Photos show how wildly out of control tourists are this summer

Maria NoyenJul 28, 2023, 21:52 IST

A bus filled with visitors from Poland stopped at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, in Death Valley, California.Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Over the past few months, tourists appear to have become more brazen than ever before.
This summer, some travelers have defaced monuments or gotten too close to wildlife.

Summer 2023 is turning out to be one of the wildest for tourists on record.

From defacing national monuments like Italy's Colosseum in Rome to tempting fate by getting way too close to wildlife in US national parks, tourists have repeatedly found themselves in the headlines for brazen behavior over the past few months.

The recent uptick in wild tourist stories is likely connected to the sheer number of people traveling overseas this summer. Data from online travel agency Hopper has already shown the demand for international trips outpacing last year, CBS News reported on July 5.

From skirting heat-wave advisories to sticking their hands in hot springs, it's safe to say tourists are out of control this summer — and these photos serve as proof. Take a look.

In July, tourists were photographed visiting Death Valley in California amid a blistering heat wave that saw temperatures reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some tourists even went to Death Valley for the sole purpose of experiencing the potentially fatal heat themselves.

A woman stands near a digital display of an unofficial heat reading at Furnace Creek Visitor Center during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park, California, on July 16, 2023.RONDA CHURCHILL/AFP via Getty Images

Elsewhere in the US, some of the tourists flocking to national parks have gotten way too close with local wildlife, to their own peril.

A mother bison watches as her calf struggles to climb out of a small creek after falling in, in Yellowstone Park May 7, 2023.Natalie Behring for the Washington Post

Meanwhile in Italy, multiple tourists have been spotted defacing the Colosseum in Rome, an ancient monument that has stood for thousands of years.

Visitors walk past the Colosseum in Rome on June 27, 2023.AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Just like in Death Valley, tourists continued to visit the Colosseum despite widespread heat warnings issued by the Italian government.

Tourists with umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun at Colosseum during a heat wave on July 18, 2023, in Rome, Italy.Stefano Montesi - Corbis/Getty Images

Amid the heatwave in Italy, tourists were photographed snapping selfies and crowding around the Trevi fountain.

Tourists surround the Trevi fountain in Rome, Italy, on July 17.Matteo Nardone/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

In Vatican City, some tourists were snapped using maps of Rome and newspapers to shelter from the sun rays.

Tourists shelter beneath maps as they wait for the start of Pope Francis' Angelus noon prayer in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on July 9, 2023.AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Elsewhere in Italy, tourists by the thousands were photographed flocking to beaches in a bid to escape the heat.

Bathers flocked to the sea in Catania, Italy, to find refreshment amid a high temperature alert on July 16, 2023.Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images

The influx of tourists has also led to questions of how sacred buildings can accommodate hordes of visitors and worshippers at the same time.

A Muslim worshipper prays as tourists visit Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, Turkey on July 4, 2023.AP Photo/Francisco Seco

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