Do you Live in a tourist area? Blessing or curse?

[justasking111]

We live in a tourist area, personally I see them as a blessing, yes they clog the roads at times, yes some leave litter. BUT their contribution to our economy enables our shops to operate 52 weeks of the year no empty high streets so on the whole they are of benefit to us. We know they are coming so plan our lives accordingly. We know the beaches they have not discovered so have our own fun. We enjoy the childrens activities which run for a whole spring summer season whether they are here or not.

I don’t, but I have relatives living in two different tourist spots (one in UK, one abroad). Both sets really enjoy where they live, it attracts tourists because it’s nice and interesting so I suppose unsurprisingly it’s also nice to live there!

The only annoyance for UK set is the number of empty second homes in winter, because it has pushed up prices in the area, it hasn’t affected them personally but it’s disappointing to them because it’s hard for younger local people to rent or buy as local wages don’t meet for the increased demand brought in by second home buyers. Which means affordable properties are being built in the area, which they feel is a bit silly given there are loads of empty properties and is taking away from some of the green space that draws people there in the first place.

Overseas set mainly get a bit fed up of ‘friends’ (ie someone they worked with once) wanting to visit when really they just want a cheap holiday abroad! They’re very good at pointing them towards local hotels

I work in a tourist area and the main annoyance is crowds of people standing in the middle of the pavement but like you, I and other locals know the backstreets to avoid that. I’m far more annoyed by the hipsters that come to my completely not touristy area and leave mountains of litter during summer and drug paraphernalia outside warehouses during winter attending illegal raves. Despite being urban we have some nice parks and a few interesting places, and we attract a certain crowd who think it’s trendy to come here (but not to live here, at least not more than for a year, because actually they think it’s a bit dingy and antisocial for a longer term commitment but more than happy to come and spoil the few nice bits we have and be antisocial themselves!).

I’m not bitter...

Oh the Relly visits are a real thing and an annoyance. Good idea pointing out somewhere to stay. I had one a couple of weeks ago hinting heavily at a visit blah blah... just ignored the loaded hints.

I grew up near to a big tourist attraction.

The economic knock on (not just the jobs from the attraction), but local pubs, campsites and other smaller tourist attractions is a real benefit and it is great. The area really is lovely and I love that people can come and enjoy it.

The problems are a lot of employment is seasonal & low skilled.

The area is very rural and the roads, many very narrow with high hedges, become dangerous. Visitors are unused to driving on this type of road and go too quickly for the conditions. There are marked routes for traffic on main roads, but people follow sat-navs, which put traffic into small villages which cannot cope with the volume of traffic at peak times.

Littering also increases, during peak season my parents walk up their lane daily picking litter up from the side of the road.

I suppose i'm saying the same as the OP, the economic benefit outweighs everything, and it is fantastic to share the history & beauty of the area, but wish people would just be a little more considerate to the locals.

A bit of both really.
We love being by the beach and we like the hustle and bustle during summer but I hate that everything is so seasonal. Tons of people late laid off from work every October and the council pour all the effort into making the town nice in summer and do sweet fa for the residents the rest of the year. All improvements made are geared towards attracting more tourism and the facilities used and loved by locals are left to rot.

We live at a lovely beach. Had all the upheaval of building works to create a lovely splash park, that despite 24 degrees over the week end wasn't switched on!!
The place was a disgrace tbh. Have emailed the council about plans to patrol the litter leavers.. Is there any??! Hope the summer we aren't buried under a land fill...
Dander up today but usually happy here!

I live in an old University town which is very very popular with tourists. The town is beautiful so it isn't surprising but it is an absolute pain in the arse.

I don't mind family groups at all, even when they wander out into the middle of the road to take a photo and make the buses wait until they've finished, but there are a lot of very large group tours and language skills who make the city centre pretty much inaccessible but also spend minimal money because they're either schoolchildren or there for 3 hours.

I used to live in Greenwich which is a bit different to seaside/summer tourist spots as there is not break from it ever!

Yes, I live on the edge of a national park.

Pros: It's beautiful. I feel really blessed to be able to bring my children up here. We spend most weekends in the outdoors exploring.

The pubs and shops are lovely, especially as we have a lot of independent shops who thrive on the money that the tourists bring.

It's a very safe community, very little crime, and because the population is pretty low the schools are generally under subscribed.

