“It is never great to have ignorant and entitled tourists, as they can destroy property, disrespect local cultures and traditions and annoy local residents as well as other tourists,” Dr. Rachel Dodds, an expert in sustainable tourism and professor at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management in Toronto, Canada, told Bored Panda.

However, according to Dr. Dodds, what is considered troublesome tourist behavior can vary depending on local norms; for example, spitting in public can be considered rude in some places, but not in others. 

“At times, what is acceptable or normal to one culture may be disrespectful to another so it is very important for the destination and attractions to be clear on expected behavior.”

In order to do that, some cities—such as Amsterdam, for instance—have implemented marketing campaigns set to draw clear guidelines regarding what behavior is or is not acceptable.

“Many destinations have started to do this and it isn’t a moment too soon. Just because a place wants tourists, this doesn’t mean they shouldn’t outline expectations for visits,” Dr. Dodds emphasized.

It goes without saying that entitled tourists can be seriously annoying; their selective vision focused on the best spot for taking a picture and ignoring everything outside of that—be it people or signs—is just one of the many reasons why.

But it’s not only about being annoying. Safety is a big issue, too, as failing to see certain signs can be dangerous to both the tourist themselves and those around them.

“Tourists who disregard established rules not only jeopardize their own safety but also pose risks to others and the environment,” representatives of Arctic Adventures—an Iceland-based tour operator offering a variety of activity tours across the country—told Bored Panda in a recent interview.

“While incidents involving entitled tourists are relatively not frequent, their impact can be significant,” the team of Arctic Adventures added, also pointing out that in Iceland, incidents caused by ignorant tourists unfortunately do occur, which only emphasizes the importance of proactive safety measures.

“Preventive measures such as fines can serve as deterrents, but we believe that education and awareness are equally essential in fostering responsible behavior among tourists,” the tour operator noted.

Discussing the preventive measures for aggravating tourist behavior, Dr. Rachel Dodds shared that in her opinion, positive encouragement is better than negative, as people often ignore signs and increasing fear isn’t always successful. 

“That being said, following through on consequences is important,” she added, pointing out that it’s crucial that locals stick to the same rules as they expect visitors to do. That’s what, according to the expert, makes dealing with visitors similar to raising children in a way: “If I don’t let my child jump on the beds in my house, why would I let their friends do it?”

Despite being one of the safest countries in the world for both citizens and visitors, Iceland can be quite dangerous for those willing to ignore warning signs or safety measures. Unfortunately, there have been quite a few stories of tourists getting themselves into trouble for failing to follow warnings—those regarding certain natural occurrences, for instance, which become great reminders of how powerful and awe-inspiring mother nature can be.

Take water, for example. A TikTok video went viral in November last year, showing tourists getting caught by a so-called “sneaker wave” on Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland. While the tourists luckily managed to escape the unexpected grip of the wave, the netizens in the comments didn’t hold back from sharing what they thought of such behavior and couldn’t emphasize the importance of paying attention to the warning signs enough.

But Iceland is far from the only beautiful place where some tourists can show off their least appealing traits; and they don’t always have to be hazardous to be seriously troublesome. Some visitors are exceptionally aggravating because of how disrespectful they are, especially regarding sites of great cultural or religious significance.

In places like that, it’s especially important to keep in mind that while the site might have no special place in your heart, it does to other people. (Hence the sign saying not to climb it, step on it, or touch it, in most cases.) But unfortunately, some visitors seemingly fail to understand it.

Some sites of great significance—be it an historical location, a building, or a natural wonder of some sorts—have earned the title of a World Heritage Site, provided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (or UNESCO in short), which entails protection by an international convention administered by the organization.

As of January 2024, we are one heritage site shy of 2000, with the majority of them located in Italy, China, and Germany respectively (based on data from 2021).

Despite holding the title of the country with the most World Heritage Sites, Italy is not home to the most popular tourist destination city-wise. According to Euromonitor’s Top 100 City Destinations Index 2023, it was Paris in France that attracted the most visitors over the last year, followed by Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Madrid (Spain), Tokyo (Japan), and Amsterdam (the Netherlands) respectively.

While tourists flock to cities all over the world, not all of them are equally excited to greet them. According to The Independent, some places, such as Barcelona in Spain, Santorini in Greece, Koh Khai islands in Thailand, and Cinque Terre in Italy, just to name a few, seem to resent tourists for one reason or another. Needless to say, visitors such as the ones on this list do not make their reputation any better; and neither do the ones on this list.