Lately, after reading numerous travel articles, the theme of “going off the beaten path” feels like the best way to travel, which includes avoiding tourist traps.
Tourist traps is one of the over-used terms in the travel sphere, with heavy negative connotations associated with it, from being scammed to over-crowded-ness to severely underwhelming experiences.
But hear me out –
Firstly, aside from some shady ones, there are reasons why some places/things/experiences become tourist traps or too touristy.
It could be because it’s so beautiful; because it’s unique compared to others; because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be a part of the cultural tapestry – be it pop culture (like walking around Nothing Hill while reminiscing the movie), or just a part of the classic, like visiting Taj Mahal.
Secondly, we are tourists – who want to go and experience things we see/hear/read about (from books to Facebook). Some might include the so-called tourist traps.
Lastly, places have become too touristy because we collectively travel more these days. And that it’s a good thing. Also, if we don’t like so many other tourists cramping our IG style in front of a tourist attraction, we are lucky enough to live in an era where one (or a few) click on some app can fix that “problem”.
The point of my rant is that tourist spots are there for a reason.
Drinking in a cafe visited by famous people will be more expensive; only you can justify whether it’s worth visiting, but calling it a tourist trap cheapens it.
I think of places in Bali, like Kuta, which have long been deemed tourist traps. Still, these kinds of areas moulded themselves to fit the demands of the flocking tourists. At that time, nightclubs and illegal mushrooms supported the local economy, which heavily depended on tourism; calling it tourist traps is just not cool!
Using a similar argument, isn’t travelling the beaten paths, the unknown parts of the world that are so hot right now, also a tourist trap? Because well, it trapped some of us, who are the tourists, didn’t it?
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