing of the past.
05:30Beautiful and serene areas like Kuta and Seminyak are now choked with traffic and throngs of nightlife-seeking visitors.
05:37People are not yet to be disciplined.
05:40They are amazing.
05:41They are almost the same in Jakarta.
05:44Beach pollution, littered streets, and water shortages exacerbate the ongoing environmental damage.
05:50Social media has turned sacred ceremonies and traditions into photo ops for influencers.
05:55Tourism has changed what was once peaceful into chaos.
05:59Times Square, New York.
06:01Tourists flock to it while locals often try and fail to avoid it.
06:06From jazz clubs to Broadway theaters and neon lights, New York City's Times Square gives meaning to the word flashy.
06:13But flashy does not always translate to a positive.
06:16The square is now the epitome of a tourist trap.
06:19Enormous digital billboards tower overhead.
06:22Chain restaurants and themed souvenir shops dominate the streets.
06:26Costumed characters harass visitors for tips.
06:29Crowds have grown so dense that even walking feels more like navigating a human traffic jam.
06:35For New Yorkers, the square no longer exudes the cultural grit and character that made it so iconic.
06:41Rather, it represents everything they wish to avoid.
06:44A gaudy, overpriced, overcrowded spectacle.
06:48Mount Everest, Nepal.
06:50It's the traffic jam atop the world, an image now emblematic of a deadly new normal.
06:56As Earth's highest peak, Mount Everest has always been viewed as the ultimate challenge for climbers.
07:01But in recent years, this challenge has gained a darker reputation.
07:05Commercialization of expeditions to the mountain has led to traffic jams in death zones, where climbers queue for hours in freezing conditions.
07:13The deadly bottleneck has contributed to several accidents and fatalities.
07:18Human waste, discarded gear, and oxygen canisters now litter the slopes of the mountain.
07:24Nepal issued a record 381 permits to foreigners, and they also required that each foreigner hire a Sherpa guide.
07:32So that meant that there were 800 people attempting the mountain this year.
07:36The bodies of climbers who never made it back also remain frozen along the routes.
07:41Once a dream reserved for the boldest adventurers, the summits of Everest have transformed into a disturbing spectacle of overcrowding and exploitation.
07:50The mountain's majesty is now overshadowed by the greater peaks of human negligence.
07:56Maya Bay, Thailand.
07:58Until recently, three and a half thousand people visited the beach every day.
08:02In those crowds, it felt a lot less like heaven.
08:05Global fame arrived on the shores of Thailand's Phi Phi Islands when its stunning cove, Maya Bay, featured in Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach.
08:14Unfortunately, the same fame would also lead to the site's downfall.
08:27The cove received thousands of daily visitors, with long-tail boats and speedboats dropping anchor directly onto its coral reefs.
08:34The result was catastrophic.
08:36Elevated coral bleaching, pollution, and erosion pushed the Thai government in 2018 to make a dramatic decision.
08:43The bay would be closed indefinitely.
08:46It was now a paradise destroyed.
08:48Although the cove has since reopened with limited entry, its ecosystem is still in recovery mode.
08:53Once a hidden paradise, Maya Bay symbolizes the dangers of loving a natural world to death.
08:59So tourists can only view the famous beach from a distance.
09:04For those who've traveled across the world, I suppose, it must be a disappointment.
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09:231.
09:24Venice, Italy
09:26Walking around in Venice can be a challenge.
09:29And no wonder!
09:30The city gets about 30 million tourists every year.
09:33It's been long considered one of the most romantic cities in the world.
09:37Today, that has been eroded by the overwhelming tide of mass tourism.
09:41With every passing year, the fragile lagoon city endures the presence of millions of tourists
09:46arriving on cruise ships.
09:48Straining the city's infrastructure, mass tourism has also resulted in notoriously high
09:53prices for meals and lodging.
09:55Quantity has begun to exceed quality.
09:57But that's not the only problem.
09:59Rising sea levels and flooding have compounded environmental pressures on the city.
10:04This has resulted in a local exodus of Venetians, leaving behind a city that feels more like
10:10a theme park than a real community.
10:12Activists from venetia.com put a monitor in the city center that displays the current number
10:18of residents in Venice's historic center.
10:20The figure has dropped in recent decades from 100,000 to less than 50,000 people.
10:26Which of these once amazing destinations would you still dare to visit, and which ones are
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