2 ms·

Let me tell you. I was a poor boy growing in a tourist city in a latin american country. It was a small town, a bit sophisticated, so we got the cream of the to

Let me tell you. I was a poor boy growing in a tourist city in a latin american country. It was a small town, a bit sophisticated, so we got the cream of the tourism business: Upper middle class families. Indeed, plenty of money flowed into the city. But, it was not distributed equaly. Social mobility was almost null, because tourism have lots of jobs, but most of them low skill jobs. Then, there's this permanent humiliation of feeling like a servant in your home-town, because the local upper class makes very clear to you peons, that you're less important than the tourists, and they also think this very clearly. Any business not related to tourism is basically discouraged, because it could "change the character of our lovely paradise". Basically, unless you're rich and have business in tourism, tourism is not that great. Yeah, it puts food on the table when you're poor, but so other jobs that you could have if it were not for the damned tourists that make you a second class citizen in your own place of living.

nitrogen 5y ago
Then, there's this permanent humiliation of feeling like a servant in your home-town, because the local upper class makes very clear to you peons, that you're less important than the tourists, and they also think this very clearly. We see this happen in the US, too, when a handful of billionaires buy up small town property and turn it into a resort town, driving out the locals. Some of my friends in that situation got "servant" level jobs as teenagers and really think that, somehow, serving the rich for $12/hr will lead to them becoming "one of them."
- solveit 5y ago
  Somehow I suspect you're not being very charitable towards your friends. Would they describe their own thought processes as > somehow, serving the rich for $12/hr will lead to them becoming "one of them."
  - nitrogen 5y ago
    At least one would, yeah.
- elzbardico 5y ago
  Not to mention this whole attitude from rich tourists that don’t understand how can you not be grateful for the opportunity to carry their golf bags in the sun for a pittance. No asshole, I would prefer working in the factory that couldn’t open because it would spoil the city for you assholes.
wikidani 5y ago
Entirely agreed, I also lived from tourism in a european city and it's miserable. Also, living near a tourist destination is awful just for the sheer amount of people going in and out. Massified tourism is really not that great as people make it out to be

nitrogen 5y ago

Then, there's this permanent humiliation of feeling like a servant in your home-town, because the local upper class makes very clear to you peons, that you're less important than the tourists, and they also think this very clearly. We see this happen in the US, too, when a handful of billionaires buy up small town property and turn it into a resort town, driving out the locals. Some of my friends in that situation got "servant" level jobs as teenagers and really think that, somehow, serving the rich for $12/hr will lead to them becoming "one of them."

solveit 5y ago
Somehow I suspect you're not being very charitable towards your friends. Would they describe their own thought processes as > somehow, serving the rich for $12/hr will lead to them becoming "one of them."
- nitrogen 5y ago
  At least one would, yeah.
elzbardico 5y ago
Not to mention this whole attitude from rich tourists that don’t understand how can you not be grateful for the opportunity to carry their golf bags in the sun for a pittance. No asshole, I would prefer working in the factory that couldn’t open because it would spoil the city for you assholes.

wikidani 5y ago

Entirely agreed, I also lived from tourism in a european city and it's miserable. Also, living near a tourist destination is awful just for the sheer amount of people going in and out. Massified tourism is really not that great as people make it out to be