THE TOP LEAST VISITED ISLAND COUNTRIES
Added on: 16th Jun 2016
COMOROS
Drawing in only 15,000 tourists in 2010, Located between
Madagascar and Mozambique, less than 2% of its total
population came to the country as foreign visitors.
A highly volatile country, Comoros has experienced
multiple coup d’états since its 1975 independence
which keeps tourists at bay. Leisure tourism isn’t really
a considerable factor for the country, one of the
poorest in the world.
MONTSERRAT
A British territory, Montserrat is often referred to as the
“Emerald Island of the Caribbean” due to its geographical
resemblance to Ireland. The active volcano of Soufrière Hills
erupted in 1995 and multiple times since, destroying its
Georgian-era capital. Most residents fled the country and
have never fully returned. With most of the southern half
of the island destroyed and the continued threat of volcanic
eruption, Montserrat will likely stay one of the least
touristic islands on Earth.
DOMINICA
Formerly known as Dominique, Dominica is the youngest
island in the Lesser Antilles, still being built by minor
geothermal volcanic activity. Referred to as the
“Nature Isle of the Caribbean” due to its extensive
natural beauty and rare plant, animal, and bird species,
Dominica has the world’s second largest hot spring:
Boiling Lake. Visitors are taken aback by the lush beach
vegetation and inland rainforests. Dominica doesn’t bring in
a lot of tourists – but it wants to stay that way. After
seeing the natural destruction caused to other islands
which have pushed tourism, Dominica is focusing on
preserving its natural beauty and only scaling up
tourism slowly.
SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE
The least visited African island nation, São Tomé and Príncipe
(the two primary islands of the country) were uninhabited
until the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century. (They
later became important trade centres on the Atlantic slave
trade.) A slave-dependent plantation economy soon
developed around sugar, coffee, and cocoa. One of
Africa’s most democratic countries, São Tomé and
Príncipe does not have a developed tourism industry
(only 8,000 visitors in 2010) due to lack of tourism
infrastructure but it is working to diversify its economy
and draw more foreigners to the small nation.
NIUE
The fourth least visited island country, Niue could be a good
option for freelancers – since 2003, Niue has provided free
wireless internet throughout the country. (The drawback is
its relative isolation.) Bringing in only 7,000 tourists in 2014,
Niue has made tourism one of three economic sectors to
develop, even offering major tax concessions to foreign
investors looking to sustainably build up the tourism
industry. Most tourists would be expected to visit Niue’s
steep limestone cliffs and coral reefs which
surround over 90% of the island.
KIRIBATI
Thirty-four islands spread out over 1.35 million square miles
(3.5m sq. km), Kiribati is the third least visited island
country in the world. The remote Pacific islands gained
independence from the U.K. in 1979, but their fate has
been nearly sealed by climate change. It’s believed
Kiribati will be the first country to be completely underwater
due to rising sea levels. Thus, since the beginning of
the 21st century, Kiribati’s political leadership has
been encouraging locals to migrate to other countries.
MARSHALL ISLANDS
In free association with the United States, the Marshall Islands
comprises 29 coral atolls with 1,156 islands and islets.
The country’s few natural resources make having a
diverse economy difficult. Tourism likely won’t become a
major revenue source as, just like Kiribati, the islands are
dangerously threatened by rising sea levels. The
Marshall Islands are thus the second least visited island
country in the world after…
TUVALU
Tuvalu: the least visited island country in the world. Welcoming
only 1,000 tourists in 2014, Tuvalu used to be part of one
British colony with Kiribati – together known then as the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands – until independence in 1978.
With just over 150 flights into the country each year
(with 68-seats per flight) and minimal accommodation,
Tuvalu has essentially a non-existent tourism industry
with most visitors arriving for business-related trips.
If you’re keen on visiting, catch one of the two passenger
cargo ships – the Nivaga II or Manú Folau – to get from the
main island to the outer atolls once every three to four weeks.
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