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The list of places tired of over-tourism seems to grow every day.
As far away as Alaska, the capital of Juneau will soon vote on whether to institute “ship-free Saturdays” to reduce the impact on cruise ship passengers.
But most destinations are desperate for more tourists, not fewer.
Unwanted: Graffiti on the walls of Palma de Mallorca (Simon Calder)
Inbound tourism is the closest thing to free money for a country, resort, county or city. Visitors bring highly desirable social and economic benefits.
These foster businesses, create jobs and improve local amenities to a level that residents alone cannot sustain.
“Soft” benefits include instilling pride in the community and improving understanding between people.
Most places want to have a problem with overtourism. They all have the same challenges. Here’s how to do it.
Attract more tourists, especially high-spending tourists; Extend the season by attracting people during the off-season; Persuade visitors to stay longer.
Some places try harder than others, but I’ve picked some places around the world that I find especially welcoming.
Read more about travel:
Albania
Downtown Tirana: The city most served by flights from the UK ever (Simon Calder)
“Our slogan is: ‘Albania – everything you need is here,'” Tourism Minister Mirela Cumbaro said.
Her goal is to make her country the “regional tourism champion” by 2030, aiming for annual visitor numbers five times higher than the country’s population of 2.8 million.
Albania is doubling the capacity of Tirana airport and building a second tourist-only airport in the south of the country.
“You will make a lot of friends,” Kumbalo promises. “Friendship is part of our tourist appeal. Hospitality is a big part of Albania’s character.”
I’ve been visiting this natural and stunning Adriatic country since the 1980s, when it was Europe’s most hardline communist country (a partner of China, not the USSR), and since the fall of Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship the country has become much more accessible and attractive.
Flying to Albania from the UK is cheaper than ever this summer and the capital, Tirana, is the perfect place to spend a few days, with some fascinating museums focusing on the communist state’s dark days.
Inland, Albania shares with North Macedonia the beautiful Lake Ohrid, also known as “Cheap Lake Como.” Albania is certainly an affordable travel destination.
The main resort town along the coast is Durres, which is close to Tirana, has attractive beaches and some great places to eat and drink.
Cuba
Havana needs you ahead of the Moncada Day celebrations on July 26th (Simon Calder)
In the early 1990s, Cuba’s ideological ally and financial backer, the Soviet Union, collapsed. Fidel Castro made the surprising move in 1994 by declaring that “only tourism can save Cuba.” With less bureaucracy and cheap Caribbean sun, international tourists flooded in.
Tens of thousands of Brits used to visit the island every year on package holidays, but our love affair with the Caribbean’s largest and most glamorous island is fading, with the last TUI charter flight from Manchester to Varadero, its main resort, departing in April.
This month, Cuba’s current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, reiterated his desire for tourists, saying they would appreciate “the comfort of Cuba’s hotels, the beauty of our beaches and landscapes, the safety enjoyed by our tourists and citizens, and other attractions.”
The main attractions are the faded glory of Havana, its inhabitants, their music and architectural repertoire from Spanish colonial times to early 20th century ostentation.
For a more leisurely experience of Cuba, head east to the city of Matanzas, which sits on an attractive bay about 20 miles west of Varadero. Matanzas is ambitious enough to be called the “Athens of Cuba,” and its central square features some attractive buildings.
Varadero, Cuba’s top resort, sits on a 12-mile peninsula lined with picture-postcard beaches.
Florida
Theme Palace: The Magnificent Tampa Bay Hotel (Simon Calder)
Unlike the communist island just 90 miles off the coast, Florida isn’t in danger of a tourism shortage: Overall, Florida attracted slightly more international visitors in 2023 than it did in 2019, pre-pandemic, but the number of tourists from the UK fell 14%.
“We continue to invest in the U.K. market, which is our second-largest market after Canada,” Florida’s vice president of marketing Brett Laken said in May, who promised increased “consumer activity to generate demand.”
Domestic tourists traditionally don’t come during July and August, but the void is partly filled by a 21st-century version of Kipling’s “Mad Dog and the Englishman.”
