Tourist Etiquette

betenoire · 05-31-2011, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peach

I grew up on a small island in Canada, a very popular tourist destination. i worked in the local hotel bar, and we had tshirts made that on the front said WELCOME TO SALTSPRING ISLAND!

on the back, it said, NOW GO HOME.

You're so lucky to have grown up there, Saltspring Island is so great. (That was the only island I ever visited when I was living in Vancouver.) I promise I didn't act like an ass. I just went hiking and then went home.

Here in stupid Sarnia during the summer we have a stupid outdoor music festival that brings in stupid people from all over stupid north america. I kinda hate Bayfest every time I see an out of province or out of country licence plate.

Those cars with our of province/country plates are almost always driven by people who have no idea where they are going and are too busy looking for street signs to pay attention to pedestrians - so every time I leave my apartment I feel like I am putting my life at risk. My "some jerk making a right turn didn't see me crossing the street and almost hit me today" stats go up about 20 fold when Bayfest is here.

And jesus, you drove all the way from Kentucky to come see KISS? Really?

Peach · 05-31-2011, 12:19 PM

[QUOTE=betenoire;349768]You're so lucky to have grown up there, Saltspring Island is so great. (That was the only island I ever visited when I was living in Vancouver.) I promise I didn't act like an ass. I just went hiking and then went home.

it was an amazing place to grow up. As a kid, we had acres and acres of forest, farms, a lake across the road, orchards so full of fruit, we would make ourselves sick from eating! As an teen, it became a bit close. Everyone knew everyone, if you skipped class, you would be found out bythe time yougot home!! LOL
It has become a tourist mecca, which IMO has had a negative effect. Property prices are outrageous, low income people cant find a decent place to live for a decent rent. If you do, you have to vacate by May, because everyone wants to rent any space they have to tourists. You cant find a place to park in town, and stores and shops hike their prices for the season.
I get that tourist dollars fuel business, but at the same time, locals seem to get the short end of the stick.

Apocalipstic · 05-31-2011, 01:18 PM

I live in Nashville and a great portion of our income is also from tourists.

I worked at Opryland USA for 5 years and most of my other jobs have been tourism or travel related.

It really is...take a vacation...leave your brain at home!

Though Opryland closed in 1998, people still show up here looking for it.

One of my favorite things, when working in a hotel was when people thought turn down service meant their room had been broken in.

Tourists here wear cowboy attire...middle of humid 113 degree Summer and tourons with cowboy hats and boots everywhere? or those umbrella hats. Oh and black socks with sandals.

They run around looking for stars to ogle, and as Nashvillians we don't notice stars, we want them to stay here, not the tourons. I have no idea if Whispering Bill is still around. Zero clue.

I could go on and on....

TenderKnight · 05-31-2011, 01:22 PM

Here in San Diego we have these cars that can be rented out so that folks can take tours of Balboa Park and harbor areas.. These cars are all very small, bright yellow and look like lil dune buggies.. Sometimes they run in packs6 to 10 at a time. Those are always fun to see..

Also, the store that I work at is a leather/fetish retail store.. We seem to get a lot of tourists walking in.. In fact, anyone that visits Hillcrest seems to HAVE to visit our store.. Usually later at night and after a few drinks.. They giggle and ignore me and my coworker then they either want to plkay dress-up or wack at each other with 100 dollors worth of leather flogger.. And they like to take pictures.

Yeah.. Not good tourist or shopper's etiquette. I tend to be a lil snippy with them when they take down our displays to play with them or to take pictures with the "gimp" mask.. lol I also like to kinda follow them around and educate them on the finer points of fetish gear and play. They usually leave after that.

Bah.. lol

My favorites are the Asian tourists with the big cameras that come in.. lol Yeah, really

Nina · 05-31-2011, 01:26 PM

really?---how come?

reading that makes me very uncomfortable...is the ethnic descriptor interchangeable?...and if it is, how would it read?...

why are they your "favorites"...good tippers?

My favorites are the Asian tourists with the big cameras that come in.. lol Yeah, really

[/QUOTE]

TenderKnight · 05-31-2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nina

really?---how come?

reading that makes me very uncomfortable...is the ethnic descriptor interchangeable?...and if it is, how would it read?...

why are they your "favorites"...good tippers?

My favorites are the Asian tourists with the big cameras that come in.. lol Yeah, really

[/QUOTE]

Sorry if that seemed racist or something.. My main reason for saying that is because they come in, look around and leave.. Very quiet and polite.. Not like the drunk rude ones. Plus, it makes me feel like we are something to see, you know? that we'll be part of thier story when they get home.

Hope that helps.

-Tony

Nina · 05-31-2011, 01:45 PM

hey Tony...

thanks for taking the time to respond, and to do it in a way that didn't make my eyes bleed

yes, it did sound 'racist' to me...I think we often risk that when we use sweeping statements about any ethnic, or other wise identifiable, group of people, as unintended as it may be...add to that the fact that we don't know who is on the other end of the screen, it's always good (in my estimation) to steer away from generalized statements...

I do understand now, much better, what you intended to convey...and, again, I really do appreciate you taking the time to clarify...I imagine it gets to be wearing to have people come into your place of employment and behave as though they are on some kind of field trip...I do hope, that for the most part, folks behave and it's as stress free as any job dealing with The Public can be!

thanks again...all the best

Nina

Sorry if that seemed racist or something.. My main reason for saying that is because they come in, look around and leave.. Very quiet and polite.. Not like the drunk rude ones. Plus, it makes me feel like we are something to see, you know? that we'll be part of thier story when they get home.

Hope that helps.

