OT: Banning the TikTok Tourism Influencers.

[XXtwindad]

Went a party last night that had quite a few cyclists and travelers in attendance. When I mentioned a possible Amalfi Coast trip, one of the guests warned against it.

“Don’t go,” he said. “The TikTokers have ruined it.” Evidently, the AC has become “infested” (his words) with social media influencers looking to snag a picture of an iconic site for their followers - and little else. Apparently, they spend very little money in the local economy and the AC is considering steps to limit activities. I have no idea what that entails.

Apparently, one town in Vermont has already taken similar steps: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...ed-influencers, something which was previously alluded to by Louis in the New England thread: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...foliage&page=3

Seems like a fantastic idea, and one that’s overdue.

[peanutgallery]

Just because you have a few bucks and an internet connection doesn't mean you can/should poke a hole in the ionsphere

What's wrong with where you live? Bay area is considered a destination

[jlwdm]

A friend just got back from Rome, Florence, Venice and some smaller Italian cities. She said there were so many tourists everywhere that it was not enjoyable. I see why Europeans are protesting the overabundance of tourists.

Jeff

[dgauthier]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

(...) Apparently, one town in Vermont has already taken similar steps: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...ed-influencers, something which was previously alluded to by Louis in the New England thread: https://forums.thepaceline.net/showt...foliage&page=3(...)

Go to places where the tourists aren't that are still great. If you want fall colours (co-loooors), the Algoma region of Ontario where I grew up is second to none:

https://www.algomacountry.com/fall-c...dle-in-algoma/
https://www.lortzphoto.com/blog/islandbound
https://northernontario.travel/algom...seat-your-bike

They won't ban you. They need all the tourists they can get.

[eddief]

I hear it's not so crowded...yet.

[fourflys]

I think the easy button is to blame the "tick-tockers", but, really, isn't it possible that there are just more people in the world now and it's a decent time to travel the last couple of years?

Tourists have always gone to iconic areas and been in the way taking pictures.. really not a new thing.. as far as spending money in the local economy, I assume they might come in for a day, eat some food, maybe buy a nicknack and move on.. is that much different than any other day tourist?

I was talking to someone in a class I was teaching the other week.. they were from Sitka, AK and were talking about how there are groups that protest the cruise ships/tourists that come into Sitka.. I've been to Sitka and, from what I can remember, tourism is one of the main economies there.. protesting kind of sounds like cutting your nose off to spite your face..

If you have an attraction in your area, there is bound to be folks coming to see it.. and I can't imagine those folks aren't a big part of your economy..

[br0qn]

i sometimes wonder if, on net, social media is a good or bad thing. i never land on good. interesting article brining to light the issue and filling it with photos that might prompt one to load the car & punch in "pomfret" on the GPS. good on them for trying to figure it out with the road closures/fines. i found out the hard way that there are roads in florence where it is a ticketable offense to drive them without having a "locals permit"

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

Apparently, they spend very little money in the local economy and the AC is considering steps to limit activities. I have no idea what that entails.

particularly true of those people stepping into port cities off of cruise boats ie venice. they're dumped en masse into town where they walk around for a handful of hours not spending any money on food or drink (the boat has free food!) and maybe buy some made in china souvenir for a few euro that damages the local economy rather than supports it.

Originally Posted by jlwdm

A friend just got back from Rome, Florence, Venice and some smaller Italian cities. She said there were so many tourists everywhere that it was not enjoyable. I see why Europeans are protesting the overabundance of tourists.

Jeff

well, those are top 5 cities in a top 5 country/destination at the height of tourism season, it's to be expected.

i lived in italy from '17-'18, and was in venice 5 days/week and can speak to the horrors of over-tourism in the city itself. it's a fkn drag. that said, if you make the slightest effort to get off of the beaten path you're rewarded immensely. i'm talking like 5 blocks in any direction beyond the path linking the most visited sites within venice. if you're just walking from rialto to st marks well, it's disney land. make an effort to get lost and walk to the furthest neighborhood from any main attraction and you'll consider yourself fortunate to experience the real venice, as much as one can today. i imagine the same is true for near any city or place that could be considered a destination.

i visited the amalfi coast ~10 years ago in the middle of summer and can say that it was crowded even then, but if you make your base in one of the smaller towns as opposed to amalfi/positano you'll avoid the worst of it. that said, italy has no shortage of incredible seaside towns and beaches. go 1 town east of "amalfi coast" and you'll probably have a better time and still have access to seeing the famed coastline and towns. if you can stomach it, rent a scooter and ride the coast.

