A lot of you out there love to travel to unusual tourist spots, judging by the number of people reading, tweeting and commenting on The 25 Least Visited Countries in the World I recently published.
Quite a few comments indicate that some of the countries on that list may be too hard or expensive to get to or too dangerous to go anywhere near.
That calls for another bucket list proposal on the 25 countries where 'no one' lives and why you should still visit. Maldives narrowly misses the list, being number 26 with eight thousand people 'too many' to join it.
25. Iceland. Population: 320,060
Why so few?
Would you want to live on an island with fierce and flaming volcanoes, yet so cold it's called Iceland? The country was also discovered by Norwegian vikings and was the last European country to be settled.
Why you may still want to visit
The lava based scenery rising from the storms of the Atlantic is fantastic! So is the food. Just leave your whale meat boycotting plans at home. Whale meat is the healthiest meat on the planet and tastes fantastic when prepared as it is supposed to in one of Reykjavik's gourmet restaurants. You may also try puffin or walrus.
Tourists annually, in percentage of population
1,418,000 tourists, 443% of the population!
As if the US would have 1,390,639,197 tourists per year. That reads 1 billion, 390 millions 639 thousand and 197 and could have helped settle the US debt, although every tourist would still have to cover 11,826 USD to eliminate it. Some smaller countries have even higher percentages, but they have very small populations (less than 100,000 citizens) and are not surrounded by an ocean. I therefore still consider Iceland's tourist numbers more impressive.
What else
What is the worst liqueur you can think of? Make it twice as bad, and you have Brennivín, the national Icelandic liquor that is also known as Black Death. Why it was ever invented? To make hákarl, cured and fermented (more commonly referred to as rotten or putrefied) shark edible. You will drown and mask the shark taste with a shot or five with Brennivín in order to regain consciousness. Do also note that the country has so few people that everyone is listed by their first name in the telephone directory.
24. Belize. Population: 312,971
Why so few?
Belize has the lowest population density in Central America. Having so few neighbours doesn't attract many new ones, except for John McAfee. Of course it doesn't help when the few neighbours there disappear in mysterious ways, either.
Why you may still want to visit
The Great Blue Hole is one of the world's top diving spots. It is a so-called submarine sinkhole where you can dive with sharks. It's over 300 meters wide and 124 meters deep. Go there early to avoid the worst tourist crowds, though.
Tourists annually, in percentage of population
250,000 tourists, 80% of the population.
What else
What else
Do avoid San Pedro unless your ideal holiday involves queues, mass tourism, overpaying for bar food of questionable quality and generally being ripped off.
23. Barbados. Population: 274,200
Why so few?
One third of the population emigrated to Britain and the US the four decades following WWII. A strict family planning program that resulted in a crude birth rate of 17 per 1,000 inhabitants the first half of the eighties didn't make things much better.
Why you may still want to visit
The tap water in Barbados is fantastic, do drink a lot of it when there! And if you are British and a little hesitant to leave your united kingdom, rest assured, driving is on the left.
Tourists annually, in percentage of population
568,000 tourists, 207% of the population.
What else
There are a lot of old British pensioners here. They are great fun until they suddenly fall asleep around 21:00. Barbados is being nicknamed The Little Britain of the Caribbean. 'Computer says no!'
See the rest of the story at Business Insider