I think you make some excellent observations, Scott. I agree that direct air corridors have a large influence, look at what the A321XLR is opening up for American tourists; heck, living not far from JFK airport we always have a wealth of new options every summer—my husband and I have wanted to go to Malta but we're doing it this year because there is a direct flight and it became significantly easier.
The media/social media landscape has also changed vastly... and I agree with you: why post a place for engagement and then pull the ladder up and gate keep it? I thought about this recently while hiking in the Snowy Range in Wyoming. It's locally well known but not a "known" place broadly—a highway takes you up to 10,000 feet amongst pristine alpine tundra. The perfect place to hike and see stunning scenery, yet all with the option of putting in very few miles on the trail (if that's your desire). In the wrong social media hands, that place could easily 'blow up' and become a snarl of traffic and selfie sticks.
Perhaps I'm old fashioned and yearn for the days when people weren't inspired to travel from a 3 second visual clip or hook, instead a compelling story led them to book a ticket and pack their bags.
Richard your note a few weeks(?) back was a catalyst for getting this one on to the page, so thank you for that. I think hikes and outdoor spaces need to have extra sensitivity and consideration. To others who may find this comment I rec his Acatenango piece which is a great example of what happens when the algorithm drives people to a place without enough preparation or respect. https://travellingtroubadour.substack.com/p/the-mountain-the-algorithm-built
Thanks for sharing, Scott! Yes, I think you’re right that when it comes to outdoor spaces/wildlife etc there’s an extra level of consideration that needs to be applied.
this made me think a lot, and while i'm still not sure whether i agree or disagree with you here, i really appreciate you writing this
the transport argument is true, and i also agree that the "i did it but you shouldnt" and "look at me in this beautiful place but i wont tell you where it is" mentality is unhelpful. at the same time, i saw someone on instagram post some photos of an island in indonesia and say that she won't publish the exact location because if you can't do bare minimum research and just want the same pics, you shouldnt be visiting. to people who did find the place and messaged her, she would then give local contacts. and honestly, i kind of respect that because on social media, people are sometimes so entitled to all sorts of information being spoonfed to them when google is right there.
I also recently saw someone recommend a restaurant in Bogota on TikTok, which is my in-laws' favorite spot run by an elderly couple. i don't think they want more business in the form of influencers sticking phones in their faces, so the post got me a bit worried. i do believe that these community and tradition-driven places are sometimes better gatekept, or at least given out with caution.
personally, despite being a nobody, i try to approach everything i post online with "what if a big influencer sees this and makes content about it" approach, and if i'm not comfortable with the outcome, i either don't share or at least paywall
Really appreciate this. I agree with you, I think the Indonesia example is sharing done right. Filtering for people who put in the effort is a good way to do it. I think what your examples point out is that the math is different depending on who you are and where you share. If I went to your in-laws spot in Bogota, that's something it sounds like I would keep to myself or share only with people I know. But I'm also a writer not an IG/TikTok person or influencer in the slightest.
Such a great note about flights and transportation driving over tourism more than anything else. I always think gatekeeping feels like virtue signaling. It’s a useless gesture, especially with reverse image search as any IG post can be looked up in two seconds.
Didn’t even think about the reverse image searching when writing this, I appreciate you mentioning that down here its a whole new world with AI in travel these days.
The 'direct flight' theory seems sound to me. Earlier this year I was in São Tomé, wondering why there were so many Europeans there who looked fresh and sparkly. Then I learned there was a direct TAG flight from Lisbon, and that's how nearly everyone gets there.
That's interesting. Also, related, @Ken Opalo had a great piece on Intra-African flying (paywalled now), but I'm pasting it for you regardless, in which he gets into why those corridors almost always run through Europe or the Gulf instead of connecting the continent to itself. If Africa can sort out intra-continental flights (and visas), that’s how we will see travel in Africa really take off. https://www.africanistperspective.com/p/why-is-it-so-difficult-and-crazy
I did read that article before it was paywalled. It reminds me of the reason I look for any way possible to avoid flying on the continent. I once spent $400 for a 20-minute flight because there was no other way to make the trip, and it was canceled anyway.
