Tourists 24/7 365 days a year..

It must be everywhere then. We are near to a beach town and we used to get a reprieve from about October until Easter, we could actually park in town and go shopping in what shops are left on the hughstreet. But now it's a fight for a spot year round. God knows why, the weather is bloody freezing in winter.

It doesn’t really work like that.

Its a bit like car drivers complsining about traffic jams. You are part of the traffic jam

Don't move to a university city. We are heaving with students most of the year and the noise and other unpleasantness that brings.

Be careful about major sporting venues too.

There are no ‘quiet’ towns or cities. We are over populated, which means people will just spill out into other places. Obviously people like to visit nice places, so you can’t really complain. No-one owns a town/village/city. Living there doesn’t mean ownership.

TBH I like the tourists coming in. I've lived in Marylebone before and now in Richmond. Plenty of tourists coming in and always busy. I'm used it now. My hometown in the NW of England is no different.

In fact, tourism helps keep local shops open because of the extra footfall/custom generated. There are lots of "quaint" little towns/villages that are still vibrant because of the tourism, where there are plenty of shops, yes, a lot of the shops are gift shops, sandwich shops, cafes, etc to cater mostly for the tourists, but such towns/villages would be ghost towns and have barely any shops otherwise, and because there are "some" shops it helps support the non-tourist shops too as it maintains their "high streets" as somewhere for locals to shop too, where, say, the post office/newsagents doubles up as a souvenir shop, or where the sandwich shop also sells stuff like bread, cakes, etc that locals would also want.

I know of several places that don't have tourism, that are basically ghost towns with hollowed out town centres full of empty shops and money laundering shops, even though they're similar in lots of ways to town with tourism in terms of population, etc. Trouble is that the people living in tourist towns don't appreciate what their town would look like without it. Ditto university towns, etc.

Do you holiday anywhere?

It’s wrong to blame loss of local shops solely because of tourism though.

There is also a significant change in shopping habits of the local population in many places. People are shopping on line as opposed to visiting high street shops. And those who do use actual shops are opting for out of town shopping centres with parking rather than using their own local town centres.

I"m sure if you search for country of origin of the many different people you see on the street capturing "experiences" on their phone there will be similar stories, it is a global disease, the debt thing and the performative me me me thing, the bankers love it, where they live the tourists don"t get onto the private beach or into the private club.

https://stanfordeconreview.com/2025/06/13/commentary-indias-growing-debt-trap-how-rising-credit-card-defaults-reflect-a-deeper-crisis/

I’m not sure about the debt part. It’s definitely a thing in the West, but I don’t know enough about personal finance in other parts of the world to comment on that.

Ok, fair points, also to do with rising incomes and access to debt though?

Agreed, tourists can be annoying anywhere. Anyone who has navigated the tube in London with tourists propping their suitcases against seats which prevent others from sitting will tell you that.

Most people just roll with it, it’s inevitable.

I agree. I grew up in Canterbury, then lived in London, then Edinburgh.
Air BnBs price out locals. Tourism is irritating. BUT it's an economic lifeline.

I remember when there were posts about people accessing the countryside near my house from areas round about and I say the same with respect although you live there it doesn't make it yours. People who aren't as fortunate to live in such a place have as much rights to be there as you do.

The cheap flights started in Europe 30 years ago, but now they are going to more and more places. People in countries with huge populations like China and India have increasing numbers of people who can now afford to travel internationally.

I agree about the performative aspect of it for photos and socials. It seems like box-ticking tourism. It’s very annoying when you’re just trying to enjoy something or see a place and not create content.

I live in Edinburgh and love it. I moved away for work but moved back. Most locals I know go to a few shows each year. World class performances of all genres on our doorstep! It's easy to find quieter parts of town.

Surprised no one has mentioned the council's crack down on Airbnbs.

Why not do what the Spanish do and squirt the tourists with water pistols whenever you see them?

I live in London.
I love the visitors, it is our capital city and it belongs to everyone in the UK.
I love the international visitors, seeing their enjoyment, always happy to help them if they are confused on the tube etc.
And appreciate their income - they fill our theatres - 'culture is to London what sun is to Spain' in terms of attracting visitors.

The foreign property investors who buy huge numbers of flats off plan and leave them empty - I don't love them.

Aw, lovely Wells.

But the dust when they were loading fertiliser and grain onto boats from the granary building when it was still a working port for such things was horrible. (I worked at the Maltings for a while in the v early 80s , when it first became an arts centre)

The main shops in Edinburgh are in St James Quarter or George Street. The Royal Mile is just museums, tartan and whiskey. I’ve lived here over thirty years and it’s always been that way. It’s really easy to avoid big also it’s a sight to behold in August with all the street performers doing their thing. Great vibe

The fire issues are really minor. The buses are taking a slight detour down George Street. Love August. So proud of my wee city. Edinburgh is so special

I love living in my city ( Edinburgh). I live about two miles from the city centre, in a suburban area although really it’s more urban than suburban!!!
it’s expensive, but we bought years ago when prices were cheaper.
we love walking or getting the bus into town, we love the vibe, the excited tourists, the shear amount of choice of activities, restaurants, bars, activities. We also have lived here long enough to know the bargains, the hidden gems and the tricks and tips. I love entertaining guests and welcoming them here too.
I work out of town. One thing that would poss me off would be having to navigate city centre traffic on a work day, especially during the festival.

No, I didn’t say you should move 🤷🏻‍♀️. You can do what you want, I don't care where you live. I said that it’s a choice to live there. You either put up with the shit bits, or you move. Your choice.

So because I hate 1 month out of 12 I should move? Pull my kids out of fantastic schools? Including my ds out of a special school? Leave my friends and family? Me and dh leave our jobs which are great ? Leave a city that i grew up in and love? Just because I hate the festival which btw i used to love but it's changed.