Overtourism has become a major talking point in recent years in the world of travel.
Many European destinations, for example, that are traditionally popular for summer holidays are getting more crowded than ever.
That's why “destination dupes” are a big trend this year. These are more affordable, less-crowded equivalents to popular holiday hot spots, places where you can avoid the unpleasant impact of overtourism while still enjoying a similar vibe.
Here are 10 destinations The National recommends jetting off to, all of which are easy to reach from the UAE.
Swap Santorini for Paros
Crystal-clear waters, stunning beaches and traditional Cycladic architecture abound in Paros, a fabulous alternative Greek island destination to the intensely popular Santorini. It has all the charm, but is also more laid back and affordable.
Spend your days trying out water activities and exploring the quaint fishing village of Naousa or the main port at Parikia, where the whitewashed buildings and narrow cobblestone streets create a picturesque setting.
During the day, discover ancient ruins including the magnificent Byzantine-era church complex Panagia Ekatontapiliani, and in the evenings indulge in local cuisine at seaside tavernas or experience Paros's vibrant nightlife.
Swap the Maldives for Palawan
Palawan is often referred to as the Last Frontier of the Philippines because of the thousands of kilometres of unexplored forests and coastlines, making it an easy rival for the Maldives's renowned beauty.
The narrow archipelago is the third largest island in the Philippines and features pristine beaches and bright blue waters, but also incredible biodiversity and marine life.
It's also home to two Unesco World Heritage Sites – the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, which includes the world's longest navigable underground river, and the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, coral-reef atolls that are uninhabited by people but that are home to more than 400 species of fish.
It is an ideal location for diving enthusiasts or anyone hoping to get a taste of authentic Filipino cuisine, but a variety of luxury hotels also means it's perfect for a more off-the-beaten-track tropical escape.
Swap London for Liverpool
The home of The Beatles has historically been overlooked as a British tourist destination, but travellers all over the world are starting to catch on to this northern English city's charm, not to mention its relatively cooler climes during the summer.
While London lures tourists with its cosmopolitan allure, Liverpool captures imaginations with its rich cultural heritage, lively music scene and friendly vibe. Music fans can explore the Fab Four's history at the famous Cavern Club, while football fanatics can head to Liverpool FC's home at Anfield.
No trip to Liverpool should go without a visit to the Royal Albert Dock, home to galleries, restaurants, bars, shops and museums, including the Merseyside Maritime Museum. The famed Tate Liverpool's Albert Dock home is temporarily closed for renovations, but you can take a detour to Mann Island, where Tate and the Royal Institute of British Architects have collaborated on a new, dynamic art-filled experience on the waterfront.
Swap Sydney for Perth
The vibrant Fremantle arts scene, lush Kings Park and scenic Swan River are only a handful of reasons to make Perth your destination of choice on your next Australian adventure. It's a charming, laid-back alternative to the country's most famous metropolis.
It's also home to stunning shorelines, including Cottesloe Beach, one of Western Australia's most famous. But Perth's biggest perk is its warm and friendly atmosphere, thanks to welcoming locals and a fine balance between city and nature in a more compact setting, which is conveniently located for exciting and adventurous day trips. These include stargazing in the desert at The Pinnacles and meeting cute quokkas at Rottnest Island, a protected nature reserve.
Swap Seoul for Taipei
International interest in South Korea has boomed over recent years, leading to crowds of tourists heading to its wonderful capital, Seoul. While it's still a must-visit in off-peak season, for another captivating Asian experience this summer head to Taipei.
The capital of Taiwan is a similarly dynamic blend between modern meets traditional, where bustling night markets, delicious street food, towering skyscrapers and historic treasures reside side by side.
Explore Bangka Lungshan Temple, a Chinese folk religious structure that dates back to 1738, or Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, an impressive monument that pays homage to the island's former leader.
For a taste of modernity, head up the observatory in Taipei 101, which until 2009 was the world's tallest building, before it was surpassed by Dubai's Burj Khalifa.
Swap Bali for Langkawi
Bali is on most people's bucket list, but rowdy tourists, big crowds and rising gentrification has had people looking elsewhere for that dreamy island paradise feel. The Malaysian archipelago of Langkawi is an excellent choice.
Want picture-perfect beaches? Check. Lush rainforests? It's got that. Wildlife? Yes. Luxury hotels? In abundance. Major tourist attractions won't have queues forming for miles just for a photo opportunity, including Langkawi Sky Bridge, a 125-metre curved pedestrian cable-stayed bridge 660 metres above sea level, and Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls, a popular swimming and hiking spot home to several natural pools.
Yet you can still also savour authentic local cuisine, bask in a spiritual experience, island hop and soak up the relaxed atmosphere – all at a much lower price point.
