What’s common between Amsterdam, Venice, Bhutan, Bali and Machu Picchu? Well, apart from being cliched travel destination, these places are suffering from overtourism. Amsterdam has taken drastic steps to prevent tourists from purchasing weed at cafes and touring the red-light district in the city as a manner to curb over-tourism. Bhutan has levied charges for tourists arriving from India, Bangladesh and Maldives for the same reason. The governments of these countries are doing what they can to reduce the effects of over-tourism on the environment and infrastructure of their cities. But what can you do as responsible travellers? The answer is wanderlust by itself. You can opt for second-city travelling, which is the latest trend for 2020.
What Is Second-City Travelling?
The term second-city refers to a city that has the second-highest population in the country. It’s used to describe the city that is not necessarily the first and most obvious choice for a foreign tourist, but it does offer delicious food, rich culture and interesting local attraction choices in abundance. It’s touted to be the biggest travel trend of this year and is known to provide solutions to the problem of over-tourism.
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Over tourism happens when too many tourists visit a particular destination. If you’re a second-city traveller, you can get the chance to explore a country’s lesser-known destinations as a way to combat over-tourism. You can explore a hidden gem and also tick off a country on the map, that has been less travelled to by others. A report by Booking.com reveals that 51% of travellers are likely to substitute a destination with an alternative if it results in less of an environmental impact. Second-city travelling is an authentic form of travelling as you can experience a city like the locals and understand the culture better. Less-explored destinations can be the icing on your travel cake. Here are 10 Most Unique Places In India Which Will Amaze You
What’s More?
The American Express Travel Trend Forecast suggested in 2018 that a majority of tourists will soon start exploring a new destination that they have never seen before. They will enjoy getting lost and spontaneously discovering hidden restaurants, bakeries and shops. And this is the very charm of second-city travelling. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council over-tourism has the capability to put a strain on the infrastructure of the place and threaten its cultural heritage. This makes it all the more important for every travel enthusiast to embrace second-city travelling. From Travelling With Pets To Volunteering, These Are Going To Be Top Travel Trends Of 2020!
It’s the beauty of exploring a whole new different place, that might not have an abundance of touristy resorts or 5-star hotels, but it will offer you a relaxing, rejuvenating time with authentic food, friendly locals and gorgeous untouched natural beauty. Think about visiting a new restaurant in your city. You might initially not know what to expect and you might be a little apprehensive about the food and ambience since it’s not too popular on social media. But once you take the first bite of the food, you know you’re home. Second-city travelling is similar, it’s a whole new experience of walking down the road not taken. So the next time you plan your travel itinerary, include such cities to make your travel an enriching one.
First Published: February 26, 2020 4:38 PM