There is a certain breed out there that delights in going to the places that others don’t go to. These are the people who gain deep joy from going off the beaten track in Uzbekistan or keeping it real in Djibouti. They pretend to vomit at the mere mention of the Gold Coast, think Bali and Phuket will be hellish and refuse to go anywhere near a destination that Jetstar flies to. They are the travel snobs, and if you’re one of them, you should probably avoid these places too…
Worst travel destinations? Cancun
Where: Mexico
Mexico is a wonderful country, packed with history, scenery and fascinating culture. Cancun is everything that the rest of the country is not.
Before 1970, Cancun had a population of under ten, but the Mexican government decided it was in the ideal place to build a new resort city.
And so it came to be that a giant hotel strip was built along the coast, aimed purely at tourists and with about as much local character as a chain restaurant. Which, coincidentally, Cancun has a lot of.
It also has plenty of high rise all-inclusive hotels, giant superclubs and package tourists from the US and Europe.
Worst travel destinations? Benidorm
Where: Spain
Spain isn’t exactly short on high rise mass tourism resort towns, but Benidorm is the absolute daddy of them all. Like Cancun, it was transformed from a small village into a massive factory of enforced fun for the unimaginative. The original 1960s development exploded, and now Paris and London are the only other European cities to have more hotel beds than Benidorm.
It’s package tourist central, and there’s barely a taste of ‘authentic’ Spain about it. But if you like theme pubs, lots of drunken, shaven-headed Northern Europeans, quality beaches and the odd massive water park, then you’re laughing.
Worst travel destinations? Sunny Beach
Where: Bulgaria
Sunny Beach is arguably the Benidorm of Eastern Europe. Sat on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, it has been scarred by rampant overdevelopment since the 1960s, and is now a haven of gaudy hotels, loud bars and aqua parks.
The beach strip is several kilometres long and lined with over 800 hotels, many of which are monsters.
It has always attracted former Soviet bloc tourists looking for a good time on the beach and on the cheap, but Sunny Beach’s disputable charms have reached further afield in recent years. The Germans, Brits, Scandinavians and Irish have also descended upon it en masse. Hence just about any bit of greenery or tranquillity has been built over.
Worst travel destinations? The Atlantic Coast
Where: The Gambia
Gambia is the smallest country in Africa, and is often known as Africa for beginners. In recent years it has developed a tourism industry, attracting Europeans who want a cheap break somewhere exotic. And thus a whole string of resorts have sprung up along the country’s relatively small Atlantic coast.
These resorts aren’t the sort of high rise monstrosities you get in Benidorm or Cancun, but they generally have a bit of an on-the-cheap feel to them. They also attract the sort of visitors who wish to stay cocooned away from the realities of a desperately poor country and not leave their safe little enclaves.
To make things a little more interesting, the beaches are patrolled by herds of ‘bumsters’. These are local lads who are continually trying to sell things or offer guidance services. They can also often be spotted ‘accompanying’ fat middle-aged Western women, in a reverse take on the usual sex tourism scenario.
Worst travel destinations? Marmaris
Where: Mediterranean Coast, Turkey
Loud, brash and horrendously overcrowded in summer, Marmaris is a harbour city that has sold itself to the Russian hordes.
The appeal is somewhat inexplicable as the beaches aren’t all that impressive – they’re mostly pebbly – but that doesn’t seem to keep the masses away.
Marmaris is crammed with big, ‘luxury’ resorts – but they’re luxury in the blingy, showy sense of the word rather than putting an emphasis on relaxation and quality service. Another major complaint from visitors is that the hotels almost wholly aimed at Russian guests, with anyone from elsewhere feeling rather isolated.
Still, if you like your Europop music deafening and your clubs containing ultra-friendly (for money) Slavic girls, then Marmaris is a place for you.
Worst travel destinations? Blackpool
Where: Lancashire, England
Blackpool is the archetypal British seaside resort town, and it has a long deserved cheap and cheerful reputation.
On the plus side, Blackpool has the awesome Pleasure Beach – which has some of the world’s best rollercoasters.
On the minus side, it is notorious for being the home of dated comedians, stag and hen parties and tired bed and breakfast accommodation. Blackpool almost delights in poor quality, lack of sophistication and old school tack.
There are forever attempts to bring Blackpool kicking and screaming into the 21st century, but it has consistently resisted, and most of its visitors wouldn’t want it any other way.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
