CF Tourists - is it worse ??

[WeWillLookBack]

We have just got back from a few days in Cornwall - we live in Devon, so spend a lot of time in both counties and are very used to tourists and holiday makers. We stayed in a 'pub with rooms on the beach, which was lovely. However - I am utterly gobsmacked by the level of CF we have witnessed in the 3 days. It feels like peoples entitlement is off the scale. I don't know how those in hospitality are dealing with it.

Wednesday - Woman went mental at the poor young lad serving in the beer garden - insisted she had booked a table outside. Very politely told her that they do not take reservations for the garden, just the restaurant. Screaming ' Are you calling me a liar'. He went in, and didn't come back out.

Friday AM - they serve breakfast for guests 8am-9.30am, then open for breakfast at 9.30am (lots of signs saying open at 9.30am). At 8.30am a group were outside - rattling the door. Member of staff opens the door, and lets them know they open at 9.30am. Lots of moaning - insisting they can have breakfast now etc. She says no - very polite. So he tells her it is disgusting that they allow guests to sit in the window eating when others can't ! ( and to make up for their error, they should serve them breakfast too)

Friday evening - Family of 6 rocked up - no space in the beer garden. Started shouting - so the owner came out. Man very angry - they had driven for 6 hours - and the kids needed feeding. The owner was great - polite but firm. The man actually suggested the owner walk around the beer garden and checked when people were leaving so they could secure a table. He said no. A lot of swearing. Asked to leave.

Drive home Saturday morning. Along a winding road along the coast - car in front just stops. Man gets out and stands looking at the sea. Single lane - so I cant go around him. After a few moments I beep - he stomps over to my car and says 'Can I help you' ... I say you have blocked the road - could you move please. To which he responds 'I am looking at the view - maybe you could just be kind' FFS !!!

But people actively seek out crowded places. I don't like crowds, my instinct if somewhere is busy is to go somewhere else. I don't feel I will miss out if eg I don't go to West Wittering in favour of a beach that the MC smart set don't go to.

But other people go to crowded places, sit in queues on hot motorways or at theme parks for rides and then get angry and aggressive with each other? Well, there was an easy way of avoiding that.

FOMO and aspirational middle classism has a lot to answer for.

There are still plenty of places that are not busy and are well worth visiting.

I am genuinely puzzled now because if it’s over mid shin on an adult it’s going to be over the tops of the wellies on some younger children! Kids’ wellies often don’t go up very high and you didn’t say anything about specifying minimum child welly height!

I was going through security for a long haul flight and another passenger kicked off that they couldn't take 100ml+ liquids in their hand luggage. She lectured the security staff on how environmentaly unfriendly it was to throw away shampoo, deodorant etc.

“Also, I live near to a very pretty and fairly touristy village and it makes me giggle how many people (usually twenty something women) just seem to wander around, getting their partners to take photos of them, check the photos, get them to take more and leave. They never seem to stop to take in any of the actual beauty of the area. It's all a giant prop. Sometimes there are actual queues of women waiting to get to the most popular spots.”

I saw this a lot in Marrakech recently, people literally queuing for photo ops and then spending 5 minutes in different poses; seated, stood, looking to camera, looking away to view, shoes over shoulder fake mid-stride and checking with the photo taker between shots. I’d be mortified at people watching me be so self-indulgent.

I see it on the beaches where I live too.

In 2019 were on a ship that had a Swarovski crystal double staircase monstrosity in the main atrium area. Unfortunately this actually linked two high footfall key public areas on the boat. I’m fairly nice so happily duck and pause in general to accommodate people taking photos but got outrage from a group of girls when after waiting briefly, I had the audacity to interrupt their photo session by walking down said stairs. They were in for the long haul and two had reclined on two of the treads, skirts fanned wide and draping to take up the full width, which they had to move when I said excuse-me. I was a bottleneck with people behind me.

Unfortunately thats what life is to so many people nowadays. 🙈

Some people think it's OK to speak to people in hospitality like shit, they consider them beneath them I think. I work in hospitality in a hospital, the medical staff ignore you and I've worked in schools and had the same treatment from some teachers as well.

Frankly I'm not surprised there's shortages of staff in hospitality the way some people treat you moneys crap and its bloody hard work

I live just on the edge of an unfashionable English seaside resort. The main beach is lovely, family friendly, well maintained and sandy, and is under a police dispersal order to prevent rowdy parties in the evening. The smaller beach near me tends to be used by locals who have walked from the main beach and is an SSI. And not under the dispersal order.

So we get local teenagers brought by their parents, dropped off with their disposable BBQs and boxes of beer and left to party all day and evening. Some are very responsive when it’s kindly pointed out that BBQs are not allowed due to SSI, and they take the bin bags we offer and clear up after themselves before they leave. Others don’t.

And too many tourists get stuck at low tide in the mud flats between the two beaches. Last weekend the inshore rescue and rnli were called out several times a day.

there’s loads of signage up regarding dogs, bbqs, dangers of mud, etc, but it appears that people lose their capacity to read as soon as they spot sand and sea.

happystory
Don't be so rude squashyhat

Squashyhat that is right!
why don’t people use search engines?!