Swap Dubrovnik for Sibenik
Croatia has been on many people's summer travel lists for years now, so the main cities of Zagreb and Split are typically overflowing with tourists, while the southern seaside city of Dubrovnik is also extremely popular.
A great alternative is Sibenik, a lesser-known gem along the country's Adriatic coastline that offers a quieter, more authentic experience surrounded by well-preserved medieval architecture. This includes the Unesco-listed Cathedral of St James, known as a masterpiece of Renaissance and Gothic art.
Similar to Dubrovnik, the city's Old Town stands out, but the nearby beaches are also a major draw. Sibenik is also known as the gateway to the stunning Kornati Islands, which can be reached by sailboat.
Swap Amsterdam for Utrecht
The Netherlands' capital is a quintessentially popular summer spot, but why not consider Utrecht this year? The city, which is about 45km south-east of Amsterdam, has tree-lined canals, colourful houses, quirky boutiques, a thriving cafe culture and plenty of hidden gems.
Whether you're visiting the myriad museums, which cover genres from steam trains to self-playing instruments, the botanic gardens or the 14th-century landmark Dom Tower, the tallest church tower in the country, you won't be short of things to do.
Explore the Van Gogh Museum or stroll around family-friendly Giftpark and take a boat cruise along one of the many tranquil canals. It's often hailed as the “crowdless mini-Amsterdam” for a reason.
Swap Bruges for Ghent
Bruges is one of Belgium's most popular destinations, no small thanks to Colin Farrell's turn in the 2008 hit crime-thriller In Bruges. But the small medieval city, which was once an important centre for economic activity in Europe, is now overrun with tourists on those cobbled streets and canals.
Ghent, however, which is about an hour's drive away, has similarly charming medieval architecture, picturesque canals and a rich cultural heritage.
It particularly stands out as being one of the most sustainable destinations in Europe, where eco-friendly accommodation, vegetarian restaurants and electric transportation are in plentiful supply.
It's also home to a thriving student population, meaning the contemporary arts scene is blossoming, and there is a lively nightlife scene across the city's vibrant neighbourhoods.
Swap Stockholm for Gothenburg
Scandinavia is becoming an increasingly popular go-to come the summer thanks to the cooler temperatures, so avoiding bustling metropolises is ideal.
In Sweden, that could mean heading to Gothenburg, on the country's west coast, an important port known for Dutch-style canals, tree-lined boulevards and a more relaxed and yet still classic Swedish experience.
Gothenburg is filled with things to do, from art galleries and museums to historic sites and a stunning opera house.
Stroll through the picturesque Haga district, known for its cobbled streets and traditional wooden buildings that are home to candlelit cafes and courtyards, creating a bohemian vibe.
Or unwind in the tranquil, century-old, 137-hectare Slottsskogen Park and indulge in a thriving culinary scene propped up by local markets and seafood restaurants that showcase the city's diverse gastronomy.
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Baftas 2020 winners
BEST FILM
- 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
- THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae
DIRECTOR
- 1917 - Sam Mendes
- THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
- JOKER - Todd Phillips
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
- 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
- SORRY WE MISSED YOU - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
- THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
- THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
- PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
- PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur
LEADING ACTRESS
- JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
- SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
- CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
- RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy
LEADING ACTOR
- LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
- ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
- TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
- JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
- JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes
SUPPORTING ACTOR
- TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
- ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
- AL PACINO - The Irishman
- JOE PESCI - The Irishman
- BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
- SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
- FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
- MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
- JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
- JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
- LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
- THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
- KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
- MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
- PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho
DOCUMENTARY
- AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
- APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
- DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
- THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
- BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
- FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
- MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
- ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
- RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)
ANIMATED FILM
- FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
- KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
- A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
- TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen
CASTING
- JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
- MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
- THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
- THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold
EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
- AWKWAFINA
- JACK LOWDEN
- KAITLYN DEVER
- KELVIN HARRISON JR.
- MICHEAL WARD
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 1917 - Roger Deakins
- THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
- JOKER - Lawrence Sher
- LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
- THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke
EDITING
- THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
- JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
- JOKER - Jeff Groth
- LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin
COSTUME DESIGN
- THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
- JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
- JUDY - Jany Temime
- LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
- THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
- JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
- JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
- ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh
SOUND
- 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
- JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
- LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
- ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood
ORIGINAL SCORE
- 1917 - Thomas Newman
- JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
- JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
- LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
- 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
- AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
- THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
- THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
- STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy
MAKE UP & HAIR
- 1917 - Naomi Donne
- BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
- JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
- JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
- ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
BRITISH SHORT FILM
- AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
- GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
- KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
- LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
- THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
- GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
- IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
- THE MAGIC BOAT - Naaman Azh
