The startling spirit of Malacca, Malaysia

What traveler hasn't landed in a dreamed-of destination and found it crawling with tourists, fast-food franchises, name-brand stores and dollar-a-beer bars? The good bones of Charleston, S.C., which made the World Monuments Fund's list of imperiled cultural sites this year because of cruise ship congestion, may be intact, but when commercial tourism runs amok you've got yourself a tourist trap.

Susan Spano, Special to the Los Angeles Times

November 27, 2011