Just a couple of decades ago, Britain had a large number of popular resorts – at least among locals. Investing in the tourism business was profitable – but nothing good actually lasts long. Low-cost airlines and globalization were absolutely ruthless – if you can fly to Spain for a couple of dozen euros, why pay more for the opportunity to swim in the cold North Sea?
In fact, there are dozens and hundreds of places in the world that were once a real paradise for tourists, but today they have either fallen into disrepair or have significantly lost their appeal. And in this popular online thread, many seasoned travelers point out such places worldwide.
More info: Reddit
#1
Lebanon used to be extremely popular. It was considered the Switzerland of the East. The cafe culture in places like Beruit and Byblos along the Mediterranean was extremely popular in the 60’s and 70’s.
It hasn’t had a working government in several years. It’s currency is devalued by 95% since 2019 (one dollar is 89,000 LBP). It’s support and sending it’s militias in to close by conflicts isn’t helping.
#2
Acapulco, Mexico. Used to be a big tourist destination, but cartel violence has mostly scared tourists away.
#3
Syria! Unfortunately not forgotten about or abandoned, but attacked. If you find old tourist books, they will often recommend Syria over Jordan as a tourist destination. Six world heritage sites, many of them now damaged or destroyed.
It is desperately sad, the industry is picking up somewhat in recent times, but the tourists may never fully return.
It all started a few days ago, when the user u/FrozenOppressor asked netizens in the AskReddit community to point out several tourist places that were once very popular, but are now largely forgotten or even abandoned.
The topic starter themselves suggested several such places: Bodie, California, Varosha, Cyprus, Belle Isle Amusement Park in Detroit, Hashima Island (Gunkanjima), Japan and Spreepark, Berlin.
People responded to the call, and as of now the thread has over 2.2K upvotes and nearly 1.1K different comments. And we, We, have compiled a selection of the most interesting, in our opinion, such places.
#4
Basically every British seaside resort town now that you can take Ryan air to Spain for under 30£ each way.
#5
Anything related to route 66. I’ve never experienced it myself but from the movies and general media back in the day “going down route 66” used to be a thing.
#6
The Poconos.
The main reasons why certain cities or entire countries lose their tourist appeal, as always, are economics and politics. Often closely interconnected. For example, the resorts of Syria on the Mediterranean coast were once a real gem for tourists – however, today, for obvious reasons, travelers are better off not venturing there.
The same applies to several towns in Cyprus, which ended up in the demilitarized zone during the military conflict of 1974. A classic example is Varosha, once a tourist quarter of the city of Famagusta, which was willingly visited even by world celebrities of the sixties like Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch and Brigitte Bardot.
Today Varosha has been closed to visitors for more than half a century; it has become a real “ghost town,” and only a few desperate travelers or journalists, who from time to time receive permission to go there, publish photo reports about houses that have forever remained in the mid-seventies…
#7
Afganistan. There was a time when it was alll the rage. A very hippy spot, when d***s were moderately easy to get and its place on the Silk Road made it seem both historically important (it is) and welcoming (it was).
I’ve never been, but I’ve heard my family talk about it. I’d love for things to go back to that one day.
#8
Beirut until the civil war wrecked it. I knew someone who grew up there, it was the happening glamorous beach resort of the Middle East in the early 70s.
#9
The Catskill mountains in upstate New York! Formerly a huge tourist destination for mainly Jewish residents of NYC, nowadays, it’s littered with defunct resorts and abandoned buildings. It’s quite economically depressed nowadays.
The movie Dirty Dancing takes place there in the 1960s (when the area started declining) and at the very end of the movie, the resort owner makes a comment that more widespread travel – such as trips to Europe – is causing the decline. .
Many of the once-popular tourist destinations, however, are falling into decline due to competition, ill-considered management decisions, or economic crises. Some towns and places manage to find the right solutions, repurpose their activities for something else – and some remain on the sidelines of life, nostalgic about the lost greatness…
However, the only positive aspect of all this is that abandoned baths, hotels and castles sometimes look incredibly picturesque, so photographers from all over the world sometimes reveal the whole charm of the aesthetics of decline in their brilliant collections of images.
#10
Varosha, Cyprus: Former Mediterranean resort that attracted celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor in the 1960s before becoming a ghost town after the 1974 Turkish invasion
#11
Spreepark, Berlin: East Germany’s only amusement park that attracted 1.7 million visitors annually before closing in 2001
#12
Isla Margarita , Venezuela . .
Well, some places that used to be truly popular among travelers are falling into decline due to the shift in the economic vector of development of entire regions. For example, if life was once in full swing in some areas – let’s say, because the mining industry was developed there – then sooner or later they were overgrown with places for entertainment.
But time passed – mines or factories closed, money left like melt water, and people left with it. Accordingly, these tourist places were also closed, remaining in human memory only as lines in this selection of ours, and some nostalgic photographs too.
#13
Many destinations on the Hippie Trail. Most notably Iran.
#14
Blackpool.
#15
* Rangitoto, New Zealand – Volcanic island off Auckland that was a tourist destination 100 years ago or so, there are several abandoned holiday homes there, still standing.
* Acapulco, Mexico – Was THE destination in the 50’s and 60’s, now infamous for cartel violence.
* Salton Sea, California – Accidental lake in Southern California that was a tourism hotspot, then became hazardous/toxic and was abandoned.
In terms of current destinations, there are several hotspots that don’t have the infrastructure to support growth and will go to hell if demand declines. Tulum and Bali come to mind.
In any case, we do think it will be really interesting to read this selection, look at the photos from places where life was once in full swing, big money was in circulation, and people from all over the world came here to enjoy life to the fullest…
So now please feel free to scroll this selection to the very end, take one more glance at the pics – and maybe add your own ideas of such places in the comments below the post.
#16
Myanmar, for obvious reasons .
#17
Cuba, for Americans.
#18
It might not work for this because it’s still a major city, but I always think about Mogadishu, Somalia – Pearl of the Indian Ocean and fascinating history as a trading city.
#19
Salton Sea.
#20
There’s an abandoned resort with multiple hotels in Kupari, Croatia (close to Dubrovnik). It’s a pretty neat place! It was abandoned after Croatia’s war of independence in the 90s.
#21
Atlantic City. Shell of its former self.
#22
Michigan’s entire UP used to filled with booming mining towns. Now it’s tourism and colleges so some parts feel abandoned. It is SUCH an underrated treasure though.
#23
Bodie, California: Once a booming gold rush town with 10,000 residents and countless visitors, now a preserved ghost town state park
#24
If you include amusement parks, **Marineland** in Niagara Falls, Ont.
I’ll never be able to forget the commercials (which were on Upstate NY TV stations for decades.).
#25
Hot Springs, Arkansas.
#26
Belle Isle Amusement Park in Detroit: Early 20th century premier destination with 50,000+ daily summer visitors before closing in 1982
#27
Hashima Island (Gunkanjima), Japan: Industrial tourism site with record population density in the 1950s, abandoned in 1974 when coal mining ceased