Global travel guide adds Kerala to destinations-to-avoid list due to environmental risks

Kerala has been included in Fodor's Travel 'No List 2025', marking its first appearance on the travel guide's list of tourist destinations to avoid. The list cites Kerala's “unsustainable tourism practices” and “mounting environmental challenges” as key concerns.

The southern state has been categorised under "Destinations Beginning to Suffer," according to the list released by Fodor's Travel, a global authority in travel recommendations. The annual list “aims to shine a light on destinations suffering from untenable popularity”. 

The state is placed after destinations like Agrigento, which face severe water scarcity, and the British Virgin Islands, grappling with excessive cruise tourism.

"Development in Kerala remains largely unregulated, unsustainable, and detrimental to local communities and ecosystems," notes Fodor's assessment. It adds, “The surge in tourism has exacerbated the impact of natural disasters, particularly in areas where development has obstructed natural water flows and increased landslide risks.” 

The travel guide particularly highlighted the catastrophic landslides in Wayanad this year, numerous landslide incidents between 2015 and 2022, and the alarming shrinkage of Vembanad Lake, which is a Ramsar site and the backbone of Kerala's backwater tourism.

Mount Everest is another destination featured on the list under "Perennial No List Destinations," while Bali tops the overall list due to its "plastic apocalypse”.

However, Fodor clarifies that the list isn't calling for travel boycotts, which they believe can harm local economies without fostering meaningful change. "The first step to alleviating a problem is recognising that the problem exists," the travel guide emphasises, pointing to the need for addressing unsustainable tourism pressures on land and local communities.

This development comes as a stark contrast to Kerala's previous recognition in TIME magazine's “50 extraordinary destinations to explore” in 2022.