When tourism overcomes the attraction

LUCY BURDETTE: We were toying with the idea of going to Iceland next year, but reading articles about how tourists have overrun the island was discouraging. Apparently Justin Bieber's video caused some of the tourist crush on Iceland, along with the filming of Game of Thrones.

At the New England Crimebake this year, our guest of honor Ann Cleeves mentioned that the person who owns the house where she pictured Jimmy Perez living agreed to allow the home to be used in the shooting of Shetland, the TV series. He’s regretting that now, as people are constantly knocking on his door. He finally put up a sign that says “Jimmy Perez does not live here.” Here's a screenshot of a tour called "Jimmy Perez's Shetland." (I admit that I love Jimmy and would probably take this tour even if it's hokey.)

And when we made an overnight stop to Ireland this summer as part of our Scotland vacation, we did experience some of the big crowds at a world heritage site called the Giants Causeway. Here are a couple of pictures John took when he hiked up high.

And here's what we saw as we walked along the path at the bottom (photo by my sister, Susan Cerulean.)

I’ve been thinking about this because of the book that I’m currently writing taking place in Scotland. Can I come up with a plot based on this kind of tourism conflict? We shall see. Have you had this kind of experience while traveling? Are there places you would choose not to go because too many people have ruined the attraction?

HALLIE EPHRON: We encountered this issue visiting Croatia. Dubrovnik, for instance, is SO crowded with tourists. Venice, too. Ketchikan. I imagine you have the same thing in Key West. It’s a particular a problem visiting any coastal city that’s got cruise ships docking. One of those massive ships docks, and THOUSANDS of passengers spill out overwhelming the town. A few hours later they swarm back to the boat and the town is deserted. 

Reykjavik handles tourist crowds remarkably well. Tourism (along with fish and electric power) is what fuels their economy. 

The thing about these places is that they’re spectacular. (Loved Giants Causeway!) 

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Wasn’t there just something about the Mona Lisa? Deep in my brain--that they--took it down, because of something like that? Maybe I dreamed it. Or--Beyonce got a private tour and everyone is mad? I have a terrible cold and my brain is not working.

But what if the tourism conflict is about a FABULOUS place (a restaurant?) where it used to be booked years in advance that for some reason suddenly NO ONE wants to visit, because of,  I don’t know, bad romaine? (or whatever, kidding) and the sleuth (is it Hayley?) has to figure out what really happened and who’s trying to ruin where ever it is?

We went to a restaurant in Florence called Enotecca Pincchiori that was incredible (but so expensive, yeeessh)  and you had to book a year in advance.

 (That was the time where at the next table there were two truly chic American parents, with their two INCREDIBLY entitled teenaged girls, and when they ordered, the girls told the waiter to put the sauce on the side and asked for all manner of changes to the menu. The waiter politely took the order, and then five minutes later came back and said (in pretty fabulous English)  “The chef says to tell you he makes his food the way the makes his food and he cannot cook the way you tell him. The dishes are prepared as they are on the menu. And he says to tell you, you are no longer welcome and please leave.”

AND THEY HAD TO LEAVE!

(Lucy, feel free to use that!)

LUCY: Wow, thanks Hank, what an amazing story!

DEBS: I absolutely LOVE this!! Hooray for the chef!

RHYS BOWEN: I spent a lot of time in Venice last summer and experienced the tourist overload. One day there were six cruise ships docked  SIX!!! Trying to walk between St Marks and Rialto was impossible. And the wash from those giant ships passing a few feet from the buildings is certainly contributing to the damage. Luckily they all disappear by 4:pm and the city returns to normality. 

But the interesting thing I’ve always found is that I only have to walk a few yards off the tourist track and it’s absolute peace. Never had problems with restaurants over on the other side of the Grand Canal.

We found this in Yosemite once when I camped with the children. We hiked half a mile down the river and got a little beach to ourselves when the park was jam packed. 

Another tip is to go to popular sites early in the morning!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’ve had the experience of getting close to or climbing on archeological remains that are now closed to the public not once, but twice. I visited Stonehenge in the early eighties, when you could wander around the site and touch the stones. And in the early nineties, Ross and I went to Chichen Itza, and climbed El Castillo (the Temple of Kukulcan) some of the smaller step pyramids, and walked through the Ball Court. Of course, lots and lots and LOTS of visitors liked to do the same, and now both sites are severely restricted. 

One thing I’ve noticed about many of the tourist-endangered attractions - they’re UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In fact, I just checked - with the exception of Shetland and Reykjavik, every place we’ve mentioned in the discussion so far is a World Heritage Site (and Reykjavik is the only city close to several named sites in Iceland.) It’s an incredible program and treaty, and very important in rallying conservation efforts, but it also does seem to put a large bullseye on targets that are shortly overwhelmed by tourists who’ve put -------- on their must-see list.