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by jlwdm

A friend just got back from Rome, Florence, Venice and some smaller Italian cities. She said there were so many tourists everywhere that it was not enjoyable. I see why Europeans are protesting the overabundance of tourists.

Jeff

The way things are going in the EU, tourism is all they'll have to survive soon. Industrial capacity is destroyed with expensive energy prices now that Russian gas is sanctioned and the Nord Stream is down. German economy is dropping like a stone, and they were the industrial heart of the continent. They have no tech industry to speak of. They don't innovate. The labor market is clogged by various regulations. And, of course, demographics are bad because everyone is old and nobody is making babies. That costs a lot in generous social programs. Then, there's immigration. So, really, deal with the TikTok hoards.

[9tubes]

Originally Posted by br0qn

...if you make the slightest effort to get off of the beaten path you're rewarded immensely. i'm talking like 5 blocks in any direction beyond the path linking the most visited sites within venice. if you're just walking from rialto to st marks well, it's disney land. make an effort to get lost and walk to the furthest neighborhood from any main attraction and you'll consider yourself fortunate to experience the real venice, as much as one can today.

This^^ I have discovered that I don't have to go off the path very far in Italy before I see a local giving me a quizzical look of "I don't recognize you, what are you doing here?" It's not a negative look, but a mixture of pleased curiosity. That's when I know I'm in the right place. A polite "buon giorno" or "buona sera" is my only price of admission.

[9tubes]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

The way things are going in the EU, tourism is all they'll have to survive soon. Industrial capacity is destroyed with expensive energy prices now that Russian gas is sanctioned and the Nord Stream is down. German economy is dropping like a stone, and they were the industrial heart of the continent. They have no tech industry to speak of. They don't innovate. The labor market is clogged by various regulations. And, of course, demographics are bad because everyone is old and nobody is making babies. That costs a lot in generous social programs. Then, there's immigration. So, really, deal with the TikTok hoards.

It's sad. Widespread war is coming to the mideast (well, it's here) and there will be another large wave of immigration to Europe that will cause political disagreement and problems of assimilation. Might be good in the long run but the short run is not going to be fun for the EU.

[buddybikes]

Originally Posted by dgauthier

Go to places where the tourists aren't that are still great. If you want fall colours (co-loooors), the Algoma region of Ontario where I grew up is second to none:

https://www.algomacountry.com/fall-c...dle-in-algoma/
https://www.lortzphoto.com/blog/islandbound
https://northernontario.travel/algom...seat-your-bike

They won't ban you. They need all the tourists they can get.

That's unfair for VT comment, this is a tiny town, dirt road leading to farms and people CAN'T live because of leaf peepers. There are lots of just as beautiful parts of VT, out of the beaten path that perhaps could use some people dropping into their down general store.

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by buddybikes

That's unfair for VT comment, this is a tiny town, dirt road leading to farms and people CAN'T live because of leaf peepers.

Woodstock? I went through there a few years ago on my bike and it was really unfortunate how people were treating that place. Getting their cars into places they shouldnt, double parking, spending hours there with professional photographers and changing tents.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by buddybikes

That's unfair for VT comment, this is a tiny town, dirt road leading to farms and people CAN'T live because of leaf peepers. There are lots of just as beautiful parts of VT, out of the beaten path that perhaps could use some people dropping into their down general store.

They should just paint the barns/houses black.

[Mr. Pink]

Camo.

[buddybikes]

The "banned" road is in Pomfret, not Woodstock. Woodstock is a major tourist location, we wasted few days of our honeymoon there in overpriced, mediocre, over heated room long ago.