Introduction:
When we think about the internet, we usually picture it as this one giant, connected space where everyone sees basically the same design. But the more time I spend actually looking at websites from different countries, the more I realize that’s not true at all. I started wondering: if tourism sites vary by country, does the rest of the web vary too? So I decided to actually look, and what I found was way more interesting than I expected. In this post, I’m comparing six websites from around the world to see how region actually shapes the way the internet looks and feels. To keep things comparable, I will provide websites built for tourism knowledge.
More Than Just Translation: Why Websites Look Different Around the World
Here’s the thing people don’t always realize: website design isn’t universal. It’s not like there’s one “correct” way to build a site and everyone else is just doing it wrong or weird.
Design is cultural. It’s shaped by…
-Where you live-
-How you read-
-What colors mean in your country-
-What technology you actually have access to-
-How fast your typical internet connection is-
In some countries, people read right-to-left instead of left-to-right, so layouts get flipped. In others, bright red means danger, but somewhere else it means good luck or celebration. Some countries jumped straight to mobile internet without ever having great desktop infrastructure, so their websites are built mobile-first in ways that Western designers are only now catching up on. The point is, when you look at a website from another country, and it feels “different,” that difference usually isn’t random. It’s intentional. It was built that way for real people with real habits and real needs. Understanding that doesn’t just make us better designers – it makes us more thoughtful humans living in an actually diverse world.
A Closer Look: Comparing Websites Across Six Countries
To really see these differences in action, I picked six websites to compare. I focused on websites built for tourism knowledge. I tried to pick countries from different regions so the contrast would be clear. Here’s what I found!
Country 1: Japan
Link: https://www.japan.travel/en/us/
Right away, the first thing I noticed was how much was happening on the screen. Compared to typical American websites that leave a lot of empty space and try to guide your eye to one thing, this site was packed with information. Lots of small images, multiple columns, bright colors, and text everywhere. At first, it felt a little overwhelming, but then I realized – that’s the point. In this country, users apparently prefer having everything visible at once so they can choose what matters to them, rather than being led through a curated path. Also, the biggest design difference Ui noticed was that they had their socials at the very top of their website. I have almost never seen that on past websites from the USA.
Country 2: Switzerland
Link: https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/
This one felt more familiar at first glance, but the differences were in the details. The fonts were straightforward, nothing fancy or decorative. And there was not much text. It was a very modern design. Lots of spacing and amazing visuals. A good, clean nav and representation with the flag of Switzerland was at the top. It had a very cool effect with motion videos that moved, showing Switzerland year-round.
Country 3: Brazil (Brasil)
Link: https://visitbrasil.com/en/
Right from the start, this site hits you with energy. A massive auto-playing video background shows vibrant scenes of Carnival, jungles, and dancing—it feels more like a movie trailer than a tourism site. The warm green, yellow, and blue palette mirrors the Brazilian flag naturally, and the layout is heavily visual with big rounded buttons for categories like “Sun & Beach” and “Culture.” There’s minimal text; instead, punchy phrases like “Celebrate life like Brazilians” sell an emotion rather than facts. The nav is spaced from the top center with a margin, offering a different look and feel than most other sites.
Country 4: India
Link: https://www.incredibleindia.gov.in/en
The Incredible India portal, once fully developed, will serve as a digital gateway to the nation’s profound cultural diversity, offering multilingual access that reflects India’s linguistic richness and its global tourism appeal. A data science approach to this platform could analyze user engagement patterns to personalize recommendations for spiritual circuits, heritage trails, or regional festivals based on a visitor’s interests and origin. By tracking which states, cuisines, or art forms attract the most attention, the government could optimize marketing campaigns and infrastructure development to support both popular destinations and hidden gems. Ultimately, the site aims to transform cultural exploration into a data-informed journey, connecting the world to India’s layered identity through intelligent digital experiences.
Country 5: Denmark
Link: https://www.visitdenmark.com/
This site is calming rather than flashy. The clean white background with muted blues and warm sand tones echoes Denmark’s design philosophy of simple elegance, while rounded content cards neatly organize articles about Viking ships, pastries, and city guides. Rather than shouting “visit us,” the site whispers invitations like “Get ready for simple pleasures” and “Hygge season is here,” making you feel the culture before you even book a trip. But underneath this serene surface runs a powerful data engine—tracking your interests through cookies to serve personalized content, proving that even the calmest interfaces can be backed by serious tech.
Country 6: Kenya
Link: https://magicalkenya.com/
This site was incredibly in motion. They had amazing animations for arrows and buttons. They also incorporate the patterns very well. It is super bright and has rounded borders on elements. The font is playful yet elegant and readable. It utilizes the vast wildlife and rich landscapes into their website, wonderfully showing off its country.
What We Can Learn From Each Other
Looking at all six of these side by side, a few things became clear. First, there’s no single “right” way to design a website. The site that works in Tokyo would probably feel chaotic in Copenhagen. The site that works in Berlin might feel cold and unfriendly in Rio de Janeiro. And that’s okay. Actually, that’s great. It means the web is genuinely diverse, not just in content but in form.
The second thing I realized is that we can all learn from each other. Western designers like me, who grew up on minimalist templates and “clean” design, could learn a lot from countries that aren’t afraid of density and color and information. There’s something honest about a site that trusts users to handle a lot of options. Meanwhile, countries that are just now building out their web infrastructure have figured out lightweight, mobile-friendly design in ways that the US and Europe are still struggling with. And the community-first approach I saw in that last site? We could use more of that everywhere.
The web is better because it’s diverse. It’s more interesting, more useful, more reflective of actual human beings. The worst thing we could do is try to make everything look the same.
Next time you land on a website from another country, don’t click away because it looks different. Look closer. Ask why. You might learn something.
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