A recent World Economic Forum study measured countries' openness to foreign tourists and the tourism industry in general. It uses three major component rankings: Tourist Service Infrastructure, International Openness, and Prioritization of Travel & Tourism. It's important to note that these "welcomeness rankings" say more about government policies than the personalities of local residents.
To rank highly for "openness," a country must necessarily have the required infrastructure to support all the international travelers that may come. This component goes hand-in-hand with Prioritization of Travel & Tourism, which measures things like government subsidies and policies that promote international tourism. The most contributing factor to ranking poorly is that some countries do whatever they can to deter tourists from visiting for a multitude of reasons.
One of the most popular is that tourists often destroy landmarks or make too much noise, but that isn’t always the case. In many countries, cities outside of major capitals just don't have the infrastructure for tourists to get around. This includes places like Sierra Leone and Burundi. People in the capital cities are more likely to know a second language (or third), and there are ample public transportation options. However, in poorer outlining cities, tourists may struggle if they don't rent a car and know at least some of the local languages.
In places like Mongolia, there just aren't many people in general. Because they are the least densely populated country in the world, anyone who is new to the area easily sticks out because the locals typically know who everyone is. Since there isn't a large tourism industry, they are rightfully wary, or at least curious, as to why newcomers are hanging around.
We know that everyone in these countries doesn’t hate tourists. There are nice people anywhere you go, but generally, these nations' governmental policies would rather you stay at home or go somewhere else for your holiday. Here are 41 other countries the study found to be unwelcoming to foreign visitors for one reason or another.
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Did you know...
- Jet lag is worse when you're traveling from west to east. That's because the changes in time zones become not only more physically apparent on your body, but they are also more culturally apparent. If restaurants close at 10pm on the East Coast, you'll just be getting hungry since it will feel like 7pm on your West Coast-adjusted body.
- Taking a vacation is good for your health! Studies have shown that a vacation can help to lower your risk of heart disease. It's also a proven way to improve your creativity. So if you have some writer's block or need to lower your stress, grab a friend and go on an adventure!
- Even though it is spread across five time zones, the entire country of China is set to Beijing time. Having a single time zone in the United States would certainly make things easier. Currently, the USA is spread across six, but a single time zone would make things a little wonky in Alaska and Hawai'i.
- The largest pool in the world can be found at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile. It has 66 million gallons (enough water to fill 100 Olympic-sized pools). It's 3,323 feet in length, over twice the length of the next biggest pool. At a cost of $3,000,000, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
- The surface area of Pluto is just under 6.5 million square miles. The CIA Factbook lists the area of Russia to be just over 6.6 million square miles. That makes Russia bigger than Pluto (and much closer to visit). Are you still very upset that Pluto isn’t a planet anymore?