Why is "Touristy" a dirty word?
Jun 9th, 2006, 06:49 PM
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Why is "Touristy" a dirty word?
Why does guidebook after guidebook snobbily deride places/cities for being "touristy"? I like touristy! Give me touristy! There's a reason why they're touristy, guidebook writers--people l-i-k-e them...most people, probably even locals, prefer the touristy places over the "authentic" places...it's like these writers are against people having fun! My Dad returned from Orlando, complaining that it was a touristy, crappy town--boy, would I have loved to been the one vacationing in such a town! Yeesh!...
Jun 9th, 2006, 07:07 PM
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HeeHee. Touche - point well taken. However, I too am one of those people who do not like touristy areas. Also, no offense meant to people on cruises, but have you ever been on an island when the cruise ships land and thousands of people alight from the ships within a short period of time.
Jun 9th, 2006, 07:24 PM
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A touristy place has it's good points and bad points. Yes, some touristy places are tacky and cheesy. But the ironic thing is that a place will become touristy because it has something of interest to a lot of people.
Jun 9th, 2006, 07:46 PM
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In New York, most all locals avoid the touristy places like the plague so, No, we do not "prefer the touristy places over the 'authentic' places." Quite the opposite.
Touristy restaurants, for example, know they are catering to the uninformed and, often, easy-to-please. The food is mediocre at best and usually overpriced. Locals do not l-i-k-e them.
I guess in many towns, the touristy places are the "fun" places, probably the only "fun" places, but not in New York, where the touristy places are just that -- for tourists.
Touristy restaurants, for example, know they are catering to the uninformed and, often, easy-to-please. The food is mediocre at best and usually overpriced. Locals do not l-i-k-e them.
I guess in many towns, the touristy places are the "fun" places, probably the only "fun" places, but not in New York, where the touristy places are just that -- for tourists.
Jun 9th, 2006, 07:56 PM
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As I've experienced, but I live in NYC, do I did not want to speak for other places.
Speaking of guidebooks, I appreciate it when they label places as "touristy." I'm capable of deciding if I want to avoid those attractions/restaurants/shops/areas, or if I don't care.
Speaking of guidebooks, I appreciate it when they label places as "touristy." I'm capable of deciding if I want to avoid those attractions/restaurants/shops/areas, or if I don't care.
Jun 9th, 2006, 08:30 PM
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Touristy ruins the feel of the place, I feel.
Also, if a place is overrun with tourists, I sometimes get the feeling that the locals realize they need the tourism for the economy, but may dislike having to deal with the people.
I went to a very popular european destination and I loved the architecture and the art, but there were just too many tourists and too many kiosks selling touristy stuff....it just definately gave the area a different and less authentic feel.
but that is just my two cents...
Also, if a place is overrun with tourists, I sometimes get the feeling that the locals realize they need the tourism for the economy, but may dislike having to deal with the people.
I went to a very popular european destination and I loved the architecture and the art, but there were just too many tourists and too many kiosks selling touristy stuff....it just definately gave the area a different and less authentic feel.
but that is just my two cents...
Jun 9th, 2006, 08:30 PM
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I understand that, Gekko; however, I went to NYC in 2000 (obviously, I don't live there, just went to support my wife on that Regis Millionaire show), and went to the Empire State Bldg...just because it's "touristy", should I not have gone? It's the Empire St. Bldg. for cryin' out loud--Knowhutimean?...On a smaller scale, if one is visiting Seattle--should one NOT go to the Space Needle because it's "touristy"? The Needle is a seminal Seattle experience, IMO, "touristy", though it may be.
Jun 9th, 2006, 08:46 PM
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My name is Loisde.
I'm a tourist.
I can't help being a tourist.
I don't live in the places to which I travel.
I agree with you, quacker. We are lured to places and then looked upon with contempt because we are tourists.
I am proud of being a tourist. I spend lots of dollars while I am at a destination, and I try not to soil the atmosphere while there. I am not rude and I do not make unreasonable demands. I am not loud, nor do I wear clown clothes or white trainers.
I do, however, completely love to visit the places I have read about. I spent all my life dreaming about travel and now that I have the time and wherewithal, I'm going.
I'm a tourist.
I can't help being a tourist.
I don't live in the places to which I travel.
I agree with you, quacker. We are lured to places and then looked upon with contempt because we are tourists.
I am proud of being a tourist. I spend lots of dollars while I am at a destination, and I try not to soil the atmosphere while there. I am not rude and I do not make unreasonable demands. I am not loud, nor do I wear clown clothes or white trainers.
I do, however, completely love to visit the places I have read about. I spent all my life dreaming about travel and now that I have the time and wherewithal, I'm going.
Jun 10th, 2006, 03:02 AM
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How can anyone go to D.C. and not go to someplace touristy? Even the immediate suburbs are. I think people say that believing that they are somehow "superior" because they have issues if you know what I mean.
Jun 10th, 2006, 04:32 AM
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We also visit some of the "touristy" places when we travel. After all, when you research an area you are interested in the "touristy" places are usually those that come up. That said, I also listen to those that post here and say they don't like the "touristy" places and to try this or that.IMHO I feel we get the best of both worlds that way-the main tourist attractions(or at least those we're interested in) and also a feel for how the locals live 
Jun 10th, 2006, 04:41 AM
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Touristy need not be a dirty word. What would DC be without the museums and monuments. Who would care? Tampa Bay/Sarasota/Naples etc without their beaches? Savannah and Charleston without their historic districts? The residents love them as well as the tourists...in many cases that is what has drawn them to choose that spot to live.
