Have you ever heard of Tuvalu?
If not, then you are probably not alone.
The island state only counts 3,600 tourists a year - and it is fantastically beautiful.
In the middle of the South Seas, about halfway between Australia and Hawaii, there is a small paradise: the island state of Tuvalu with its nine coral atolls.
Long, white sandy beaches, huge palm trees and turquoise water abound here - only tourists are almost completely missing.
As a report by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) shows, only 3,600 visitors came to Tuvalu in 2019 – the year before the corona pandemic.
This makes the island state the country with the fewest visitors in the world.
Tuvalu is unknown to many - despite its dreamlike and exotic nature
Data is missing for some countries in the UNWTO report because of political or social circumstances that make tourism impossible or hardly possible.
However, Tuvalu is a country that is safe and politically stable.
So why are almost no visitors traveling to the South Seas paradise?
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Turquoise sea - it is so beautiful on the atolls of Tuvalu.
© Michael Runkel/Imago
An important reason for this might be that Tuvalu is very remote.
According to the online portal Travelbook
, to get there, travelers
first have to go to the Fiji Islands – which is at least a day's flight from Germany by plane.
From there it goes to Tuvalu: A plane only goes once a week.
In addition, there is hardly any infrastructure for tourists on the atolls.
Tripvadvisor only
counts a total of 13 hotels, hostels and lodges
on the country, which is just 26 square kilometers in size.
It is the fourth smallest country in the world after Vatican City, Monaco and Nauru.
According to
Holidaycheck , travelers also need action and adventure
give up on the islands.
After all, you can snorkel in a large lagoon near the capital Funafuti, as they say.
Otherwise, relaxation and switching off on the beach is the order of the day in Tuvalu.
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The island state of Tuvalu is only around 26 square kilometers.
© Kyodo News/Imago
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And another shortcoming awaits holidaymakers: according to the Federal Foreign Office, there is no way to withdraw money from an ATM in Tuvalu.
Credit card payments are also not possible anywhere.
Therefore, visitors must already have enough cash for the entire stay upon arrival.
Australian Dollars or Tuvaluan Dollars are accepted as currency.
Let yourself be carried away: ten beaches that are among the most beautiful in the world
Let yourself be carried away: ten beaches that are among the most beautiful in the world
Climate change is having a big impact on Tuvalu
As a country that rises just five meters above the water at its highest point, residents can experience the effects of climate change almost live.
According to the dpa news agency, the island state could be under water for the most part in the next few decades - and extreme weather events such as hurricanes and floods are already occurring more frequently and more violently.
This means that sooner or later the approximately 12,000 inhabitants will have to leave their homeland.
List of rubrics: © Michael Runkel/Imago
