10. Belize City, Belize
A diving and cruise ship magnet that has been dubbed “Central America Lite,” “the other Caribbean” and “the gateway to the world’s second largest barrier reef.”
Crime. Drugs. Dilapidation. Welcoming committees of bored, desperate touts. A vibe that screams avoid-being-out-after-dark-and-wait-for-your-real-itinerary-to-begin. Belize City has it all.
9. Cairo, Egypt
Cairo is a city that impels tourists to come anyway, it is home of the world’s last remaining ancient Wonder and an incomparable wealth of history and antiquities that rank high on any serious globetrotter’s bucket list, visitors these days are forced to turn more than just a blind lung to a recent World Health Organization report that equates breathing in this city with smoking a pack a day.
8. New Delhi, India
Travel scams happen everywhere. But few cities fuel as much controversial discussions about them as India’s capital. Travel forums are always paranoid about one topic when it comes to visiting Delhi: How to avoid getting plundered outside the airport, at the train station, at your hotel and everywhere in between.
7. Jakarta, Indonesia
It’s quite surprising to know that Indonesia’s 8 million annual tourists are arriving at Bali, Yogyakarta, Sumatra- anywhere but the capital - according to a 2011 study by the country’s Central Bureau for Statistics. The sprawling city choked with traffic, pollution, poverty and tourist “draws” largely revolving around random street adventures and an epidemic of malls
6. Lima, Peru
Latin America’s fifth-largest metropolis may be relativelycleaner than Mexico City, safer than Sao Paulo and beach-friendly than La Paz, yet Lima continues to quietly suffer from the worst curse in travel circles: being constantly described as a place that’s not nearly as dull as everyone else keeps saying it is.
5. Los Angeles, California, USA
“When you get there, there is no there, there,” says one of many underwhelmed L.A. bashers on quora.com, who adds that tourist traps like Hollywood are a total bummer. So are earthquakes, race riots, traffic pileups, smog reports, constant sirens and the logic of people who live here are okay with all of that because the weather’s nicer than wherever they moved from.
4. Timbuktu, Mali
Today, according to a recent British survey, a third of the public doesn’t believe that Timbuktu actually exists. Among the remaining two-thirds are those romantic, off-the-beaten-path travelers who’ve fought tooth and claw to get all the way out here only to find a stifling, sand-strewn cluster of shabby buildings staving off desertification.
3. Paris, France
Every legendary city suffers some degree of over-hype. About the gastronomy, the views, the charming street scene, music, and culture. But the dreamy expectations reserved for Paris – propagated by generations of writers who haven’t been here in awhile – are definitely over-rated.
2. Sydney & Melbourne, Australia
About 4 million multicultural residents spread across a trendy downtown area with sprawling suburbs, high home prices, a vibrant food and arts scene, Australian TV and radio stations, the occasional bushfire and an intense repugnance for a certain unspeakable place 720 kilometers away. Which city are we talking about here? Either Melbourne or Sydney, perhaps?
1. Tijuana, Mexico
According to a recent World focus report, Tijuana’s annual tourism numbers have plummeted by as much as 90 percent in less than 10 years, and other research estimates that visitor-related revenue has declined by almost as much over a similar period. Drug cartel violence. The recession. Recent swine flu outbreaks.
On another side what’s not helping the tourism status to recover is the Southern California marketing firms campaigning: “Come to San Diego and be in a foreign country in 20 minutes” giving Tijuana a fierce competition to deal with.
