'We will decide when the lakes are open' AIBU to be irritated?

[Aberforthsgoat]

Just been on the phone to my cousin who lives in the Lakes. We were discussing how Cumbria has been really badly hit; I was saying how gutted we are to miss our Lakes holidays this year but how I hope it gets under control for the residents, and we are so looking forward to being able to go when we can.
My cousin said 'IF you can come'
And I acknowledged that of course, we would absolutely not come until it's safe for everyone to do so and government says we can; even then we would make our own risk judgement
My cousin responded by saying, quite smugly 'it doesn't matter what the government says,the people who live here will decide when its open, we are keeping people out at the moment'
She proceeded to tell me how much they all hate tourists and how they would blockade to keep people out if the government lets people visit too soon

I understand it must be scary and I would be worried if I live there too but AIBU for thinking this is quite a nasty reaction?! It's made me feel like actually maybe I won't go back, which I know is petulant and cutting off my nose to spite my face, but it's left a bad taste.

I had no intention of finding a loophole so I could go, I was talking about next year or the year after hopefully!

If people do this in tourist areas then they will scare people off long term. People will think twice about going somewhere that has shown open hostility to tourists for a long time after this pandemic. Long term they will damage their tourist industry.

I think I have been the lakes once. There are so many other beautiful places in the UK to holiday. The lakes and Cornwall have been vocally hostile throughout. I wont be rushing to either once the dust settles. Definitely not in the next 18 months.

Why would anyone want to go there? Before a vaccine no one will be welcome.

My mum.went to Blackpool in the sixties and found the people rude. She still talks about it and was horrified when I went there.

So if locals do shout, scream, be rude then some people like my mum wont ever forget, tell everyone and never go back.

Time for people to think about exploring the UK to find other places after this is all over. Less visitors in Cornwall and the UK long term might also be better for those areas.

I'm not saying everyone in those two areas would be aggressive of course, but if one just one person was aggressive to my kids I wouldnt go back ever esp if in front of my kids

I feel Exactly the same way as your cousin. Our cases of Covid are very low here but once the tourists from the cities and the U.K. descend, we’ll be in trouble.

Our only University hospital treats patients from the nearby counties. There’s no way all the locals will get the treatment needed if there’s a surge in cases.

I saw that two friends have recently started advertising their holiday cottages for rent online and I feel very extremely angry towards them for encouraging tourism.

Also, there’s no restaurants or cafes open locally so you’d have to self cater for every single meal so what’s the point in travelling down here just to have a different view when you’re eating your own dinner?

Just stay home!

I'm please that residents of beautiful parts of the country have been able to enjoy their local area without the usual crowds of tourists when it's been beautiful weather. It's most likely a once in a lifetime opportunity for that and a lot of holiday cottages and other businesses are getting grants to cover the shortfall (we own a holiday let and have received £10k grant so I know this.)

However, tourism props the lakes up, they need to realise that. They're had an amazing spring in isolation and they don't want to share - it's greedy and selfish and it's such a shit attitude.

She might change her tune when unemployment rockets like it has in other tourist areas.

I don't think Londoners' attitude is a fair comparison.

These rural tourist areas often have very few doctors, a long way to a hospital and a high percentage of older residents.

They are maybe overstating the case now, but I don't blame them for still being concerned.

I live in Cornwall, and the same thing irritates me beyond belief. It's a vile, NIMBYist "I'm superior to you because of where I happen to live" attitude. Thankfully most people are sensible...but the ones who shout the loudest make the most noise.

People need to accept the fact that their area relies on tourism, even if they themselves do not.

Please correct me if I got the wrong end of the stick, but is it not the case that Cumbria's numbers are high is because of Barrow specifically? Tourists don't exactly go there. Sorry, i skim read an article somewhere and might have missed something.

I think it’s a really poor attitude coming from a lot of people who live in nice places at the moment.

A bit like the people of Brighton cheering as day trippers were turned away - ok it’s fine for police to turn them away if that’s what needs to be done but cheering is so “well I’m alright jack, I live by the sea. Go back to your pokey flat with no outdoor space” etc.

You can’t blockade anyway, that’s just daft.

We are lucky enough to live on the South Coast in a well visited town .All my childhood was spent in London ,and while I like to go back every so often would not want to live there .When we used to holiday here before we moved, Mum heard people talking about "Grockles" and realised they meant us! What is it about these people that make them something "special" I wonder? Just because you live in a nice place doesnt make it yours! No doubt we shall all be regaled with "Come to Shangri La" at some point .Maybe people will go abroad or stay close to home and then where would these tourist destinations be without the tourist pound for their overpriced/slightly naff souvieners I wonder?

I think she will find that she personally doesn't get to decide who can and can't come when the country opens up again. She sounds very foolish.