When I wrote my comment, I was also thinking about the visas as you mention. Visa costs and complications are the number one reason I hear travelers deciding not to visit one African country or another. It's such an expensive mess.
Excellent, glad you did, and I agree that visas are definitely an issue in Africa still and a factor in development of corridors or the lack there. $400 for 20 mins is like an equivalent rate to flying private 😂. Hope you got the refund when it was canceled.
Yes, I had to fight the good fight, but got it sorted out in the end. Everyone you speak to knows how broken the system is, but no one has the power to fix it.
I used to live in Paris. When first time visitors ask for tips to see “the real Paris” I try to share the places off the beaten path that I know. But the person seeking the tips never goes. They seem to prefer to experience the tourist circuit. And I’m not a snob. I never tell them NOT to go on the Bateaux Mouches. That’s super fun if you’ve never been to Paris. But they won’t try the park or the restaurant I recommend, even though they asked. It’s baffling. It’s possible they don’t have enough time or scared because they don’t speak French. Who knows.
This is so interesting but when I think about it not surprising. I’d imagine you’re right about the language but it’s also probably the influence of others. Like if I went to Paris, came back, and family asked about it they would probably be like “Oh, wow did you go to the Louve and see the Mona Lisa?” and I think most people want to answer that and share pictures of it rather than say they didn’t and get the “Wait, you went all the way to Paris and didn’t see that!” comment.
no lies told! There's this cycle between easy of transport (especially direct flights) and the commodification of the place and subsequent backlash. You and I don't have any sway in the tides of tourism, though it's still somewhat beholden to us to inspire folks to strive for more and see the world from different perspectives...but even then like .000000000000001% of the traveling contingent will actually listen haha
Totally. I do think it's a long game, but I do think collectively writers covering the lesser-covered places can make a real difference. Especially now, when you add in the rise of travel agents again through companies like Fora. An agent who understands this can steer a client toward somewhere different and that client tells their friends and it builds from there.
I think you make some excellent observations, Scott. I agree that direct air corridors have a large influence, look at what the A321XLR is opening up for American tourists; heck, living not far from JFK airport we always have a wealth of new options every summer—my husband and I have wanted to go to Malta but we're doing it this year because there is a direct flight and it became significantly easier.
The media/social media landscape has also changed vastly... and I agree with you: why post a place for engagement and then pull the ladder up and gate keep it? I thought about this recently while hiking in the Snowy Range in Wyoming. It's locally well known but not a "known" place broadly—a highway takes you up to 10,000 feet amongst pristine alpine tundra. The perfect place to hike and see stunning scenery, yet all with the option of putting in very few miles on the trail (if that's your desire). In the wrong social media hands, that place could easily 'blow up' and become a snarl of traffic and selfie sticks.
Perhaps I'm old fashioned and yearn for the days when people weren't inspired to travel from a 3 second visual clip or hook, instead a compelling story led them to book a ticket and pack their bags.
Richard your note a few weeks(?) back was a catalyst for getting this one on to the page, so thank you for that. I think hikes and outdoor spaces need to have extra sensitivity and consideration. To others who may find this comment I rec his Acatenango piece which is a great example of what happens when the algorithm drives people to a place without enough preparation or respect. https://travellingtroubadour.substack.com/p/the-mountain-the-algorithm-built
Thanks for sharing, Scott! Yes, I think you’re right that when it comes to outdoor spaces/wildlife etc there’s an extra level of consideration that needs to be applied.
this made me think a lot, and while i'm still not sure whether i agree or disagree with you here, i really appreciate you writing this
the transport argument is true, and i also agree that the "i did it but you shouldnt" and "look at me in this beautiful place but i wont tell you where it is" mentality is unhelpful. at the same time, i saw someone on instagram post some photos of an island in indonesia and say that she won't publish the exact location because if you can't do bare minimum research and just want the same pics, you shouldnt be visiting. to people who did find the place and messaged her, she would then give local contacts. and honestly, i kind of respect that because on social media, people are sometimes so entitled to all sorts of information being spoonfed to them when google is right there.
