New faces of tourism in Paris
Jul 15, 2015 12:28:17 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2015 12:28:17 GMT
A lot of the "historical" visitors to Paris are in denial about the changing tourist market. Some of them have barricaded themselves in micro districts such as Saint Germain-des-Prés which are not equipped to handle the new mass tourism, while others are going more and more off the beaten track to avoid the "hordes." Well, frankly there is no way to avoid the hordes for people wanting to see the main sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame or Sacré Coeur. It is almost as though the old architects had a premonition that they needed to build really big places to fit in as many tourists as possible.
I do sort of regret the old days when Paris was not crowded all the time, but at the same time I think that absolutely everybody has the right to come and see some of the greatest sights in the world here. As an open society, we must adapt, notably for tourists from the two most populated countries in the world. They are now coming to see us and we need to welcome them. The days of the European and North American tourists being the majority is coming to an end.
It was therefore very informative to take a Bateau-Mouche at the height of the tourist season the other day. I have already seen the sights, so I had much more fun just looking at my fellow tourists. With all due respect, I hope that the new tourists will soon evolve from the current phase of pushing and shoving and understand that there is enough room for everybody on the boat and that nobody will be left behind. I must confess that the other day, the pre-boarding phase was a bit reminiscent of news footage that we have all seen of refugees attempting to escape disaster. Unfortunately, I did not photograph it.
I do sort of regret the old days when Paris was not crowded all the time, but at the same time I think that absolutely everybody has the right to come and see some of the greatest sights in the world here. As an open society, we must adapt, notably for tourists from the two most populated countries in the world. They are now coming to see us and we need to welcome them. The days of the European and North American tourists being the majority is coming to an end.
It was therefore very informative to take a Bateau-Mouche at the height of the tourist season the other day. I have already seen the sights, so I had much more fun just looking at my fellow tourists. With all due respect, I hope that the new tourists will soon evolve from the current phase of pushing and shoving and understand that there is enough room for everybody on the boat and that nobody will be left behind. I must confess that the other day, the pre-boarding phase was a bit reminiscent of news footage that we have all seen of refugees attempting to escape disaster. Unfortunately, I did not photograph it.
But once we were on the boat, my camera went into action.
Many people were much more obsessed by photographing each other and did not even glance at the passing monuments.
Others were more stoic and obediently looked at the view while probably wondering when they would get lunch.
Selfies were already flying across the planet and adorning Facebook pages.
Not all cultures wear baseball caps as protection from the sun.
Many people were much more obsessed by photographing each other and did not even glance at the passing monuments.
Others were more stoic and obediently looked at the view while probably wondering when they would get lunch.
Selfies were already flying across the planet and adorning Facebook pages.
Not all cultures wear baseball caps as protection from the sun.