Winter 2025
Read articles from this print issue of Afar Magazine.
In Barcelona, tourist-weary residents have sprayed visitors with water guns. In Bali, the government has banned new hotel construction. And in Mallorca, local neighborhood associations and community groups have marched and demanded to limit mass tourism. The message is getting clearer in popular travel destinations around the world: Overtourism—when too many people visit a place, compromising it for the residents as well as for themselves—is a growing problem.
Every fall, we publish our recommendations for Where to Go in the coming year. This time around, we’ve dedicated our list to lesser-visited places. Our writers have reported from all over the world to present 25 destinations where you won’t find huge crowds and where your visit could really count.
For example, I wrote about a program in coastal Patagonia that brings together tourism and rewilding with low-impact glamping sites and an interpretation center that introduces guests to conservation efforts in the biodiverse region. In Western Australia, meanwhile, a new initiative is expanding access to Aboriginal-led activities across the state.
Elsewhere on our Where to Go list, we spotlight the Danish Riviera, a favorite among locals for its windswept beaches and historic hotels just 90 minutes from Copenhagen. Closer to home, Oklahoma City’s film and food scenes are booming.
As I helped edit these stories, I was reminded that the world offers a never-ending spool of surprises, and, however well traveled we might be, there’s always something new to experience. Where will you go next?
Travel well — Tim Chester, Afar Deputy Editor
