In Days Of Overtourism These Countries Actively Welcome Visitors

Summer in Europe has been hit by overtourism and has seen heated protests by residents of popular destinations, including Barcelona, Mallorca, Venice and more. While some locations are now charging a tourist tax, there are other, beautiful locations that welcome travelers with open arms. Now is the time to explore these equally stunning destinations without having to navigate the crowds, including Europe and beyond.

In a time of overtourism, these countries actively welcome tourists

Since the pandemic, travel has bounced back with a vengeance and the thousands of tourists haven’t all been good news for popular locations. This summer, heated protests against overtourism have lit up Europe, with residents saying they don’t want the crowds. Moreover, tourism is pushing up the cost of housing for many residents and in some cases, they have been forced to move away.

While those destinations are packed with travelers, other countries in the world are crying out for tourists, including these four nations. All are welcoming travelers and using tourism as a tool to build their economies and improve their infrastructure.

Visit Georgia

Bordering Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia, Georgia nestles on the Black Sea and has big plans to increase its tourism. Moreover, they have plans to encourage everyone from disabled visitors, to solo travelers, to cruise passengers. The latter will be encouraged to visit Georgia’s second city, Batumi, which has a vast port.

Moreover, the country has a 10-year plan to develop international signage to help visitors navigate the country. Other plans include improving public transport, accessibility and more cruise ship ports.

Natalie Fordham, a Georgia specialist at Wild Frontiers, told the BBC:

Tourism is relatively new in Georgia. It offers a relatively new career path and we see really fantastic guides as a result. They’re super excited to be part of it, they speak great English and learn how to adapt to different people, and many of our travelers make friends with them and want to go back.

Head to Greenland

Greenland is preparing to welcome an increasing number of tourists, with its new international airport opening in the country’s capital, Nuuk, later this year. Moreover, there are plans for another international landing strip in the northern tourist city of Illulissat in 2026.

This marks a turning point in tourism for Greenland, as up until now, its international runways have not been able to handle large flights. Instead, they have been routing visitors through Kangerlussuaq, a former US military base, then shuttling them on a smaller plane to their destinations.

Moreover, Greenland is focusing on two main forms of tourism, the first being adventure tourism. Adventures here include rock climbing in Eastern Greenland, camping on the Greenland Ice Sheet and whale watching. Meanwhile, Greenland offers year-round tourism, with dark sky star gazing and the aurora borealis (Northern Lights).

Tour Exotic Morocco

Known as an exotic and exciting destination, Morocco is also keen to welcome more world travelers. This is especially so, as it continues to develop its tourism infrastructure to build new hotels ahead of the 2030 World Cup. Morocco will be co-hosting the exciting event with Portugal and Spain.

The country will reportedly need 100,000 extra beds to host the visiting football teams and fans and international hotel chains are happy to help. Among the upcoming new hotels is a Waldorf Astoria in Tangier and 25 new Radisson Hotels, all set to open before 2030.

While increasing flights into Marrakesh is part of the plan, the World Cup is leading to the renovation of stadiums in the lesser-visited cities, such as Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Rabat and Tangier.

Explore a different destination in 2024 and beyond, while being welcomed with open arms on arrival.