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From Dubai to Dubrovnik: what top destinations looked like before tourism took over

A journey to a peaceful past
Times Square, New York City, USA, 1903
Times Square, New York City, USA, 1936
Venice, Italy, circa 1910
Venice, Italy, 1958
Hollywood, California, USA, circa 1880
Hollywood, California, USA, circa 1924
Singapore, circa 1930
Singapore, 1962
Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 1935
Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 1935
Dubai, UAE, 1967
Dubai, UAE, 1965
Sydney, Australia, 1905
Sydney, Australia, 1965
Bangkok, Thailand, 1893
Bangkok, Thailand, 1952
Penang, Malaysia, 1903
Penang, Malaysia 1959
Tokyo, Japan, 1880
Tokyo, Japan, 1925
Dubrovnik, Croatia, 1910
Dubrovnik, Croatia, 1967
Hong Kong, 1865
Hong Kong, 1895
Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 1910
Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 1931
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 1890
Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1955
Cairo, Egypt, 1918
Cairo, Egypt, 1950
The Great Wall of China, 1911
The Great Wall of China, 1965
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Chris Ware/Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A journey to a peaceful past

Since the 1970s – following the birth of the jumbo jet – millions of people have routinely taken off to destinations all over the world. Tourism has increased year on year, and popular cities and places of interest have become more and more congested. Until the pandemic, we could hardly imagine Venice or Times Square without huge crowds of people. But back before cheap vacations, paid time-off and Airbnb, these sites were peaceful backwaters visited only by locals or the wealthy elite. We take a look back at those calmer, quieter days...

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Joanna Czechowska

15 May 2022

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