Thoughts on Tourism

My darling husband and I were able to escape for a few days up to the Thousand Island region on the St. Lawrence river. We enjoyed beautiful weather, fine food, excellent bicycling, kayaking and good entertainment as well. Coming from a touristy area ourselves, we were very aware of how the locals could potentially view us. Tourists, by definition, do not have to be annoying and a harmonious relationship can exist between the two entities. Afterall, tourism is an industry, and if done right, can benefit the community.

I make it a point to shop locally, but I am particularly aware of this when vacationing. The locals (beyond the employees) do not really benefit if I shop or eat at one of the chain stores. The executives of these chains take the money and throw it somewhere else. If I choose to shop at local boutiques, then I know the local shopowners are going to use their income locally and thus create a positive feedback cycle.

Unfortunately, in our area, the main attraction (at least for the teenagers) is owned by people who live several states away. They have developed this complex so much, the families don't even need to come into town anymore to eat, or shop. In addition, so much of the housing is rented out on a weekly basis during the summer that there is no year-round rental market anymore. I have removed myself somewhat from the politics of all of this, but basically, the lack of affordable housing (rentals) has contributed to the lowering enrollment of the school district, which in turn has resulted in numerous budget cuts and loss of services at the school. This isn't the fault of the tourists themselves; it's a lack of forethought and a general attitude of greed (or is it the tug of capitalism?). Bigger is better! Expansion is great! Let's cater to the tourists! Nothing better than cash in the pocket! I think, however, that our stores have forgotten the local population and the long term effects of such behavior. I am grateful for the few restaurants in town that don't particularly cater to the tourists (groups of teenagers accompanied by adults). I talk to old-timers and they describe what Main St. used to look like with its hardware stores, drug stores, clothing shops etc. My biggest worry is that when the main attraction for the teenagers shuts down, will there be anything left to sustain the local population? So many of our local storefronts have been transformed into souvenir shops that I fear that we will become another ghost town of Upstate New York if the tourists were to leave. We can't just go back to the "days before" where there were just the Museums and not much else that sent New Yorkers and Bostonians flocking here. I believe our community has gotten itself caught up in a vicious circle, where now it has no choice to keep up with the frazzled pace, unless it wants to lose everything.