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Americans smashed travel records in 2024 — with Dec. 1 going down as the busiest day ever at the nation’s airports, according to the TSA.
And we’re clearly on a roll, with destinations around the globe groaning under the weight of overtourism — some more loudly than others.
More than 20.2 million U.S. travelers jetted off to Europe in 2023, according to the U.S. National Travel & Tourism Office — millions more than pre-pandemic, when 17.3 million people hopped the pond in 2019.
What’s a pretty small continent to do with that kind of attention from a crowd twice the population of, say, Portugal or Switzerland, and, if trends continue, far more than that in 2025? (And we’re just a fraction of the overall numbers the continent sees in a given year.)
Well, if you’re Spain, or France, or Italy, you take drastic measures — like start charging for selfies at the Trevi Fountain in Rome, or consider banning Airbnbs in Barcelona.
But if you’re one of the lesser-known countries, you look at the tourist crush and you say, how can we get in on that?
There are two European destinations that travel writer and expert Simon Calder thinks are next to the party — fascinating, off-the-beaten-path places that ought to be careful what they wish for, because they just might get it.
“All the indications that we’ve seen, for instance the figures of people going through airports and the latest figures from travel companies show that we have an insatiable appetite for travel. And 2025 is going to be fantastic in having wider horizons than ever,” Calder told the Daily Express.
The first of his underrated picks for 2025? Bulgaria.
For one, he points out, all this demand for travel is going to ensure that we end up paying more — which could possibly push more of us into thinking about less-appreciated spots where inflation hasn’t quite kept up the pace.
Reasons to go — Black Sea beach resort towns like Albena, Golden Sands and Sunny Beach, ski hotspots like Bansko and Pamporovo, the city of Sofia and a complex history that has seen many different civilizations leave their mark on the architecture, culture and landscape.
Most of all, you’ll enjoy a fraction of the crowding you’ll find in neighboring Greece and Turkey.
In 2023, Bulgaria saw 8.6 million arrivals for the purposes of tourism — an increase of 13% from 2022, but peanuts compared to the marquee European faves.
Spain, by comparison, estimates a whopping 90 million tourism visits this year, the Express stated — that’s a lot less space on the beach.
Next up, it’s over the Adriatic, where Calder likes a country that’s considered one of Europe’s most affordable travel destinations.
“I’ve also got my money on Albania as an up and coming destination,” Calder revealed.
“Fantastic beaches, friendly people and prices back to the 20th century.”
Albania is home to dramatic mountains, beaches that have been called “The Maldives of Europe,” a bustling capital city and gorgeous ruins in various states of Instagram-ready decrepitude.
Just 10 million foreign visitors entered the country for leisure purposes in 2023. That number is expected to grow.