I agree with @happystory that squashyhat was rude. I'd have been happy to answer the question, though someone has now.

Though it would reduce the number of threads, and post comments, on Mumsnet, granted, if people just researched their queries on search engines...

In n Wales when visitors were allowed again they still had to wear masks in shops restaurants etc. Some were really nasty to me staff, calling the Welsh stupid, with their roolz. Well that's as maybe but we were stuck with it. We didn't agree but didn't want our businesses shut down which did happen here and there. It's pretty demoralising

I’m lucky enough to have a home in the Rocky Mountains, so it’s a major tourist destination and it’s full of wildlife. Folks just lose their brains when they see anything, especially Elk and Bears. Slamming their brakes on and stopping all over the road and getting way too close. They forget that these animals can do serious damage if they feel threatened, not to mention the possible $25,000 dollar fine.

Then asked if he could have cash back because he has no cash as his campsite only takes cash and he’d run out.

I tended bar during the summer holidays while I was in uni. The number of people who expected me to cash cheques for them was amazing. I explained to them that I didn't know them from Adam and if the cheque bounced it came out of my wages. Some still kept pushing. Eventually, I just told them that we had a deal with the banks - they don't sell beer and we don't cash cheques.

Haven't been away for 2 years due to covid. Previously had 17 years of really lovely UK holidays. After reading this, I'm feeling a tad anxious about the 2 weeks I've just booked. Time to venture abroad again? We stayed in UK for the dog, and didn't miss abroad. These morons must usually be in Spain etc abusing the waiters there. No the wonder us brits have a certain reputation ☹️

I saw this a lot in Marrakech recently, people literally queuing for photo ops and then spending 5 minutes in different poses; seated, stood, looking to camera, looking away to view, shoes over shoulder fake mid-stride and checking with the photo taker between shots. I’d be mortified at people watching me be so self-indulgent.
I noticed this at the Monet museum in Paris. Could barely see the paintings because of the people pouting and videoing themselves in front of them. It was quite disturbing!

Unfortunately no sighs of relief when the Scottish invade Blackpool........

We’ve just had a fab U.K. holiday and not come across any arseholes, and nor are we ourselves. Most people are fine, just the twats are louder!

My DP and I both use @JudgeJ 's method in the pub and with tourists. If someone looks a bit lost and is pleasant we're happy to take a minute to point them in the right direction or tell them about the good pubs/restaurants etc so that they have a nicer stay. If, on the other hand, they're rude or entitled, they get nothing. I've helped someone in the street before now only for someone else to presume this must mean I'm part of the Tourist board and being paid to help- they can't imagine that anyone would do it for free- which says an awful lot about them😂

If someone looks a bit lost and is pleasant we're happy to take a minute to point them in the right direction or tell them about the good pubs/restaurants etc so that they have a nicer stay.

When I worked in Manhattan tourists would always approach me to ask for directions or to help them find someplace. I must have a Tourist Board look about me. 😁

I've just returned from a few days in Cornwall and everyone we met were kind, courteous, service was good and the food was better than the usual pub fare in the South East. There was tolerance for visitors from the locals, and tolerance from the visitors for the visitors and we had a lovely time. Even managed to get in two swims in two days, and the Cornish rollers were great!

We have been away to a lot of U.K. places in the past couple of years since we bought a moderate sized camper van (not huge motor home) which we park up on proper sites and don't drive anywhere once we arrive. I have to say I haven't noticed any of this kind of behaviour although I believe that it happens. When we were in Cornwall last year the locals were very friendly particularly on buses, maybe it was because we were using the bus and not blocking up the lanes with a huge vehicle.

A few years ago we stayed at an AI resort in Turkey. It was quite far from the town so going anywhere involved a taxi. One taxi driver said they all loved British tourists as they go to places off the resort and use the taxis whereas the Russians (there were a lot) just stay there and get drunk on the AI vodka. Clearly we're not all bad.

I work for the NHS, the other day I was called a C*, because the person's request to be seen immediately didn’t happen and they had to wait 10 minutes.

I think that adults are becoming ruder and more entitled in all walks of life, but hearing the way some people speak to hospitality staff is awful. Being nice costs nothing and, although I will be direct when someone is not offering a good service, I would never do it rudely.

Maybe alongside long covid and brain fog, increased rudeness and stupidity is a genuine effect of covid on a population that's been widely infected - like toxoplasmosis infection making people more inclined to take risks. Wouldn't that be depressing?

A friend of mine has this. She also needs the dropped kerb to get her son in off the school bus. Not nice when she has to go half way up the street in the rain to get him off the road into the house.

She got some signs to put on the gate and wall saying no parking wheelchair access required at all times. It did help a bit.

We had a lovely time in Cornwall earlier this year. The locals were very friendly and the service was excellent when we ventured into restaurants once or twice; very friendly staff in Sainsburys, too. We stick to the quieter areas, or at least they are quiet when we visit.

I'm sorry @CheshireCat1 you don't deserve to be abused like that. The NHS must have been a very hard place to work in the last few years