The worst-behaved travellers of 2024
In the post-Covid era, more people are travelling than ever before, but, of course, not everyone is following the rules.
Online influencers can get a bad rap as travellers. Sometimes it's for a good reason.
The 3,922-step Haiku Stairs in Hawaii were built by the US Navy during World War II and have been officially closed to the public since 1987 — but problems with illegal trespassing have multiplied in the age of social media.
Due to the number of YouTubers, TikTokers, thrill-seekers and other tourists sneaking on the picturesque yet off-limits beauty spot, authorities made the decision to dismantle the steps, at a cost of A$4 million.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Italy is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations, but not all of its visitors are respectful of its cultural treasures and millennia of history.
In July, Florence officials were on the hunt to identify a young woman seen mimicking sexual acts with a statue of Bacchus, the god of wine and sensuality, in photos that went viral on social media.
In the UNESCO world heritage site of Matera, filled with precious historic buildings, damage was done in June by a group of parkour enthusiasts from London.
The sport involves running, climbing and leaping over obstacles — or smashing straight into them, as was the case here.
A video of parkour stunts in the ancient city was posted by Team Phat on YouTube, along with a caption explaining that they were "in the beautiful city of Matera" where one of their members, Devon McIntosh, "had a scary fall that could have been really bad."
At a much newer attraction, two public sculptures in New York and Dublin were joined by a 24-7 video link - but it immediately ran into problems.
It turned out that when people can see but not hear each other, some will turn to baser forms of communication — such as breast-flashing or holding up pornographic and offensive imagery.
The "Portal," as it was known, shut down permanently in September.
What questionable or dangerous activities did people get up to in national parks this year?
Well, two Nevada men were indicted in August for allegedly damaging ancient rock formations at the much-loved Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
Video showed the two visitors scaling towering russet-coloured rock formations along the park's Redstone Dune Trail and shoving wide slabs of sandstone to the ground.
Damage to the federally-protected formations, which were shaped over time out of 140 million-year-old sand dunes, is irreversible.
Recreation area spokesperson John Haynes called the destruction "appalling."
A 65-year-old American tourist was arrested in Japan for allegedly carving letters into a torii gate at Tokyo's Meiji shrine.
One Japanese town got so sick of tourists flocking to its streets and leaving litter that it put up a barrier to block a popular view of Mount Fuji.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