-Tony[/QUOTE]

betenoire · 05-31-2011, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peach

It has become a tourist mecca, which IMO has had a negative effect. Property prices are outrageous, low income people cant find a decent place to live for a decent rent. If you do, you have to vacate by May, because everyone wants to rent any space they have to tourists. You cant find a place to park in town, and stores and shops hike their prices for the season.
I get that tourist dollars fuel business, but at the same time, locals seem to get the short end of the stick.

Yeah, I've heard that.

I think it'd be great to be a kid there, for sure. But I guess most places that are great to be as children are little less great to be when you're an adult and you have to worry about money and stuff.

I went through a pretty short-lived phase where I wanted to move there, actually. The phase ended as soon as I looked at house prices.

You know how that goes.

05-31-2011, 01:18 PM	#3
Apocalipstic Pink Confection How Do You Identify?: Femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her, Ma'am Relationship Status: Dating Myself Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Nashville Posts: 4,266 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 17,195 Thanked 11,362 Times in 2,838 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	I live in Nashville and a great portion of our income is also from tourists. I worked at Opryland USA for 5 years and most of my other jobs have been tourism or travel related. It really is...take a vacation...leave your brain at home! Though Opryland closed in 1998, people still show up here looking for it. One of my favorite things, when working in a hotel was when people thought turn down service meant their room had been broken in. Tourists here wear cowboy attire...middle of humid 113 degree Summer and tourons with cowboy hats and boots everywhere? or those umbrella hats. Oh and black socks with sandals. They run around looking for stars to ogle, and as Nashvillians we don't notice stars, we want them to stay here, not the tourons. I have no idea if Whispering Bill is still around. Zero clue. I could go on and on.... __________________

05-31-2011, 01:22 PM	#4
TenderKnight Member How Do You Identify?: Kinky Poly Transman Preferred Pronoun?: He Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Monroe, NC Posts: 551 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 773 Thanked 822 Times in 256 Posts Rep Power: 2402408	Here in San Diego we have these cars that can be rented out so that folks can take tours of Balboa Park and harbor areas.. These cars are all very small, bright yellow and look like lil dune buggies.. Sometimes they run in packs6 to 10 at a time. Those are always fun to see.. Also, the store that I work at is a leather/fetish retail store.. We seem to get a lot of tourists walking in.. In fact, anyone that visits Hillcrest seems to HAVE to visit our store.. Usually later at night and after a few drinks.. They giggle and ignore me and my coworker then they either want to plkay dress-up or wack at each other with 100 dollors worth of leather flogger.. And they like to take pictures. Yeah.. Not good tourist or shopper's etiquette. I tend to be a lil snippy with them when they take down our displays to play with them or to take pictures with the "gimp" mask.. lol I also like to kinda follow them around and educate them on the finer points of fetish gear and play. They usually leave after that. Bah.. lol My favorites are the Asian tourists with the big cameras that come in.. lol Yeah, really __________________ The beatings shall continue.. until moral improves..

05-31-2011, 12:19 PM	#2
Peach Member How Do You Identify?: femme Relationship Status: happily married Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: where my hat is Posts: 173 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 69 Thanked 640 Times in 129 Posts Rep Power: 5775547	[QUOTE=betenoire;349768]You're so lucky to have grown up there, Saltspring Island is so great. (That was the only island I ever visited when I was living in Vancouver.) I promise I didn't act like an ass. I just went hiking and then went home. it was an amazing place to grow up. As a kid, we had acres and acres of forest, farms, a lake across the road, orchards so full of fruit, we would make ourselves sick from eating! As an teen, it became a bit close. Everyone knew everyone, if you skipped class, you would be found out bythe time yougot home!! LOL It has become a tourist mecca, which IMO has had a negative effect. Property prices are outrageous, low income people cant find a decent place to live for a decent rent. If you do, you have to vacate by May, because everyone wants to rent any space they have to tourists. You cant find a place to park in town, and stores and shops hike their prices for the season. I get that tourist dollars fuel business, but at the same time, locals seem to get the short end of the stick.

05-31-2011, 01:26 PM	#5
Nina Timed Out How Do You Identify?: unmistakably Preferred Pronoun?: dearheart Relationship Status: In love, loved and Happy, thanks for askin' Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: SF CA Posts: 1,720 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,113 Thanked 3,384 Times in 931 Posts Rep Power: 0	really?---how come? reading that makes me very uncomfortable...is the ethnic descriptor interchangeable?...and if it is, how would it read?... why are they your "favorites"...good tippers? My favorites are the Asian tourists with the big cameras that come in.. lol Yeah, really [/QUOTE]

05-31-2011, 01:45 PM	#7
Nina Timed Out How Do You Identify?: unmistakably Preferred Pronoun?: dearheart Relationship Status: In love, loved and Happy, thanks for askin' Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: SF CA Posts: 1,720 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,113 Thanked 3,384 Times in 931 Posts Rep Power: 0	hey Tony... thanks for taking the time to respond, and to do it in a way that didn't make my eyes bleed yes, it did sound 'racist' to me...I think we often risk that when we use sweeping statements about any ethnic, or other wise identifiable, group of people, as unintended as it may be...add to that the fact that we don't know who is on the other end of the screen, it's always good (in my estimation) to steer away from generalized statements... I do understand now, much better, what you intended to convey...and, again, I really do appreciate you taking the time to clarify...I imagine it gets to be wearing to have people come into your place of employment and behave as though they are on some kind of field trip...I do hope, that for the most part, folks behave and it's as stress free as any job dealing with The Public can be! thanks again...all the best Nina Sorry if that seemed racist or something.. My main reason for saying that is because they come in, look around and leave.. Very quiet and polite.. Not like the drunk rude ones. Plus, it makes me feel like we are something to see, you know? that we'll be part of thier story when they get home. Hope that helps. -Tony[/QUOTE]