There's loads of events in the summer, country fairs etc.

Cons:

It's a nightmare trying to go anywhere during the summer. We know all the "quiet" spots but with social media these have become less quiet in recent years.

House prices within the park boundary are astronomical and way out of reach for most local residents.

There's a lot of deprivation in the areas of the county that are not within the national park boundary.

The independent shops are lovely, but if I want to buy some bog standard clothes without paying a fortune I have to travel pretty far to do so.

@kingsassassin We possibly live in the same town! Does yours start with O or C?

It's a beautiful town, but we don't get to enjoy it because we never go into it because it's rammed with tourists/students/coach trippers/touts etc. The pavements are like moshpits in the summer, a pint costs £££ and you're lucky to get a table in a pub after 6pm.

We very rarely go into town because you leave feeling stressed and claustrophobic.

I'm pretty fed up of litter, including dirty nappies on the beach, right next to the car.

Used to work in central London, around Covent Garden

Generally you could ignore the tourists, even if you could spot them a mile off. However, I did make a speciality of coming up behind tourists and telling them to stand on the sodding right. In the summer months I had to stop carrying newspapers or having my work lanyard around my neck as people saw either as a sign you spoke English and were local enough to give directions.

kingsassassin I live in an old University town which is very very popular with tourists.
churchthecat kingsassassin We possibly live in the same town! Does yours start with O or C?

Hmm, old university town, beginning with O or C. I wonder what they could POSSIBLY BE?! That's a real puzzler...!

(I don't think saying you live in Oxford or Cambridge is as outing as you think )

BuzzPeakWankBobbly SHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

On a completely unrelated topic, do you prefer light blue or dark blue, Church?

Oh, okay then. Oxford. :-) The language schools are far far worse than the students. At least they all stay in college and drink cheap beer instead of blocking bus stops in between classes!

I also work a lot in the centre of town so I can't just avoid it.

You here too Buzz?

It may be a bit pedantic, but Cambridge isn't actually a cathedral city. Canterbury is, though. All of the above applies. There are pros and cons, and even with the cons I can think of a lot worse places to live (though it is a while since I lived in Canterbury).

Church - No, I'm just a crack shot at cryptic clues

FTR, I wouldn't like to live in a historic or touristy place. I dislike being a tourist and I really hate crowds. So you are all safe from me!

I grew up in South Devon so loads of tourists and language students.

The worst thing was (not sure if it still happens) was the local councils increased all the car park prices at Easter (and reduced after October half term), with no special prices for locals. That was annoying. But the advantages outweigh the negatives - and of course it's a nice place to live, that's why the tourists come (though not so much now as they are concreting over every corner, it seems).

I really like Salisbury but wouldn't want to have to use the A303 in the summer. I guess locals find routes around the clogged roads but sometimes they don't really exist.

Tourists in London are a pain. They stop everywhere to take photos and walk incredibly slowly. Ditto Edinburgh, Bath, York, Oxford....

i live in norfolk....not too far from the beach.

pro`s are money from tourists etc.
con is much of the coast is now known as "chelsea on sea". londoners sold up/ 2nd holiday homes/ bolt holes in such a quaint area..... no one local can actually afford to live there now. its quite sad.

I hated living in Cambridge - the tourists (mostly in large groups) foreign language students all summer in even bigger groups) and well the privileged entitled students themselves did my head in, just getting to the bus from the shops was full of "can you take our photo" interruptions. The market also barely sold anything normal, it was overpriced tourist tat

I live in Harrogate and it's a blessing :)

I live in a city with a lot of tourism (Liverpool) and I think it's great.

The bit I live in doesn't have anything touristy so peace and quiet when we want it, but then there are also always lots of fun or interesting things right on our doorstep. Best of both worlds really.

I live in a beautiful old university town too but it doesn't start with an O or a C! Mine also has lovely beaches and famous golf courses. I wonder where it can be??

We tend to avoid the town during the summer as the tourists can be very annoying but they bring a lot of revenue into the town so we just accept, what is really, a minor inconvenience.

Blessing.
I absolutely love living where I live.
Economy is good, busy, beautiful and always something going on and to do.
The surrounding areas too have grown up in association with where I live.

It’s known as tacky, a shithole, expensive but if you know where to go for maximum enjoyment then it truly is brill.