I also recently saw someone recommend a restaurant in Bogota on TikTok, which is my in-laws' favorite spot run by an elderly couple. i don't think they want more business in the form of influencers sticking phones in their faces, so the post got me a bit worried. i do believe that these community and tradition-driven places are sometimes better gatekept, or at least given out with caution.
personally, despite being a nobody, i try to approach everything i post online with "what if a big influencer sees this and makes content about it" approach, and if i'm not comfortable with the outcome, i either don't share or at least paywall
Really appreciate this. I agree with you, I think the Indonesia example is sharing done right. Filtering for people who put in the effort is a good way to do it. I think what your examples point out is that the math is different depending on who you are and where you share. If I went to your in-laws spot in Bogota, that's something it sounds like I would keep to myself or share only with people I know. But I'm also a writer not an IG/TikTok person or influencer in the slightest.
Such a great note about flights and transportation driving over tourism more than anything else. I always think gatekeeping feels like virtue signaling. It’s a useless gesture, especially with reverse image search as any IG post can be looked up in two seconds.
Didn’t even think about the reverse image searching when writing this, I appreciate you mentioning that down here its a whole new world with AI in travel these days.
The 'direct flight' theory seems sound to me. Earlier this year I was in São Tomé, wondering why there were so many Europeans there who looked fresh and sparkly. Then I learned there was a direct TAG flight from Lisbon, and that's how nearly everyone gets there.
That's interesting. Also, related, @Ken Opalo had a great piece on Intra-African flying (paywalled now), but I'm pasting it for you regardless, in which he gets into why those corridors almost always run through Europe or the Gulf instead of connecting the continent to itself. If Africa can sort out intra-continental flights (and visas), that’s how we will see travel in Africa really take off. https://www.africanistperspective.com/p/why-is-it-so-difficult-and-crazy
I did read that article before it was paywalled. It reminds me of the reason I look for any way possible to avoid flying on the continent. I once spent $400 for a 20-minute flight because there was no other way to make the trip, and it was canceled anyway.
When I wrote my comment, I was also thinking about the visas as you mention. Visa costs and complications are the number one reason I hear travelers deciding not to visit one African country or another. It's such an expensive mess.
Excellent, glad you did, and I agree that visas are definitely an issue in Africa still and a factor in development of corridors or the lack there. $400 for 20 mins is like an equivalent rate to flying private 😂. Hope you got the refund when it was canceled.
Yes, I had to fight the good fight, but got it sorted out in the end. Everyone you speak to knows how broken the system is, but no one has the power to fix it.
I used to live in Paris. When first time visitors ask for tips to see “the real Paris” I try to share the places off the beaten path that I know. But the person seeking the tips never goes. They seem to prefer to experience the tourist circuit. And I’m not a snob. I never tell them NOT to go on the Bateaux Mouches. That’s super fun if you’ve never been to Paris. But they won’t try the park or the restaurant I recommend, even though they asked. It’s baffling. It’s possible they don’t have enough time or scared because they don’t speak French. Who knows.
But I agree- don’t gatekeep.
This is so interesting but when I think about it not surprising. I’d imagine you’re right about the language but it’s also probably the influence of others. Like if I went to Paris, came back, and family asked about it they would probably be like “Oh, wow did you go to the Louve and see the Mona Lisa?” and I think most people want to answer that and share pictures of it rather than say they didn’t and get the “Wait, you went all the way to Paris and didn’t see that!” comment.
Yes! This is likely the reason!
no lies told! There's this cycle between easy of transport (especially direct flights) and the commodification of the place and subsequent backlash. You and I don't have any sway in the tides of tourism, though it's still somewhat beholden to us to inspire folks to strive for more and see the world from different perspectives...but even then like .000000000000001% of the traveling contingent will actually listen haha
Totally. I do think it's a long game, but I do think collectively writers covering the lesser-covered places can make a real difference. Especially now, when you add in the rise of travel agents again through companies like Fora. An agent who understands this can steer a client toward somewhere different and that client tells their friends and it builds from there.
I agree 100%!