Forget The Eiffel Tower and The Taj Mahal? This List of “Overrated” Tourism Sites Is Elitism Run Amok

I see a lot of travel shaming going on in today’s world, and I’ve had it.

Day after day, I see so-called travel experts on social media targeting people who visit all-inclusive resorts instead of going out and exploring. I understand where they’re coming from, as I vastly prefer to go out on my own. But not everyone fits the same mold. And not everyone’s passport (if they even have one) is overflowing with stamps from exotic countries.

Some people might take a vacation every ten years. Or five. They work hard to put food on their tables and take care of their families. They don’t have time (or maybe the desire) to delve into travel stories about things to do away from the hotel zone in Cancun, or the tried-and-true districts of Miami or Bangkok. Or maybe they just want a place to fly and flop for a week.

It’s not my place to criticize people for their travel choices. I might want X, but if someone wants Y instead, then I say, “Knock yourself out.”

The latest report I saw that smacks of travel elitism comes from MSN, which published a story with the following headline: “Famous Destinations That Simply Aren’t Worth The Effort.” The author goes on to list some of the iconic, best-loved places in the world, including the Sydney Opera House, The Empire State Building, and the Eiffel Tower.

“Fame can be a blessing and a curse,” the MSN story says. “Across the world tourists flock to high-profile sites that the guide books insist are worth all the effort and expense, only to be disappointed by their own inflated expectations. Whether they’re oversold, overrun or sometimes absent entirely, we’ve picked out what we think are the most overrated attractions on Earth that fail to live up to their often-enormous reputations.”

This is disgraceful. If you’re a five-time visitor to France with money to spend on a  tour of famous Bordeaux wineries, maybe you’ve seen the Eiffel Tower and don’t need to go again. But if you’re a first-time visitor to France and it might be the only trip you take in your life, are you really going to skip the most famous building in the country, and one of the most famous in the world, just because if might be a little  crowded?

Of course not. So, why do travel writers want to warn people away from these places?

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

This is some of what the writer said about the Spanish Steps: “The world’s most famous staircase is still just a staircase – and not a particularly long one at that.” Oh, okay. Let’s ignore the famous scenes from the classic movie “Roman Holiday,” and countless TV shows and books. Let’s ignore the fact that this sweeping staircase is amazing for people-watching (which MSN at least had the courtesy of mentioning, even though it attributed that comment to Lonely Planet) and that it reveals terrific views of the city. Let’s pretend those benefits don’t exist and just call it a staircase that isn’t particularly long.

Unbelievable.

Here’s some of what MSN said about the Great Wall of China: “First, it’s mostly a 20th-century reconstruction; second, its narrow walkways do not handle crowds well; and third, it’s just… a wall.” It’s just a wall. Really? This fortification stretches on for more than 21,000 km’s (13,000 miles) and is a reminder of an ancient, amazing Chinese civilization. Following the closing of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, several Toronto Star sports reporters and I took a bus to the popular Badaling section of the wall. Yes, there were sales people selling trinkets all over the place, and the wall was packed. But I found it an amazing experience to stand on part of something so historic. I had a cell phone supplied by the Star, so I quickly pulled it out (I guess I owe the paper $50) and called my father in California. “Dad, I’m standing on the Great Wall of China.” I had probably been to two dozen countries around the world by then. I had seen the Sydney Opera House and Stonehenge and the Eiffel Tower. I had gazed at New York City from the top of the Empire State Building and ridden in a gondola in Venice. But I still found standing on that wall to to be an awesome experience.

Admiring the Sydney Opera House on a ferry ride in Sydney Harbour. JIM BYERS PHOTO

Still, I guess I’m some kind of rube. I mean, it’s just a wall, right? And the Spanish Steps are just a set of stairs that aren’t really so long. And Central Park “is not famous for being an especially nice park.” Oh, and the blue domes of Santorini “have been done to death and are squarely yesterday’s news.”

Are there tourist attractions around the world that are too popular for their own good? Perhaps. But there’s a reason that the canals of Venice and the Sydney Opera House and Central Park have become world icons. It’s because they’re special and unique, and they speak to people in a certain way. I might warn someone that it might be crowded at the Taj Mahal, or that Temple Bar in Dublin might be packed on a Saturday night, but I hope I would never suggest they’re not worth the effort, or that they’re somehow over-hyped.

Santorini, Greece. Dan-Unsplash Photo

I debated not listing the author’s 31 “not worth the effort” locations, but, in the interest of openness and letting the reader decide, I’m laying them out below.

1. The Little Mermaid Statue, Copenhagen
2. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles
3. Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, London
4. Juliet’s House, Verona, Italy
5. Mitad del Mundo, Ecuador
6. Blue Domes of Santorini, Greece
7. Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin
8. Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
9. The Mona Lisa, Paris
10. The Northern Lights
11. Venetian Gondolas, Italy
12. Central Park, New York City
13. Hallstatt, Austria
14. The Great Wall of China
15. Park Guell, Barcelona
16. The Spanish Steps, Rome
17. Loch Ness, Scotland
18. Phuket, Thailand
19. The Taj Mahal, India
20. Temple Bar, Dublin
21. The London Eye, England
22. The Statue of Liberty, New York City
23. Stonehenge, England
24. The Las Vegas Strip
25. Maya Bay, Thailand
26. The Sydney Opera House, Australia
27. The Eiffel Tower, Paris
28. Bondi Beach, Australia
29. The Empire State Building, New York City
30. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

Feel like I’ve missed the mark? Or perhaps you agree with me? Drop me a line in the comments section of my blog.