Wish you weren't here. That is the message.
People around the world that live in popular tourist destinations are asking potential gawkers to please stay home.
Why?
Overtourism.
Destinations are being loved to death, bringing a reduced experience for tourists, and the destruction of local's way of life.
But not everyone travels. This problem most likely adheres closely to the 80/20 Rule. If it does, that means 80% of tourism is done by only 20% of the population.
That means that most people either don't travel, or do so in a modest manner.
I think back to reading during the summer about people in a remote northern community in Alberta being evacuated because of wildfires encroaching on their community.
What got me was that some of the evacuees had never been out of the community. Never.
It took a while for that to sink in, even though I have been enjoying not going much farther from home than my bike can take me for the past 20 years.
Rather than feeling excitement about "getting out" for the first time, the fire evacuation victims reported feeling traumatized about having to leave their chosen spot of Mother Earth.
My take away from that was that not everyone is obsessed with being a tourist and travelling endlessly. Some people actually love where they live, and have no desire to leave.
People invested in the industry are trying to figure out how tourists can see the places they want to without destroying them.
I know a way.
Why not help out the people that live in tourist destinations, stay home, and look at those places on the internet. There are many very nice pictures and videos available.
I also heartily recommend taking the time to enjoy the place you live. There is plenty of beauty no matter where you find yourself.
Save the world - stay close to home. Who knows, you might even enjoy it.
I have learned to love living a hyper-local life over the past two decades. Let's face it, travel can be stressful.
My years of living more simply, which for me implies more locally, have allowed me to discover some of the benefits and joys of being in one place.
Along the way I have been saving heaps of money and lowering my carbon footprint, not to mention helping improve the socio-cultural fabric of the over-visited tourist destinations of the world.
Where's Waldo? At home with his feet up.
 |
| This is a scene that might make even Waldo shudder and go back home. |
That last picture grosses me out thinking about all the people that are peeing in that water!! Yikes
ReplyDeleteThis post reminds me of that wonderful old Kinks song "This Is Where I Belong". The singer emphasizes the importance of being happy where you live now. What a great, truthful observation.
ReplyDeleteI love what you wrote about learning to love where you live I live in Texas, which has such a variety of eco regions — prairie, bayou, mountains, desert, piney woods! It took a trip to West Texas (Big Bend National Park) for me to understand that my state is beautiful. We don’t have the lush beauty of the Pacific Northwest or the culture of Italy, but we have many special places. And people.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do travel, it’s not in a maniacal way. I’m not trying to “see it all” and I don’t have a bucket list. I go back to places that are very special to me. And I relax while I’m there, taking it in. I wish more travelers would do a little slow travel — stop, smell the roses (or coffee). And armchair travel is pretty nice. -Erin
I love where I live. South central Kentucky has much to offer. Caves, rivers, trails, corvettes (the only place they're made!) and a museum to celebrate corvettes. But I also love to travel because I love seeing what other places have to offer.
ReplyDelete