- 6/23/2025
From pristine beaches to historic monuments, these once-peaceful destinations were forever changed when Hollywood came calling. Join us as we explore breathtaking locations that paid a heavy price for their silver screen fame. When movie magic meets real-world tourism, the results can be devastating for locals and environments alike.
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00:00I'm just walking over to see what all the commotion is about.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most devastating times
00:07when film productions led to attractions being wrecked as mass tourism flocked in,
00:13damaging the area, massively hindering local life, or causing environmental issues.
00:17There were people that were removing dirt from the cemetery and selling it online.
00:24Number 10, Boracay, The Losers and Too Late, The Hero.
00:281970 was a significant year for the Philippines' island of Boracay,
00:32as two different war films were shot there, The Losers and Too Late, The Hero.
00:37You mean the whole operation's been hanging on me?
00:39I'm afraid so.
00:40These portrayals, as well as praise from travel writers, saw tourists flock to Boracay,
00:45as its beaches were declared some of the best around.
00:48However, the mass influx of people caused havoc on the island's sewage system,
00:53leading to bacteria spreading, while the beaches were littered with trash.
00:57What they're doing in Boracay, essentially, is a landfill.
01:00Yes, ma'am.
01:01Unsurprisingly, this resulted in tourism significantly falling by the 1990s.
01:05In 2018, then-president Rodrigo Duterte called Boracay a cesspool,
01:11as it was closed for six months to fix environmental issues.
01:15The one that will survive here are the people that can consolidate and can sustain the business.
01:19But there's no apology? No apology for that?
01:22Well, we could not say apology to the environment.
01:24Number 9. Holstadt. Frozen.
01:27While Disney's smash hit musical Frozen was mostly inspired by Norway and Canada,
01:32rumours emerged that Holstadt was also used in the creation of Arendelle,
01:36which has been disputed by the creators.
01:40Welcome to Arendelle!
01:41As a small waterfront town in Austria, which had already had a replica Holstadt opened in China in 2012,
01:48tourism in the area exploded with the film's release.
01:51In 2020, Holstadt had a population of 780, but was estimated to bring in up to 10,000 tourists per day.
01:59Can a tourist destination be too popular? The people of one Austrian town certainly think so.
02:05This mass disruption to everyday life even caused local churches to higher security.
02:09The local government has tried to put off tourists, such as putting up fences around prime selfie locations,
02:15but to little avail. Locals have even protested against over-tourism.
02:19Number 8. The Trevi Fountain. La Dolce Vita.
02:23Ever since Anita Ekberg walked into the historic Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy in her dress in
02:29Federico Fellini's classic La Dolce Vita, film fans have been enamored with the location.
02:35Marcello! Come here!
02:37The site has a rich history in the industry, appearing in various other productions.
02:41However, tourists have unwisely decided to emulate Ekberg by entering the fountain, completed in 1762.
02:48You can see the woman climbs across the back of the famous waterworks to refill her water bottle.
02:55Over the years, officials have issued various fines and restrictions for people bathing in the water or being a nuisance near it.
03:02In 2024, to reduce over-tourism in the area and protect the monument,
03:06plans were announced to limit the number of visitors to the Trevi Fountain and charge people for the experience.
03:12It's beautiful like this. All these people coming from all around the world.
03:16You're going to put a price on it? I don't think it's a good idea.
03:19Number 7. Freshwater West Beach.
03:22Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
03:27You don't need to be a fan of the franchise to feel the emotional punch of beloved house elf Dobby perishing as he saves everyone.
03:33Harry Potter.
03:39Dobby.
03:40The sight of his final breath was filmed on Freshwater West Beach in Pembrokeshire in Wales.
03:46Since then, fans have flocked to the site to pay their respects to Dobby by leaving socks and other trinkets there.
03:53If you're a fan, you'll know that socks play an important role in Dobby's storyline.
03:58So it's no surprise that so many socks adorn this grave.
04:02However, while a charming thought, they didn't really consider the environmental impact.
04:06The UK's National Trust has issued pleas to not leave items as wildlife like seals and birds could be hurt by them.
04:14It's great that the grave is going to remain here and we really want people to come and visit.
04:18We want people to come and take pictures.
04:20But what we're really asking people not to do is to leave any trace.
04:24Number 6. Skellig Michael.
04:26Star Wars sequel trilogy.
04:27Between the 6th and 8th centuries, Christian monks built a monastery on Skellig Michael, off the coast of County Derry, Ireland.
04:35In places such as this, abandoning the world and yet in close communion with nature, the monks continued their search.
04:44The monks eventually left in the 13th century, leaving the island to become a pilgrimage site before rare wildlife called the ruins their home.
04:51In 2014, the Star Wars sequel trilogy found Skellig Michael to be the ideal location for Ok Cho, where Luke Skywalker exiled himself.
05:00We need Luke Skywalker.
05:06You don't need Luke Skywalker.
05:09However, the production was immediately accused of damaging the environment.
05:13The newfound fame of the island also boosted visitors to Skellig Michael.
05:16In 2018, while UNESCO recommended 11,000 tourists per year, figures showed Skellig Michael received over 16,700.