I wonder how far she proposes to take this? Because logically she shouldn't even be travelling as far as the next village, let alone any big towns, as that makes her a tourist there. Where does she normally go on holiday?

I've seen near-hysteria about visitors on one or two Cornish websites - yet every time I look at their webcams it's obvious that the place is totally deserted.

@I saw that two friends have recently started advertising their holiday cottages for rent online and I feel very extremely angry towards them for encouraging tourism.

Presumably you will be happy to pay their bills for them then?

Ahhh this has annoyed me too. We live in an AONB and the amount of people sharing "Xxx place is CLOSED GO AWAY" etc on FB is highly irritating. Just a mild form of ignorance and prejudice.

Ignore and make a decision when the time is right.

I can understand that for tourist hot spot areas, especially where health services are not as extensive as in cities, local residents may not wish to see an influx of visitors that might bring cases of the virus and put strain on local services. However, some of the ways in which this has been expressed definitely gives the impression that tourists are resented and only tolerated because they bring in money.

I feel rather differently about some of those places than I did before and will think twice before I visit again. I don't want to go where I am not wanted. How soon after all of this dies down bed]fore those same regions are begging us to support their areas and local businesses?

As PP have said, some of these places are also National Parks. Not only do they belong to all of us, they are government funded, i.e. by all of us, not just the possession of the people who live there.

Having said all of that, some of the people rushing to beaches at Easter were not being sensible in my view.

YANBU. I live on the edge of the Lakes in quite a touristy town and I’ve seen this attitude a lot on local FB pages. You’d think locals don’t benefit from tourists at all the way people are carrying on. It will leave a bitter taste in a lot of people’s minds and they may not want to visit as readily.

I hate the way some people see tourists anyway. I love places like Keswick and Ambleside full of people, it adds a buzz, it’s lovely.

As if locals can dictate. Yes people should be sensible and sensitive to the situation, the Hospital situation isn’t great at the best of times. Without shops, hotels, facilities and activities open as usual people won’t be going in the same numbers anyway.

Yeah, she can do one. She doesn't own the Lakes just as I don't own our national park or the seafront. It has been lovely having the place to ourselves of course but I'm not trying to keep other people away because I'm lucky enough to have tons of space and the sea

The problem is these areas are often isolated and have limited hospital capacity. Locals are rightly worried about the influx of people causing a second wave of cases and their medical facilities won't be able to cope.
It would be fine if things could be done gradually and visitor numbers could be controlled just to see how things pan out. But people have the kind of selfish attitudes shown on this thread - We have a right to go to these places, the locals don't own them, we will do what we want and couldn't care less and they will come in droves.
Yes, your cousin was rude. But I'm depressed by the entitled attitudes here.

She sounds like she'd be fun at a party

She’ll change her tunes when the economic consequences hit.

This is a bit of an issue right now. The economic blow is being cushioned by things like Furlough. Certain people seem to think they can bunker down forever.

But when it hits them that they may not be able to pay their mortgage, things will look very different.

I'd love to know whether your cousin's job in reliant on tourism, OP.

She doesn't own the area and when safe to do so other people are free to visit.

On the south coast, people don’t want daytrippers either, local police are stopping people in their cars and sending them away.

I think the "We hate tourists" bit is OTT - but otherwise, I am on their side. They have few hospitals, and a vulnerable, elderly population.

Why should they trow themselves and their families under the bus so other people can have a holiday.

The numbers have been HORRIFIC in these beautiful, but badly-served areas (in the medical sense), and are just recently falling. I can't see what anyone would want to risk them rising again.

She's a twat. Places like that rely on tourism this - how does she think they will make any money without tourists?

Given that Cumbria has one of the highest infection rates in the country, surely the tourists are more likely to catch it from the locals, than the other way round?

And anyway are you a "tourist" if you visit family? I wouldn't expect a family member to say "keep out, plague carrier". The OP's cousin's attitude is rather unfriendly.

some of the people rushing to beaches at Easter were not being sensible in my view

No, especially those who decided to go in the sea and then expected the RNLI to bail them out. Ditto those idiot surfers when the storms were on.

"Also, there’s no restaurants or cafes open locally so you’d have to self cater for every single meal so what’s the point in travelling down here just to have a different view when you’re eating your own dinner? "

Because they like the beauty of the local area, the fresh air, the space. They may live in a tiny flat with no outdoor space in an area full of car pollution and all they want it to live somewhere where they can sit outside and go for walks without hundreds of cars driving around at the same time. They're not interested in having a 'holiday' where they eat out all the time and visit attractions, they just want to live somewhere beautiful, quiet and with space for a while. You know, exactly the same reason residents like living their.