Tourists

[Bollo]

There've been a couple of reports around about the increase in tourist numbers in the UK. The beeb are covering it this morning and the Graun have had a few stories.

There's been a noticeable increase in Winchester over the past two years for a number of reasons - cheap pound, Jane Austin, cruise-ship day-trips from Soton and Salisbury to name a few.

Personally I like people visiting the city; it never feels overwhelming and brings money in, but a week or two ago I went to Oxford to meet Mrs Dr B after work. The areas around the main tourist sites were just nuts busy and it didn't seem like much fun for anyone. I also have a cousin who lives in Cornwall. He loves the visitors because he owns a car park but he says there's a huge amount of resentment locally, despite the tourist bucks.

So CC peeps, are you seeing more visitors down your ends? Are they a benefit, a curse or a bit of both?

 

[midlife]

I live at the North end of the lake district and simply don't go near any of the tourist places in the Summer. Been like that for the last 15years....

 

[Dirk]

Definitely more Grockles here in North Devon and it's a trend that's been growing over the past 2 - 3 years.
We seen to be getting more Dutch, French and Germans as well.
Not a major problem for us, so long as we avoid the honey pots.

 

[AndyRM]

Parking is definitely a bone of contention where we live, there's not much and despite great public transport links folk seem determined to drive to Whitley Bay.

The area is undergoing some pretty significant regeneration, most notably Spanish City, which is long overdue so there's a weird mix of impressed visitors and locals who moan that it's taken far too long to get to this stage. There aren't many foreign tourists but plenty from the surrounding areas.

Most folk come for the beach and a few of the better known places, handy being local and knowing where to avoid and when!

 

[Venod]

So CC peeps, are you seeing more visitors down your ends? Are they a benefit, a curse or a bit of both?

We visit York quite a lot for shopping, it gets tourist all year round but noticeable moor in summer, its hard to tell if there is more this year because its rammed as usual.

I like to see the tourists it makes for a good atmosphere.

 

[Drago]

Less people up my end. An attraction in the local forest has closed over safety concerns, so less folk are visiting. This is good, as the Forestry Commission charge a stupid amount to park in their car park, so once the tourists have finished polluting my air and poisoning the planet by driving there, they would then create a hazard by dumping their cars on the narrow country roads hereabouts instead of taking out a bank loan to park properly.

The business they bring is of course nice to have, but safety and environmental considerations are more important than mere money.

 

[welsh dragon]

We seem to be getting more tourists here as well. This is a mecca for the MTB. Lots of forrestry paths here for them to tear around. And of course more people are staying in the UK for holidays so the numbers are up. Good for local business, but not so much the locals. We get a lot of bikers of the leather clad variety, and they are less welcome. They tend to think the roads are here for their pleasure and the speed limit does not apply to them. Most do ride within the limit, but some need to be hit over the head for the things they do.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

I avoid this problem entirely by living near to Wolverhampton. Never see a single tourist.

On the downside, I live near to Wolverhampton.

 

[Dirk]

I was in the village yesterday and saw a family walking into the chippie.
Mum and Dad were wearing wet suits and kids were in bathers.
That's something you don't see in most places.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Bloody tourists coming over here spending all their money ,barstids..

Only tourists I've seen this week are 10 travelling families all on the land next to work again, sadly they don't seem to boost the local economy...or go home after their stay.

 

[MontyVeda]

Lancaster's a student town with a population of 52,000 plus about 17,000 students. When most go home for the summer the place feels empty. We've got a nice castle and the Ashton Memorial and we're on the way to the Lakes so plenty of tourists do stop off. I feel quite proud to see people from all over the world enthusiastically taking photographs of all the buildings I take for granted. Then in September the tourists go and the students come back, vomiting and peeing on the same buildings.

 

[Dave7]

Warrington is heaving with tourists. It is reported we had 2 in the same week recently.

 

[Serge]

Not many tourists in my area unsurprisingly. Even the locals don't visit.

 

[fossyant]

Manchester is busy, especially with the "Bees In the City".

 

[rugby bloke]

The Borough Council appear to have a policy of actively dissuading visitors by turning Northampton into one of the the most carp towns in the country. Not sure about the policy but you cannot fault the vigor with which it is being implemented. The County Council have now picked up on the idea and have decided to take the whole country down as well.