It’s no secret that natural beauty and historical sites are being ruined by tourism. But at the same time, many countries and communities depend on tourism for survival. So the question is, how can tourists help the country they visit and not hurt it? These are 25 Endangered Historical Sites Being Destroyed By Tourists.
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Of all the historical sites ruined by tourism, this one catches a lot of people off guard. Between the amount of trash everywhere and the scammers always looking to make a quick buck, the area surrounding the pyramids isn’t quite what you would expect. Also, there have been numerous tourists caught climbing the pyramids without permission.
Venice, Italy

The tourism industry here has pretty much taken over the city. In fact, it’s so bad that in the last 30 years the city has lost half of its fixed population. The whole city has become a huge tourist trap.
Mount Everest (and surrounding villages), Nepal

Thanks in part to social media, the number of climbers on Mount Everest has skyrocketed (pun intended). This has led to a lot more trash. In fact, the mountain has a well documented poop-problem. The trail to the top is littered with human feces and garbage, some being years old. (It freezes).
Antarctica

A classic case of tourism destroying the environment, the frozen continent has seen an massive increase in visitors lately. From marathons to surfers, everybody wants to say they were there. The problem, however, is that in a place where no government has jurisdiction…no government has the responsibility to clean things up or protect the environment. It’s the bystander effect on an international level.
Machu Picchu, Peru

Rediscovered in the early 20th century, Machu Picchu has steadily attracted more and more visitors. Weak local government and a strong influx of tourism has caused damage to the site – damage that guides and conservationists are having a hard time containing.
Photos: Featured Image: pixabay (public domain), 25. Mark Fischer via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, 23. Gunther Hagleitner via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 20. Sam Valadi via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 18. Berthold Werner, Wadi Rum BW 16, CC BY-SA 3.0, 17. Gérard Janot – été 2005, Jaisalmer forteresse, CC BY-SA 3.0, 16. Brad Weber, Iceland2008-Sudureyri, CC BY-SA 3.0, 15. Serge Melki from Indianapolis, USA, Cozumel Scuba Diving (5496259524), CC BY 2.0, 14. Michael_Spencer from Perth, WA, Australia, Phi Phi Island Tour (4297215540), CC BY 2.0, 13. David Adam Kess, A water taxi in Puerto Ayora Island of Santa Cruz in the Galapagos, CC BY-SA 3.0, 11. Severin.stalder, The Great Wall of China at Jinshanling-edit, CC BY-SA 3.0, 8. Imahesh3847, Taj mahal from entrance, CC BY-SA 4.0, 6. Zhangzhugang, Dunhuang Mogao Ku 2013.12.31 12-30-18, CC BY-SA 4.0, 3. Diliff, Colosseum in Rome, Italy – April 2007, CC BY-SA 2.5, 4. Dennis Jarvis, Cambodia 2638B – Angkor Wat, CC BY-SA 2.0, 2. Stefano Ravalli via flickr, CC BY 2.0, 1. Bayes Ahmed via flickr, CC BY 2.0