Known as the Azure Window, this limestone arch was Malta's top tourist spot for a long time. Located near Dwejra Bay on the gorgeous island of Gozo, the arch was shaped by centuries of natural coastal erosion. Thanks to its unique appearance it was featured in numerous films and TV shows, including Game of Thrones, where it was the location of the Dothraki wedding.

In March 2017, when heavy storms hit the Maltese archipelago, the striking rock formation collapsed into the rough seas. Also known as Tieqa tad-Dwejra, it continues to draw tourists but for a different reason. Even though the stunning arch doesn't exist anymore, the rock still attracts scuba divers who come to see its submerged boulders beneath the waves.

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Of the several trees that were carved to have drive- and walk-through tunnels to attract tourists to California's national parks, only two walk-through giant sequoia tunnel trees remain. Both found in Yosemite National Park, one is a dead tunnel tree in Tuolumne Grove while the other, known simply as the California Tunnel Tree, is part of the famous Mariposa Grove. The loss of the Pioneer Cabin Tree has restarted the conversation on how California's tunnel trees should be preserved.

A beloved attraction, the Duckbill Rock Formation in Oregon's Cape Kiwanda was a seven-foot-tall (2.1m) sandstone formation that got its name from its resemblance to a duckbill. Then, in 2016, it was discovered toppled over and smashed into boulders without explanation. Thanks to a drone operator who contacted the authorities, it turned out that a group of people had intentionally knocked the formation down because their friend had broken their leg on it. The group thought they were doing the public a service by removing a safety hazard.

Located in New South Wales' Royal National Park, this dramatic cliffside attraction is named Wedding Cake Rock thanks to its unique white colour and smooth appearance, which make it look just like a slab of iced wedding cake. Until fairly recently, the unusual formation was a popular attraction, located along the challenging Coast track in Sydney's Royal National Park. 

But if you visit the rock today, you'll be met with a fence and warning signs all around the unique attraction. In 2015 the sandstone ledge was deemed very fragile and a geotechnical survey found that it could collapse at any time, meaning it can now only be viewed from afar.

When the ban to climb Uluru, a sandstone monolith in Australia's Northern Territory, was announced in 2017, thousands of people rushed to climb the famous landmark before the ban came into effect in October 2019. Visited by some 250,000 people every year, numerous tourists who have attempted the climb have been injured and 37 people have died.

Now Uluru can only be viewed from afar, and rightly so. Not only has its delicate surface suffered horribly, it's also a sacred formation, revered by the indigenous Anangu people. They have long campaigned against people climbing the rock as it causes the local community anger and upset. 

Unfortunately, the unforgiving Camp Fire in November 2018 destroyed the bridge completely. The deadliest and most destructive wildfire in Californian history, Camp Fire took 17 days to contain and it was deemed the most expensive natural disaster in the world in 2018, with the damaged estimated at £12.8 billion ($16.5 billion). Volunteers are currently campaigning to raise funding to rebuild the bridge.

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Between 2015 and 2017 the city was badly rampaged and parts of it blown up by ISIS, who captured the site and partially destroyed it. Significant parts of both the Roman Theatre and the city itself were badly damaged while others like the Temple of Bel and the Arch of Victory were completely destroyed.

For years, attaching an engraved lock on the iconic Pont des Arts bridge in Paris was a must-do for loved-up couples. Around 700,000 locks were placed on the bridge until engineers deemed it to be too heavy to be able to hold its own weight for much longer, weighing an estimated 93 metric tonnes – equal to around 20 elephants. It was feared it would simply collapse under the weight so the city was forced to take drastic action.

The grilles on the famous bridge were replaced in 2015 and further love-lock proof design elements, including glass panels, were put up to prevent people from attaching the locks to the bridge. It is now apparently illegal for romantics to even attempt it. 

A devastating fire in 2018 destroyed more than half of the collection, including entire expositions on entomology and Brazil's indigenous people. Thankfully crews were able to save some of the most significant items, including the 11,500-year-old skull of the oldest-ever human remains found in the Americas. Work to rebuild the palace is ongoing although it's expected to reopen in 2027. 

Towering 380 feet (116m) high (that's taller than the Statue of Liberty), this coastal redwood named Hyperion was certified the world's tallest tree by the Guinness World Records when it was last measured in 2019. Only discovered in 2006 and hidden within a densely-forested section of California's Redwood National Park, visiting the tree has always been a questionable undertaking, with no nearby trails and patchy GPS signal.

Nevertheless, a steady stream of bloggers and thrill-seekers have made the hazardous trek to the tree's location, causing severe erosion to its base and leaving a trail of litter and human waste. In July 2022, the National Parks Service announced that anyone found in the tree's vicinity could face a $5,000 fine and up to six months in jail, and pleaded with visitors to instead head for the Park's 200-odd miles of approved trails.

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Vietnam's capital has long attracted tourists, and while some use it as a gateway to discover the rest of northern Vietnam, others come for the frenetic city life. One of the most popular attractions, Hanoi's Train Street, had cafés and shops spilling out onto a railway line for a long time. With some buildings only five feet (1.5m) from the tracks, tourists came to snap a photo or take a video of the trains rushing through the street. 

Due to overcrowding and safety concerns, authorities have now closed the street twice. In October 2019 all the street's cafés were ordered to shut up shop and pack away their chairs and tables. The street was allowed to reopen when tourism returned after COVID-19, but in September 2022 all businesses on the street were again ordered to close, and barricades were put in place to stop tourists from accessing it.

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However, there's good news for wildlife fans. While Jurong may be no more, a new ecotourism hub is set to open in 2023 in northern Singapore, bringing together an array of birdlife and other animals (as well as a luxurious Banyan Tree resort). The Mandai eco hub also has impressive plans to be carbon neutral by 2024 and to produce all of its energy from renewables by 2030. In the meantime, an exhibit has been put in place at Jurong Bird Park commemorating its five decades of conservation work.

Dublin has a long history as a literary city, with four Nobel prize winners (William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, George Bernard Shaw and Seamus Heaney) hailing from here. The Irish capital has a whole host of haunts for book lovers, including the beautiful Trinity College Library and half a dozen book festivals held here throughout the year. Sadly, it lost one of its shining attractions in March 2020, when the Dublin Writers Museum closed its doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although its closure had initially been temporary, it never opened its doors again. In August 2022, when the museum's permanent closure was announced, a spokesperson from the Irish tourism board said that it "no longer meets the expectation of the contemporary museum visitor in terms of accessibility, presentation and interpretation." Fortunately, a new attraction has filled the gap: the Museum of Literature Ireland, which opened in 2019, pays tribute to important Irish writers and holds a number of fascinating artefacts, including the first copy of James Joyce's Ulysses. 

Now discover the historic tourist attractions we've lost forever