They were once popular tourist destinations - but they've been overshadowed by other hotspots across the globe in recent years.

In search for somewhere to go on holiday, people have taken to social media to share "largely forgotten or abandoned" destinations so they can enjoy some time away from the crowds.

On Reddit, one user asked: "I'm curious about places that were major tourism hotspots in the past but have since fallen into obscurity or been largely abandoned.

"What other places have you encountered that were once overrun with tourists but are now largely forgotten? What caused their decline - geopolitical changes, economic shifts, environmental disasters, changing travel preferences?

Also curious if you think any of today's over-tourist destinations might experience a similar fate in the future! Maybe Lisbon or Barcelona?"

Listing their favourites, the traveller named Bodie in California, Varosha in Cyprus, Belle Isle Amusement Park in Detroit, Hashima Island (Gunkanjima) in Japan, and Spreepark in Berlin.

In response, one user suggested Acapulco, in Mexico, saying: "Back in the day it was popular with Hollywood celebs who owned houses on the cliffs. These days it’s definitely a shadow of its former self, tourism driven out by the threat of cartel violence. I think it was having an increase in tourism again recently but was then decimated by a hurricane two years ago."

In agreement, another user said: "Acapulco is indeed a shadow of its former self but it is not necessarily abandoned. While the city centre has been ravaged by cartel violence, the outskirts (see Acapulco Diamante) are still a very popular tourist destination almost exclusively catering to national tourists, specifically Meixco City residents. It is however very far removed from its glamorous jet setter past."

A third user added: "That’s such a shame. We (three girls mid 20s) were there in 1983 and I don’t remember feeling unsafe. It was such a beautiful area and everyone we met was welcoming to American tourists."

Sharing another location, a user said: "The Catskill mountains in upstate New York! Formerly a huge tourist destination for mainly Jewish residents of NYC, nowadays, it’s littered with defunct resorts and abandoned buildings. It’s quite economically depressed nowadays.

"The movie Dirty Dancing takes place there in the 1960s (when the area started declining) and at the very end of the movie, the resort owner makes a comment that more widespread travel - such as trips to Europe - is causing the decline.

"Honestly it can be a pretty nice place to visit, I used to go there for a festival every year. They are trying to revitalize it a bit. Some parts just have kind of an eerie vibe."

Adding to this, a final user said: "Personally I feel, Catskill Mountains have made a bit of a comeback post worth from home. The pace of the comeback is decelerating as people are moving back to the city for work, but overall trend is definitely upward."