Disrupting the love between British and Mediterranean beaches is more than a Tiktok trend. But the latest figures suggest travelers are increasingly swapping Malaga for North Macedonia and Benidorm as part of the social media boom of “destination fraudsters.”
Flights from the UK to Bosnia and Herzegovina surged 284% in 2024 compared to the previous year, while travel to Montenegro increased by 164%. Getaways to Albania is known as "Neo Croatia" according to an analysis of data from the Civil Aviation Administration (CAA).
Experts say the appetite for lesser-known destinations is driven by influencers promoting holiday “scammers”, locations that offer the same Insta-friendly landscape for smaller budgets.
Travel blogger Tara Tadlock, who has nearly 15,000 followers on Instagram, says the trend is inspired by the expenses of a post-adventure adventure and the life crisis as vacationers look for bargains.
“In the summer, accommodation prices surge…some restaurants will change menus and charge extra fees,” she said. “The cost of living is a huge driver. I also think people want to get out of the crowd because there are a lot of places that are so crowded for tourists right now.”
CAA data analyzed by Manchester Airports Group also showed that the number of flights to Azerbaijan has more than doubled between 2023 and 2024. During the same period, four African countries - Tunisia, Rwanda, Morocco and Ghana - also made the UK's largest growth in the top 10 flights from the UK.
On Tiktok, influencers with thousands of followers facilitated travel to the hillsides of Bansko, Bulgaria, rather than the expensive French Alps, or crowded Athens and Budapest when they rested in the city of Podgorica's capital.
The term “destination fraud” was coined by travel company Expedia in 2023. Experts have found that influencers share “repeated destinations” in a similar way to Designer Clotsing’s imitation, another trend for Tiktok.
But it's not just Z Gen Traveler broadening horizons. CAA figures show that millennials and their parents make up most of the passengers heading to the Balkans. Those under the age of 25 include one in five who arrive in Albania, while 13% of those who fly to Montenegro.
Covid-19 also explains the increased demand for lesser-known destinations, which experts believe has changed the travel of travel. While visiting tourist hotspots has rebounded - partly out of the urge to drive bucket list locations, other holidaymakers avoided crowds.
Empirical research has found that 76% of the baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) prioritize quieter places compared to Generation Z (40%). However, when looking for adventure, the younger generation tends to be inspired by online influencers (41%V 5%).
Tadlock said she wanted Albania to be "New Croatia" because it has amazing scenery without the super tourism problems of Croatia. “I think the experience is a bit of a curb when you have to line up for two hours,” she said. “I do think that consumers are thinking more about sustainability and the impact of tourism, or just the impact of travel in general.”
Andrew MacMillan, chief strategy officer at Manchester Airports Group, also runs London Stansted and East Midlands Airport, said social media is increasingly pushing for flights it offers.
“There is no doubt the real power of social media when it comes to impacting where people choose to go,” he said.
“The increase in popularity of platforms like Tiktok has led to less hidden gem destinations since 2019, which in turn has caused a surge in travel to these places.”
However, the old habits vanished with difficulty as some British people prepared to roam. Tenerife remains the most popular resort in the UK in 2024, with 3 million passengers, followed by Málaga, Mallorca and Alicante. By comparison, Bosnia and Herzegovina made 80,000 visits after nearly tripling, while Albania received less than a million passengers, while Montenegro had more than 220,000 visits.
go through Marie Novakovic
If British tourists bypass Benidorm to support Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are clearly looking for something beyond the average beach vacation. First, Bosnia's 12-mile sliding panels on the Adriatic coast of Neum (like Benidorm) are a concrete resort hotel and crowded pebbled beach. But you won't come to Bosnia's beaches - why do you do when you have the jaw-dropping Dinar Alps, towering waterfalls, dramatic river canyons and Europe's most fascinating cities?
Rather than joining the Neum crowd, travel about 25 miles inland Mud in the cottage Nature reserveis one of the most important wetlands in Southeast Europe. Take a boat ride through the waterways and swamps of reserves, pay attention to the birds of all kinds - herons, shr, cobone, colonnade, terns - calm down before swimming in Svitavsko Lake.
From here, it is about a 40-minute drive to one of the biggest natural wonders in the Herzegovina region. Kravika Falltheir river passes through the abundant greenery into the Trebižat River. Swim near the foot of the waterfall, or check out other river swimming spots, including the clear waters of Božjak. If you haven't had a picnic, the waterside restaurant for barbecue and fish will give you a good price for ridiculous prices.
This lays the foundation for pure drama one National gardenThis is the largest in Bosnia, most of which run along with the natural boundaries formed by the Croatian rivers. UNA has almost magic in the minds of people on either side of the border, and over the course of 76 square miles, it tilts, falls and hits through densely wooded hillsides and fertile green plains. A star in the park is Remnant beechIt is a towering waterfall, fearlessly a fearless white water drifting trip, jumping down from the top and surviving to tell stories. Martin Brod has more south, the largest collection of waterfalls in the park.
Bosnia's cities are equally striking. Sarajevothe capital is fascinating, especially when you stand on the Ferhadija Street on the sidewalk, with your left being the 19th-century Habsburg building and to your right being the 16th-century Ottoman section. Crushed into this ancient Turkish baščaršija district is the driveway of coppersmiths, silversmiths, restaurants, courtyard gardens, an ancient caravan and the largest mosque in Bosnia, Gazi Husrev-Beg. Since the end of the war in 1992-95, the city marks 30 years of its rightful time to visit the siege of the Museum of Crime that endangered humanity and genocide and the Sarajevo Museum.
The main cities of Herzegovina, Mostthis is a popular destination for day trips in Dubrovnik. However, it is difficult to resist the grandeur of most urban icons of the 16th-century Ottoman Bridge (Stari) it rebuilt. Once the crowds disappear, you can relax in the old Ottoman quarter at a much easier pace. Within half an hour drive from here, you can reach the sight of Sufi Lodge in the 16th century Blagaj TekkeThe source of the Buna River is cleverly built in a limestone canyon. You won't find it in Benidorm.