No-go zones take off

Adventurous travellers are flocking back to the world’s former trouble spots, with many travel destinations once considered ‘no-go zones’ now seeing a rise in popularity, according to travel companies.

: Written by: Mike Walker; Last Updated: 15 May 2014

Iran, Colombia and parts of West Africa are among those trying to shed their dangerous reputations, resulting in increased interest and sales.

For example, Peregrine Adventures has 84 travellers booked for Iran itineraries in 2014 compared with 49 in 2013. This increase in popularity is despite the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) still advising against all but essential travel to the country.

“Relations between Iran and the West have softened dramatically recently, and a trickle of Western travellers has grown into a relative torrent,” says Intrepid’s Middle East destination manager Pete Miers.

In South America, Colombia is also now emerging from a decades-long civil war and travel company Intrepid is already developing three new travel itineraries in the country this year.

Again, this development is despite the existence of several FCO travel advisories against all but essential travel to a handful of rural areas and towns in the country.

Peregrine Adventures has added an itinerary through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, along with a new tour to Algeria. “Algeria has been off the map for mainstream tourists for 20 years or so, after a civil war during the 1990s,” says Miers.

“Now, the majority of the country is quite safe to return to and presents an opportunity to get back in early and see a country that has not experienced the huge tourist developments and commercialisation neighbouring countries have gone through."

“We are aiming to demystify some of the associations these countries have with being unsafe because they are immensely rewarding for travellers who want a true off-the-tourist-map experience,” he adds.

This trend is also echoed by Exodus who have included the south African country Angola among their ‘new for 2014’ destinations.

Tom Harari, product executive at Exodus, comments: “Even though the Angolan civil war ended over a decade ago and the country has been at peace and prospering since, much of its infrastructure is still in a fairly poor condition. On top of that, the red tape travellers can still encounter is not inconsiderable. But slowly the country is starting to opening up to adventurous visitors and we believe that now is a great time to explore the previously hidden beauties of this exciting African country.”