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I currently live in a tourist destination town. Panama City Beach, FL.
I came here a few times on vacation. I always enjoyed coming here. Then a few years ago, the opportunity arose where I was able to purchase a property a few miles from the Gulf.
I truly enjoy living in a tourist destination. There is no shortage of things to do around here. Sure there are occasional traffic and crowds. You learn to live with those issues.
If you are looking for something to do, you can be paralyzed by all the choices you have for entertainment.
There is something for everyone and for all ages. And who doesn't like going to the beach? Especially one with crystal clear water and baby powder soft sand.
I often say that I live on vacation. People will ask about the negatives about where I live. I guess I'm immune to them. You learn the roads to avoid on summer weekends and high tourist visit times. Many bars and restaurants offer local discounts. You have to ask because they don't advertise them.
So if you live in a tourist town, how has your experience been? Love it or hate it?
If you don't live in a tourist destination, if you could, which 1 would you choose?
You know where I live. If it weren't for the slots in the one Town and us charging for the beach there wouldn't be a whole lot in the former and no beach in the latter.
But the residents don't seem to understand that now, even the ones who've been around long enough to remember dog **** and diapers buried in the sand.
The other Town raised admission to the water park to $90/head this year. Now the Council is surprised it lost a couple hundred thousand dollars this year (it usually had a net of about $300K a year).
I really like Key West FL and feel like I could live there, even though I don’t really like most of Florida. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but whenever I visit Key West I feel like a local. But at $2 million plus for a 1400 sq ft house being the norm there, I’ll have to be content with just visiting
I've lived in a number of "destination" towns all over the western US/AK and like most folks who do, feel a love/hate relationship. I chose those locations because 1) that's where a desirable job happened to be and 2) I loved the same geographical/biological/climatic/recreational features many of its visitors seek. If the place wasn't a destination, I probably wouldn't have access to services I take advantage of as a resident. The downside is dealing with all the influences of those same visitors. Crowding, stupidity, rudeness, carelessness, entitlement, seasonal uptick in the price for local services, garbage, criminal activity lured by the annual influx of easy targets, etc. During tourist season the whole nature of the place can change but more businesses and services are available and there are more things to do. Off season may be quiet, peaceful, friendlier, and clean, but seasonal businesses and services close down too. But, just as people say about the weather: "If you don't like it now, just wait a while. It will change!"
Last edited by Parnassia; 09-14-2023 at 02:52 PM..
I lived in Juneau, Alaska. Some days there would be more cruise ship tourists in town than the population of the town. The funny thing was that most people got off the cruise ships and would spend all of their time in the Disney-esque Alaska facade around the cruise ship terminals that featured all the same gift shops that were at every other Alaska cruise ship stop. Some people would do various excursions, but the ships were never in town long enough to see the "real" Alaska. When the cruise ships weren't in season (about 8 months out of the year) that entire section of town just closed up. So while the town had a lot of tourists part of the year, they mostly just stuck to "their" part of town.
Now I live in Hawaii where the entire state is a tourist destination, but not many come out my way to rural Hawaii. In places that are flooded with tourists, a lot of the locals feel like they are pushed out by the crowds.
While I live in a tourist town, it's not a big deal. The real draws that cause parking problems are only twice a year during the annual Candlelight Tour and Historic Garden Week. The annual Memorial Day Luminaria at the Fredericksburg National Cemetery (15,300 candles are lit) draws mostly locals, but it still jams traffic on a main road. The city runs a vintage trolley for tourists and there are also horse-drawn carriages that take people through the historic district as well as walking tours. Everyone is pretty well used to the tourists.
The biggest challenge is navigating peak times, especially holidays. It can actually be unenjoyable during big holiday weeks/weekends (4th July, christmas week, etc). Unfortunately, those are the times you want to host family/friends.
I live in a resort town that gets flooded with tourists during the summer. From July 4th-Labor Day I basically avoid going downtown and to the closest beach due to the crowds...the complete lack of parking and traffic backups made avoiding it quite easy. The local beach looks like the crowded beaches in South Korea, solidly ringed with people and umbrellas. Doesn't sound like a pleasant vacation to me. Our local retailers and restauranteurs rely on these tourist dollars, so I just back off during the summer and enjoy the shoulder seasons once things have quieted down. Labor Day just passed and the change in traffic is drastically different. Overall I love it because I get to live here, and they have to leave.
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