It can go overboard though...think Gatlinburg, where IMHO, tourism destroyed a beautiful area. River St in Savannah. The Market in Chaleston...examples of too much of a good thing. The Riverwalk in San Antonio is touristy, but one of the prettiest spots in town. I still enjoy going down, if only to people watch. (Fantastic people watching). It has to be careful however...proposed plans to allow vendors selling kitsch along the river should be squashed, and quickly. I'm a very happy tourist on the Maine coast, Utah parks, but becoming less happy with Sedona...which is in danger of going off the deep end. Residents and developers really need to take pains not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg!!
It can go overboard though...think Gatlinburg, where IMHO, tourism destroyed a beautiful area. River St in Savannah. The Market in Chaleston...examples of too much of a good thing. The Riverwalk in San Antonio is touristy, but one of the prettiest spots in town. I still enjoy going down, if only to people watch. (Fantastic people watching). It has to be careful however...proposed plans to allow vendors selling kitsch along the river should be squashed, and quickly. I'm a very happy tourist on the Maine coast, Utah parks, but becoming less happy with Sedona...which is in danger of going off the deep end. Residents and developers really need to take pains not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg!!
Jun 10th, 2006, 05:42 AM
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I went to Paris and visited the Eiffel Tower. Like I said, I'm capable of evaluating whether or not I want to visit a "touristy" place in cities I don't live in.
The Empire State Building? Of course tourists should visit it, but as a local I avoid that area like death, because, well, it's horribly touristy.
Touristy restaurants/shops -- I avoid them wherever I travel because the food is generally mediocre and the prices are for suckers only. As I said, I like it when guidebooks steer me away from traps.
Seems clear enough, doesn't it?
The Empire State Building? Of course tourists should visit it, but as a local I avoid that area like death, because, well, it's horribly touristy.
Touristy restaurants/shops -- I avoid them wherever I travel because the food is generally mediocre and the prices are for suckers only. As I said, I like it when guidebooks steer me away from traps.
Seems clear enough, doesn't it?
Jun 10th, 2006, 05:59 AM
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It seems to me ones opinion of touristy depends on ones definition of touristy. Does touristy mean tacky tee shirt shops, over priced medicore restaurants, long lines, and obnoxious people? Or does it mean places where a lot of tourist go because there is something there worth seeing or doing?
Jun 10th, 2006, 06:12 AM
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I live in a town that depends on tourism. We go from 8000 people in the winter to 45,000 in the summer (don't worry, there is plenty of room!) I used to live near Quincy Market in Boston, also a tourist area, and I have owned property in Naples, FL.
Malesherebes and Sunshinesue have it right. There are plenty of places enjoyed and appreciated both by locals and tourists, and we are all tourists when we are away from home. What we all find depressing is those things built ONLY for the use of tourists, sold ONLY for the use of tourists, scheduled ONLY for the use of tourists. Tourists mean that my small town has great restaurants, 2.5 year round independent bookstores, and a host of other good stuff. But I see tourists missing the architecture, missing the history, missing the beauty, to crawl from one t-shirt shop to the other, then wonder how to fill their time until their boat returns to the mainland. Too sad!
At the same time, I read an article on tipping on this board in which one of the posters said "Why tip? You'll never see any of those people again." Well, I think I would take positive pleasure exploiting him with high prices, laughing at his clothes, and spitting in his soup before I brought it to the table!
Malesherebes and Sunshinesue have it right. There are plenty of places enjoyed and appreciated both by locals and tourists, and we are all tourists when we are away from home. What we all find depressing is those things built ONLY for the use of tourists, sold ONLY for the use of tourists, scheduled ONLY for the use of tourists. Tourists mean that my small town has great restaurants, 2.5 year round independent bookstores, and a host of other good stuff. But I see tourists missing the architecture, missing the history, missing the beauty, to crawl from one t-shirt shop to the other, then wonder how to fill their time until their boat returns to the mainland. Too sad!
At the same time, I read an article on tipping on this board in which one of the posters said "Why tip? You'll never see any of those people again." Well, I think I would take positive pleasure exploiting him with high prices, laughing at his clothes, and spitting in his soup before I brought it to the table!
Jun 10th, 2006, 06:28 AM
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I agree with Ack on this. I live in DC, which is tourism central. OTOH, it is a different kind of tourist town since many of our "touristy" sites are National Monuments, Government buildings, and significant museums. Still, there are plenty of "touristy" places I avoid: Parts of Georgetown, the Old Post Office near the Mall, Union Station except to catch a train, the Air & Space Museum.
In reading Fodors, I thinik that what I find more than "touristy," it seem people choose lots of tourist "cliches." I see these itineraries full of "must dos" that are one cliche after another. Read the posts about Hawaii, for instance.
I've been to NYC probably 20 times and never been to the Empire State Building. You can see it from all over town, I don't need to touch it. Same goes for the Space Needle in Seattle or CN Tower in Toronto.
In reading Fodors, I thinik that what I find more than "touristy," it seem people choose lots of tourist "cliches." I see these itineraries full of "must dos" that are one cliche after another. Read the posts about Hawaii, for instance.
I've been to NYC probably 20 times and never been to the Empire State Building. You can see it from all over town, I don't need to touch it. Same goes for the Space Needle in Seattle or CN Tower in Toronto.