British tourists might want to venture beyond the theme parks of Orlando and the hotels of Miami Beach to avoid meeting too many of their compatriots. Tampa and St. Petersburg make a great sister city pairing, but the Panhandle, a strip of land in Florida’s northwest, feels like another world.
Morocco
Capital Gains: Old Town of Rabat (Simon Calder)
The North African kingdom wants to double the number of international tourists per year to 26 million by 2030, when it will co-host the soccer World Cup with Portugal and Spain.
As part of this program, the government has opened up the skies, with fierce competition between Britain’s easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair, whose Manchester to Tangier route is one of the latest additions. “Morocco is closer than the Canary Islands,” says Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair DAC. “It’s got everything from beaches to mysticism.”
Marrakech is the tourist highlight; its vast square, Djemaa el-Fna, is the city centre, lined with makeshift cafes serving food cooked over red-hot charcoal fires. The centuries-old medina, with its maze of alleyways and many kiosks, is the main attraction; we recommend the beautiful Majorelle Gardens, founded by Yves Saint Laurent and home to the Museum of Islamic Art. But don’t miss Casablanca, the bustling commercial centre; the elegant capital Rabat; and Fez, a UNESCO-listed city with the country’s most atmospheric medina.
Away from the cities, the Atlantic coast is home to famous resorts such as Agadir and Essaouira, the latter being more relaxing and colorful, while inland, the Atlas Mountains offer excellent hiking routes and access to the desert.
Northern Ireland
“Northern Ireland has long not been seen as an attractive tourist destination due to its difficult recent past,” the Northern Ireland Department of Economy said.
The government is currently drawing up a plan for the next 10 years which aims to “increase the value of tourism to the Northern Ireland economy by 50-75% compared to 2019”.
One element of that ambition is to keep costs down for visitors by subsidising travel costs: British visitors flying from Edinburgh and Liverpool on new easyJet services to City of Derry airport in the northwest will enjoy a small, friendly airport supported by £6,000 a day in public funding.
Starring: Titanic Belfast (Simon Calder)
Derry/Londonderry is Northern Ireland’s most fascinating destination, with a hillside walled town at its heart, spectacular landscapes (and sea views) beyond and plenty of stories to tell by local guides.
Northern Ireland’s capital city is home to the hugely successful Titanic Belfast attraction, the encyclopedic Ulster Museum and the Peace Wall, which brings current events to life. Among the many detours, a train ride to the pretty port city of Bangor is highly recommended.
Saudi Arabia
Flying: Riyadh Air is a new Saudi Arabian company (Riyadh Air)
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Tourism’s goal is to “open doors to the world and capture hearts and minds through a tourism sector where life-changing stories happen every day.”
Suppose countries were judged on the size of their presence at international travel industry events such as the World Travel Market in London or ITB in Berlin, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would have catapulted itself from last place 20 years ago (when it had just one person and one desk) to first place with a huge, shiny, packed pavilion probably bigger than Rutland’s.
The man with the plan is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: the Saudi monarch plans to attract 150 million tourists by 2030. Complicated visa rules have been scrapped and women under 40 no longer need to travel with their husbands or brothers.
A new airline, Riyadh Air, has been established to help transport tourists. Key attractions include the desert oasis of Al-Ula, the coastal city of Jeddah, the capital region (including the National Museum and a “re-imagined” Diriyah Bab area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site). In the near future are Red Sea resorts to rival those in Egypt, and a new Saudi-owned cruise line, Aloya.
But Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and treatment of women and gays have given many pause. “Same-sex relations are illegal,” the Foreign Ministry warns. Its counterpart, the US State Department, says: “Please reconsider traveling to Saudi Arabia due to the threat of missile and drone attacks. Use increased caution in Saudi Arabia, including fears of terrorism, risk of arrest for social media activity, and bringing prohibited items.”
Some international travelers enjoy drinking alcohol while on holiday, and Visit Saudi warns that “the sale, purchase or consumption of alcohol or drugs is illegal in Saudi Arabia.”
Read more: Lesser known European beach resorts where you can soak up the sun without the crowds