JENN McKINLAY: This is likely why I’ll never kiss the Blarney Stone! I’ve discovered I’m a big believer in off season travel. We did London and Bath in early June (still cold) and it was lovely and not overly crowded. We also went to Stonehenge and while we couldn’t get near the stones because of restrictions, it wasn’t a zoo and I really enjoyed the audio tour. We went to Paris in mid October this year (also on the chilly side) and while there were crowds, it wasn’t the intense height of summer nonsense that ruins the trip. Down in the Catacombs, it wasn’t crowded at all! Go figure. I can’t think of a place I wouldn’t go because of crowds but I can definitely see the appeal of choosing places that are not trending! Ugh! I mean I love people, but I go on vacation to get away from them!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Julia, I got to see Stonehenge before it was restricted, too. It was amazing. I've also been more recently, and while I understand that the fencing is necessary, it's not the same experience.

Somehow I seldom end up in England in the high season, but some of the times I've been in London in August have been miserable. Not only crowds but unexpected heat waves, no air-conditioning. Same with Paris. I did live in a very touristy city, Chester, and the crowds and tour buses in the summer made doing any ordinary thing in the town almost impossible. It was not a happy experience.

Reds, have you had this kind of experience while traveling? Are there places you would choose not to go because too many people have ruined the attraction?

Twisted Traveler

RHYS BOWEN: One of my long-time friends, Twist Phelan, lives the sort of life many of us dream of living. I can never keep up with her because she is flying off to some exotic part of the world (with adorable husband Jack in tow, often not knowing where they are heading until they board the plane!)

Twist has always been a woman of adventure, also the kind of person that things happen to. I remember stories of hanging upside down waiting to be rescued while climbing, of strange men coming into hotel rooms. Actually the strange men seem to happen less frequently these days with a six foot plus male beside her. But wherever she goes she has adventures.

(Yes, she is sand boarding down a dune in Abu Dhabi!) And she's here today to tell you about them, also about her exciting new thriller,FAKE, featuring a traveling girl rather like herself.

TWIST PHELAN: I am a traveler. Over the past three years I've visited over 50 countries and flown nearly a million miles. I'm peripatetic by nature, and being a mystery and thriller writer allows me to work wherever there's an outlet for my laptop and a decent WiFi connection. Even then, the latter is optional.

Several people have asked me how I decide what to do and see when I go to a different country. It's easy ... and hard at the same time.

When at home, I write, go to the gym, ride my bike and ski in the mountains, enjoy contemporary art/architecture/design, visit science museums and booksellers, listen to music and see plays, eat at casual healthy places, ethnic holes-in-the-wall, and "foodie" restaurants, walk or cycle through neighborhoods, shop current designers, read fiction and non-fiction, go to dinner parties ... and I do essentially the same when I travel.

When I was younger, I made a point of seeing the iconic in a foreign place. That meant a lot of trips to gigantic churches and a lot of Renaissance art. But upon embarking on this latest phase of travel three years ago, I decided I'd had enough. No more scowling men in gilded frames. No more monuments to politicians.

I'm not saying these things aren't interesting. They just aren't interesting to me. Now when I see or do the iconic when I travel, it is because it appeals or interests me, not because I'm supposed to. As Erle Stanley Gardner said, “I like what I like and not what I'm supposed to like because of mass rating.” I happily rode in a gondola in Venice because it was something I thought would be romantic, not because a guide book told me it would be. And despite four trips in two years to Florence, I have yet to make it back to the Uffizi Gallery. I might one day, but there are still many other things I want to do and places I want to explore first in that city.

It's quite liberating—and a bit scary—to decide nothing in the world is a must-do. It makes you responsible for your own good time. And your own fails.

When I have no set agenda, I've happened onto some extraordinary experiences. At Lago di Garda in Italy, pausing to watch the sailboats ended with me and my traveling companion being drafted to compete in the race. Lingering in a restaurant in Jaipur, India led to an invitation to a three-day wedding celebration.

Of course even when things go wrong, it can turn into a memorable experience. Accepting an invitation to go paragliding in Cartagena, Colombia resulted in a cracked shinbone, but I will never forget the (literally) bird's-eye view of the city!

On your next trip, consider skipping at least some of the Top Ten Things to See in [insert city name], and instead make your way to a neighborhood café or an art-movie house or a golf course, or whatever it is you enjoy doing at home. Chances are, you'll enjoy doing it in the city you are visiting as well.

Thriller Award-winning author Twist Phelan is a modern nomad, telling stories as she travels the world. She is the author of FAKE, EXIT, and the soon-to-be-released DOUBT in the Finn Teller corporate spy mystery series

RHYS: Twist shares her adventures on her Facebook page, her newsletter and her blog on her website. Great reading for armchair travelers!  And the pictures are of Denmark, Abu Dhabi, Japan, Iceland, and Istanbul.