Tourists 24/7 365 days a year..

[IsawwhatIsaw]

I have lived in a tourist town for several decades.
And we always had tourists but it felt manageable with a quieter time during the winter.
But now there is no quiet time at all, and I actively avoid the centre as so many coach loads of people arrive daily . It’s so busy it feels oppressive.
So it feels like there is no let up at all. I spoke to a friend in Edinburgh who had a similar story - she is now looking to move out.
Just wondering if other cities experience this?
we are wondering about moving elsewhere, but like where we live.
Is it unreasonable to resent how our City has changed?

We left central lakes some time ago for the same reason. Crowds used to be confined to Easter and July and August. It's now pretty much all year. I believe Bath, York, Edinburgh, Cotswoldsare the same. The infrastructure is creaking due to visitor numbers and airbnb and the like are causing problems.

With so many shops closing on our high streets, I think I’d feel blessed that people are helping your town’s economy so much.

You're not unreasonable to move away if it's no longer what you like, but I think you're unreasonable to resent it, yeah. All the things that make it a lovely place to live for you are the reasons why people want to visit, and you wouldn't have all of those things without the money tourism brings. Your local businesses will actively encourage tourism for their trade, and if tourism drops off, don't be surprised to see your high street die a death, which has happened in so many places. It's a really good thing that people increasingly want to have holidays in their own country, both for preserving our heritage and for the planet.

Cambridge has got like this now, Oxford too, Stratford, Edinburgh, York - year-round tourists. It must be unbearable for the people who live in the centre.

I sympathise. I live on a town that’s thankfully often dissed on here but I love it. Surrounding places, particularly on the coast, are unrecognisable from how they were even a few years ago and articles in lifestyle magazines make things worse. I don’t think there’s anywhere that’s safe from this, unfortunately.

but like where we live.

The feeling is mutual. Resentment is changing nothing, but it's not good for you. Suck it up or move to somewhere more boring, unfortunately.

It’s unclear they are as the Council did some sort of survey -coach trippers will come just for the day and not actually spend much. They come to look at the famous buildings.

I think YAabitU. Do you not go on holiday? Have you never been a tourist? Tourists bring money and support shops/businesses.

If you no longer like your city then it's absolutely reasonable to move elsewhere however

I'm in a tourist town that used to be summer only and now is year round.

TBH our town would die without tourists. I just googled the percentage of the economy for our wider area and it is circa 35% with a similar amount accounting for the workforce. Our area is already fairly economically depressed so I am grateful for tourists. Also grateful for second home owners who pay double council tax when they hardly use the services.

It can be hard as a resident on occasion, but if we did not have tourists the village I live in would just be a ghost town and the wider area would be dying.

We are in a touristy part of London. I get exasperated with the crowds of people who are seemingly unaware that other people need to use pavements to run normal everyday errands. But I accept it as part of what is attractive about the area, and that it keeps the local economy booming. We're not in any risk of shops closing down and being left as deserted units, or all the bank branches and supermarkets shutting, or bus routes being cut. I've only lived here for a few years, and the tourists have been coming for decades so in a way they have more right to be here than me.

I live just outside a tourist/student area and we don't go into the city at all now as it's too crowded. 9am on a rainy Monday might be okay, but that's it. There seems to be a lot more people around now and they seem to get around more too ? due to car ownership.

Have you never been in holiday anywhere OP or had a day trip to another town or city?
You’re lucky to live in a thriving town and the more visitors there are, the more facilities and lovely shops and great transport links for you to use.
If it’s too inconvenient you could
move somewhere that has very few shops or facilities but has no tourists.
I understand it may inconvenience you but I it’s the price you pay for living somewhere other people enjoy visiting and where they will contribute to the towns finances in a positive way.

I’m in oxford and the moment the university students leave the language students arrive, as do the summer conferences hosted by the Colleges. Unfortunately though, we always have loads of buildings and road works going on so the combination creates confusion and chaos. Not sure I would move though.

Cambridge is so bad now, driving is difficult anyway with so many bicycles, and the tourists seem to have little road sense, its tricky trying to avoid them.

My sister lives in a gorgeous tourist magnet and when she bought it we thought it was amazing. Fast forward 20 years and as she said recently, the local shop stocks 8 types of fudge but you have to drive miles to a supermarket for a tin of tomatoes.

My town is the same. I run a small bookshop and as I often say to the customers - the busy summers get us through the quiet winters. Yes, there are difficulties because it gets so busy but my business wouldn't survive otherwise.

I have moved out of the immediate town centre to the next village over, which is a lot more normal and residential. When I lived above the shop, right in the middle of town, it was difficult because there is no parking and I would have to fight it out with tourists for a space in the car park, and then would have to get two small DC and a weeks worth of shopping down to my front door, which would usually have someone leaning on it.

But I get to live in a beautiful historic place that people flock to visit, and we need them to keep coming for the town to prosper (I just wish they wouldn't feed the sodding seagulls).

I think it’s the same endless coach loads of people and big groups. It feels like they block and take over pavements and facilities.

And where I live it’s already busy and booming tbh without tourists !
yes I do go away but not in groups like this. I also like to feel im respectful of other people space.

Do you never go on holiday yourselves? Perhaps the residents of those places feel the same as you about where they live.

I live in a tourist town in the west of Ireland and love it. My town is dead in winter, it’s great when the tourists start visiting from March onwards. YABVU

But your situation sounds great.
As you have both quiet and busy times.
we don’t have quiet times at all now.

I’m on the fence

I think tourism is inevitable and as pp say, part of a healthy economy. And I like visiting places too.

On the other hand I think there is a lot to be said for banning or heavily restricting large tour groups. Coach loads here, in other countries cruise ships cause similar issues. I think these large groups cause more problems than they bring benefits in terms of money spent.

I live near and extremely touristy area and I actually love it. I think it's wonderful that people across the world have made a decision to come to the beautiful part of the country that I'm lucky enough to live in all year round.

Edinburgh is the same now too. It's never quiet. I think AirBnB has a lot to answer for because it's increased the capacity of the city for tourists and it's also taken them outside of the usual tourist areas. I am sick to death of almost being run-over by large, out of control wheely suitcases that tourists are struggling to get up and down the many hills. Also sick of people suddenly stopping in the middle of the pavement to check google maps on their phones, or crossing the road and immediately stopping preventing those behind them from getting off the road too 😤

It’s like this the world over. Over-tourism is becoming a real problem with the global rise of the middle class, the rise of cheap air travel and tourist social media content.

More and more places are putting in restrictions on numbers, tourist taxes and prioritising locals.

I live in an historic tourist town, we always have tourists and tour buses,students ive never seen it as a huge issue, we have lulls but there is tourists keeps the economy going, i don't understand why you want a "quiet town" .