Shimmering deserts, cliffside hikes and volcanic landscapes — all captivating attractions that draw tourists in their droves. But they can be deadly. Extreme tourism, where travellers engage in high-risk activities in dangerous and remote locations, is booming. The industry is projected to reach a value of $91 billion by 2030, up from $24.2 billion in 2022, according to Allied Market Research.
Image Credit: Metro [This photograph taken on May 8, 2021 shows mountaineer's tents at Camp 2 of Mount Everest (8,848.86-metre), in Nepal. (Photo by Pemba Dorje SHERPA / AFP) (Photo by PEMBA DORJE SHERPA/AFP via Getty Images)]
These experiences are something that baby boomers (the generation born between 1946 and 1964) in particular are looking for, according to a recent Booking.com report. In fact, 23% of those surveyed expressed an interest in high-octane adventures such as skydiving — up from just 10% in 2024.
Image Credit: Metro [DESERT DE DANAKIL, ETHIOPIE - NOVEMBRE 27: Lacs verts et d??p??ts de sel (champs hydrothermaux) ?? Dallol dans le d??sert de Danakil en ??thiopie le 27 novembre 2003.]
But while the world’s most dangerous countries are clearly laid out in the Foreign Office do not travel list, some of the most dangerous tourist attractions are less obviously risky. Lots are easily accessed on excursions, and some unfortunate explorers have paid with their lives.
Image Credit: Metro [DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - JULY 09: A vehicle drives as heat waves shimmer, causing visual distortion, during a long-duration heat wave which is impacting much of California, on July 9, 2024 in Death Valley National Park, California. Park visitors have been warned, ???Travel prepared to survive??? as temperatures are predicted to reach close to record highs this week. Death Valley is the hottest and driest place in the United States. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)]
We aren’t saying you shouldn’t visit these breathtaking corners of the globe, but they certainly don’t make for the safest trips — and should only be visited by the most intrepid of travellers. Ok this one’s obvious: towering at 8,849 metres, Mount Everest, in Nepal, is the world’s highest peak. The mountain range is infamous for its perilous paths and desolate slopes that have claimed the lives of hundreds of climbers.
Image Credit: Metro [CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE - MARCH 17: A view from Chernobyl as Ukrainian soldiers visit the 30-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the town of Pripyat where thousands of people who once worked at the nuclear power plant live, in Chernobyl, Ukraine on March 17, 2024. The traces of the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the scene of the world's biggest nuclear disaster, still bear the traces of the explosion 38 years later. Pripyat, which was established in 1970 for Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers and abandoned after the disaster, resembles a ghost town. While the accident that took place on April 26, 1986 at the plant 110 kilometers away from Kyiv, remains in the memories, the consequences of the accident are still being discussed on the international agenda. (Photo by Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu via Getty Images)]
![[This photograph taken on May 8, 2021 shows mountaineer's tents at Camp 2 of Mount Everest (8,848.86-metre), in Nepal. (Photo by Pemba Dorje SHERPA / AFP) (Photo by PEMBA DORJE SHERPA/AFP via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_81812353-2859.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
![[DESERT DE DANAKIL, ETHIOPIE - NOVEMBRE 27: Lacs verts et d??p??ts de sel (champs hydrothermaux) ?? Dallol dans le d??sert de Danakil en ??thiopie le 27 novembre 2003.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_236915035-11eb.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
![[DEATH VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - JULY 09: A vehicle drives as heat waves shimmer, causing visual distortion, during a long-duration heat wave which is impacting much of California, on July 9, 2024 in Death Valley National Park, California. Park visitors have been warned, ???Travel prepared to survive??? as temperatures are predicted to reach close to record highs this week. Death Valley is the hottest and driest place in the United States. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_212196012-9f32.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
![[CHERNOBYL, UKRAINE - MARCH 17: A view from Chernobyl as Ukrainian soldiers visit the 30-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the town of Pripyat where thousands of people who once worked at the nuclear power plant live, in Chernobyl, Ukraine on March 17, 2024. The traces of the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the scene of the world's biggest nuclear disaster, still bear the traces of the explosion 38 years later. Pripyat, which was established in 1970 for Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers and abandoned after the disaster, resembles a ghost town. While the accident that took place on April 26, 1986 at the plant 110 kilometers away from Kyiv, remains in the memories, the consequences of the accident are still being discussed on the international agenda. (Photo by Gian Marco Benedetto/Anadolu via Getty Images)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_197707616-1cdf.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
