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5 unloved countries that nobody ever visits (but really should)
Some destinations get all the love. Too much, perhaps, with overtourism creating issues in popular cities and countries. Meanwhile, other places fly under the radar despite an abundance of natural beauty, culture or history, whether because they're hard to reach or don't feature too much on travellers' wish lists. The latest UN Tourism data, based on 2022 visitor numbers, has revealed some of the world’s most unloved countries, offering intrepid travellers some fresh travel inspiration. Be sure to check travel guidance and government recommendations before considering a trip.
1. Guyana
Guyana has long been South America’s least-visited country, with a population of just 818,000, few flights to get there and dense Amazon rainforest making it a challenging place to explore even after you arrive. But that looks set to change, as more airlines – including British Airways from London; American Airlines from Miami and New York; and United Airlines from Houston – have begun flying to capital Georgetown in recent years. So much so that 2023 was its best-ever year for visitors, with just over 319,000 people arriving on its shores.
2. Djibouti
This often-overlooked country on the Horn of Africa barely registers on the radar of even the most devoted Africa fans, but it deserves to be better known. Few other places can lay claim to such an array of different landscapes, from volcanic crater lakes and vast, rugged canyons to bubbling hot springs and limestone rock chimneys dotting desolate, other-worldly plains, which were enough to attract about 145,000 travellers in 2022.
3. Cook Islands
This cluster of 15 Polynesian islands are as close to paradise as you can get, with turquoise seas and white-sand shores fringing lush, tropical interiors, and where no hotel can ever be built higher than the tallest coconut tree. It’s on the same time zone as Hawaii, and has political links to New Zealand, along with its fellow South Pacific nations. Around 121,000 visitors touched down here in 2022, impressive given the islands’ population stands at just 20,200 people.
4. Burkina Faso
This west African country gained independence in 1960 and was then known as Upper Volta, but changed its name to Burkina Faso – which means ‘land of honest people’ – in 1984. It’s home to plenty of cultural highlights including the Grand Mosque at Bobo Dioulasso (pictured), a striking structure that’s actually made of whitewashed mud with logs sticking out at an angle, and the Loropeni ruins; the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5. Liechtenstein
It might seem surprising to see a European nation on a list of the world’s least-visited countries, yet the pocket-sized principality of Liechtenstein merits a spot as it brought in just 101,000 tourists in 2022 – although that’s actually an improvement on previous years. It’s just 62 square miles (161sq km) and is one of only two ‘double-landlocked’ countries – those that are surrounded only by landlocked countries – in the world, with the other being Uzbekistan.
