The Most Overused Phrase Of The Year Award goes to ‘hidden gem’

SINGAPORE – In recognition of a phrase that has managed to appear everywhere – in stories, social media posts, travel pitches and beyond – the title of Overused Phrase of the Year (Travel) goes to the indefatigable, ever-elastic and eternally circulating expression: hidden gem.

Few terms have travelled as widely or persistently. Once, perhaps, it meant a quiet cove known only to locals or a small restaurant without a signboard.

But the phrase has become a paradox of sorts. A newly discovered place that has been labelled as one is, more often than not, meant for broadcast, quickly turning a secret into universal knowledge.

Take Bali, for instance. It was a hidden gem in the early 1960s, when it was still a surf haven with modest infrastructure, long before beach clubs and brunch cafes opened en masse.

The island, which now has a population of around 4.2 million, gets more than 60,000 visitors arrive each day. While tourism has contributed to the growth of its local economy, overtourism has caused a slew of problems, such as environmental damage and severe traffic congestion. 

Yet, the term has clung to Bali long past its era of obscurity. Even now, despite millions of annual visitors, it continues to be billed in stray corners of the internet as a “secret paradise”.

Experts warn that

Labuan Bajo in Indonesia may suffer a similar fate

. The seaside town is the gateway to Komodo Island – a land of rugged cliffs and prehistoric lizards, once visited mainly by divers and naturalists. 

Tourism has been picking up steadily over the last decade. The island’s main attraction Komodo National Park welcomed around 100,000 visitors in 2016. In 2024, it received 334,206 visitors, of which two-thirds were foreign tourists. 

As tours multiply, the island has found itself repeatedly tagged as a hidden gem in articles, blogs and guidebooks.

Indonesia is not alone. Around the world, hidden gems have buckled under the weight of their virality – Santorini in Greece, Barcelona in Spain and Maya Bay in Thailand, for example.

The phrase knows no borders. Hidden gems exist wherever travellers may go – from the more exotic corners of the world such as Nepal and Bhutan to crowded cities like Tokyo and Bangkok. 

And so today, the phrase is saluted not only for its ubiquity but also its extraordinary resilience. It has weathered repetition, overuse and misuse, yet persists – clinging to places that are no longer, by any stretch of the imagination, hidden.

As Ms Gwen Ho, team lead and Africa specialist at travel operator Scott Dunn, says: “A hidden gem today is not necessarily a place that no one has heard of. It can be a destination, but it can also be an experience – one that offers a sense of exclusivity, space, privacy and authenticity.”

Trends, however, are shifting. Ms Ho finds that Singapore travellers are becoming more intentional about seeking lesser-known locales. “Ultimately, travellers enjoy the thrill of discovering, and later sharing, hidden gems because they want to feel connected to others,” she says.

“In recent years, we’ve definitely observed a greater awareness among our guests when it comes to topics such as social consciousness, overtourism and ethical wildlife encounters. They increasingly value space, privacy and provenance more than prestige-driven checklists.”

With travellers looking beyond the familiar more and more, the once-magical phrase might just be beginning to lose its power. Still, in the spirit of celebration, here is one final round of applause.