4 ms·

Completely agree. It's a Nash equilibrium. If nobody visits, the destination stays the same. If only I visit, then the destination stays the same yet I derive

Completely agree. It's a Nash equilibrium. If nobody visits, the destination stays the same. If only I visit, then the destination stays the same yet I derive immense enjoyment. If everyone visits, the place goes down the drain and everyone loses.

fapjacks 9y ago
Well, even the most overrun places have some kind of invisible system which keep the tourists confined, even if it's unintentional. Sort of like that one version of Sonic the Hedgehog which was completely on rails and the player was never allowed to leave the prescribed path. There's literally a moat around Waikiki. Most people visiting a place foreign to them are already extending themselves beyond their comfort zone and tend not to leave the prescribed path, even if they're "out exploring". Having lived in some of these popular tourist destinations for most of my adult life, I've found that there seems to be a fairly common heuristic for leaving these areas and getting out into "the real world": Find a bar away from the main lines of public transportation and spend a couple of hours there meeting and talking to locals. It's like fishing, and having the right attitude is the bait. I travel pretty frequently and this works almost everywhere you can find a bar. The places I end up are completely devoid of tourists. And those are the places most likely to lack a McDonalds or Starbucks in favor of a local cafe or street vendor. I guess it really depends on what anybody wants out of the experience.
- cafard 9y ago
  In Venice some time ago, we walked about ten minutes off one of the main streets, and largely had to ourselves Sta. Maria del Orto, which had been Tintoretto's parish church and has a number of his paintings. Meanwhile, the area around San Marco was jam-packed with tourist groups.
- kaybe 9y ago
  My city of 150,000 people is visited by millions of tourists every year. I never even see most of them since they all hang out at a very limited area and many are on guided tours just there for half a day. It's not really a problem.

fapjacks 9y ago

Well, even the most overrun places have some kind of invisible system which keep the tourists confined, even if it's unintentional. Sort of like that one version of Sonic the Hedgehog which was completely on rails and the player was never allowed to leave the prescribed path. There's literally a moat around Waikiki. Most people visiting a place foreign to them are already extending themselves beyond their comfort zone and tend not to leave the prescribed path, even if they're "out exploring". Having lived in some of these popular tourist destinations for most of my adult life, I've found that there seems to be a fairly common heuristic for leaving these areas and getting out into "the real world": Find a bar away from the main lines of public transportation and spend a couple of hours there meeting and talking to locals. It's like fishing, and having the right attitude is the bait. I travel pretty frequently and this works almost everywhere you can find a bar. The places I end up are completely devoid of tourists. And those are the places most likely to lack a McDonalds or Starbucks in favor of a local cafe or street vendor. I guess it really depends on what anybody wants out of the experience.

cafard 9y ago
In Venice some time ago, we walked about ten minutes off one of the main streets, and largely had to ourselves Sta. Maria del Orto, which had been Tintoretto's parish church and has a number of his paintings. Meanwhile, the area around San Marco was jam-packed with tourist groups.
kaybe 9y ago
My city of 150,000 people is visited by millions of tourists every year. I never even see most of them since they all hang out at a very limited area and many are on guided tours just there for half a day. It's not really a problem.