05:25As a result, boats were restricted from landing on the island.
05:29So the force is still here?
05:31I think the force has been here for a very long time.
05:34Number 5. Drayton House.
05:35Saltburn.
05:36One of 2023's most popular films was Saltburn.
05:39Mr. Quick.
05:41You're early.
05:42Helped by Sophie Ellis-Bexter's Murder on the Dance Floor, the movie took the internet by storm with its extravagant estate.
05:49Despite reports that none involved in the film could state where it took place, it was soon discovered the estate was Drayton House in Northamptonshire, England.
05:57We filmed in one house, this house you just can't even believe the size of it.
06:01Built in the 1300s, the estate has been passed down via inheritance since it was sold in 1361.
06:06Beyond Saltburn, Drayton has been privately owned and doesn't welcome visitors, yet that hasn't stopped influencers and fans of the film from trying to get inside.
06:15In 2024, the owners of Drayton House spoke publicly about more than 50 people being caught trespassing on their grounds.
06:23I just wanted to be a friend.
06:24Number 4. Burkittsville.
06:26The Blair Witch Project.
06:27As a small town in Maryland, Burkittsville was in for a shock when a small-budget film became a horror phenomenon, completely transforming its landscape.
06:35You've heard of the Blair Witch?
06:37Several times.
06:38In 1999, the Blair Witch Project set in and around Burkittsville was released.
06:43While the town hasn't had a population larger than 200 since 1980, suddenly a large influx of tourists descended into their quiet corner of the US.
06:52Saturday night, you'd think that we were a big town instead of a crossroads because there was all kinds of traffic going by.
06:59Fans desecrated graveyards, stole public signs for mementos, and harassed locals for tales about the fictional witch.
07:06Even an abandoned, but-to-beloved church had tourists ripping pieces off of it and splashing graffiti within.
07:13While time has caused locals to embrace the history more recently, the issues may have caused Burkittsville population to fall to 142 in 2020.
07:21Our office received a call from one of the parks one weekend and said,
07:25Hey, there's some kids in here making a movie. Usually we close the parks at night.
07:29You know, should we throw them out?
07:31We're like, go ahead, let them go.
07:33I mean, nobody's ever going to see this movie.
07:36Just let them have fun.
07:37Boy.
07:39Number 3.
07:40The West 167th Street Stairs
07:43Joker
07:44For many, no moment is more memorable from 2019's Joker than Joaquin Phoenix's Criminal Clown dancing on stairs as a song by disgraced musician Gary Glitter plays.
08:02This scene was filmed in the Bronx in New York at the outside steps known as the West 167th Street Stairs.
08:10With the film's success, loads of film fans gathered on the so-called Joker stairs and recorded their own versions of the dance.
08:17Maybe the next big tourist attraction?
08:19Bringing people all over New York City.
08:22Locals then had to dodge selfie sticks and photographs as they went about their day-to-day business.
08:26To make it worse, the tourists would arrive, take a photo, and not spend money in the Bronx, making it even less positive for locals.
08:33Now somebody's got paint splashed on them, and it shows that they don't like them.
08:38They don't like none of these tourists.
08:39Number 2.
08:40Ladakh.
08:41Three Idiots.
08:42It takes a special kind of film to not just ruin an attraction, but a whole region.
08:46Yet, that was the case for India's Ladakh after the Bollywood film Three Idiots was released in 2009.
08:53One year later, the area saw its sharpest increase in tourism as people flocked to see Pangong Lake, a location used in the film's climax.
09:02However, the rapid rise soon began affecting Ladakh's infrastructure, causing a huge increase in trash.
09:08All I can say is, though, I'm shocked.
09:10As the area is a cold desert, water scarcity has increased, with demands for Western-style toilets being a major factor.
09:17The problems affecting Ladakh even sparked the inspiration for Three Idiots, Sonam Wangchuk, to make a plea to the government to take action to protect the region.
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09:461. Maya Bay
09:49The Beach
09:50Ironically, and sadly, a film about a character searching for a beach untouched by tourism would cause the real-life location to be destroyed by exactly that.
09:59It was like we arrived into a lost world.
10:01A full-scale community of travellers, not just passing through, but actually living here.
10:08Yet, that's the case with Maya Bay.
10:10Located on the Thai island Koh Phi Phi Le, the site was prominently featured in the 2000 movie The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
10:17The production even destroyed the landscape to make it more paradise-like.
10:21This is all your fault anyway.
10:23With the film's release, tourists soon arrived, causing havoc with every step and via their boats.
10:28The environment was so badly damaged that the bay had to be closed indefinitely in 2018 to recover.
10:34To be honest, I think that we have become a society which is obsessed with fame and celebrities, and I think that people go there for wrong reasons.
10:41During that time, wildlife flourished as blacktip reef sharks returned to the water.
10:46In 2022, the bay reopened to tourists with heavy restrictions.
10:50Have you ever purposely visited a place that you've seen on a film, TV show or other media?
10:54Let us know down below.
10:55Even though I knew it would happen, I was crushed.
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