Watch How These 12 Amazing Landmarks Get Ruined By Tourists

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

The crown jewel in Cambodia’s tourism crown, Angkor Wat pulls in around two million tourists a year. The vast temple complex may have survived the ravages of time, nature and civil war but the impact of mass tourism is concerning. Controversially, authorities nearly doubled the entry ticket price for foreigners in 2017, partly as an attempt to curb numbers.

If it’s spiritual serenity you’re after, then you’ll be sorely disappointed as you edge past selfie-taking tourists at this holy site. Since the 1990s, visitor numbers have leapt from 7,650 in 1993 to 2.2 million in 2016.

This influx has not just ruined the magic of discovering this “lost” wonder but has also taken its toll on the delicate sandstone structures as people clambering up the narrow staircases and bottlenecks cause them to brush past its intricate carvings.