Tourist traps are businesses that profit from visitors to a specific area, often with high markups on souvenirs and food. Some areas, such as amusement parks and historic sites, can also be tourist traps. Locals may view these areas negatively, preferring more authentic experiences. To avoid tourist traps, use guidebooks, blogs, and TV shows to find unique activities and quality goods.
A tourist trap is a business or group of businesses that aim to make money from people who visit a specific area. The term can be used negatively, even though occasionally visiting a tourist trap can be very desirable. If you want to buy mementos from your trip, for example, the tourist trap may offer sweatshirts, mugs or refrigerator magnets that look perfect.
Residents of an area where a tourist trap may exist often use the term tourist trap in a negative way. For example, San Franciscans may deplore certain areas of the city as tourist trap areas. Such areas include Ghirardelli Square and Pier 39, as well as parts of Chinatown. As these areas include numerous shops and restaurants, they bring income to the city through taxes. However, San Franciscans tend to prefer visiting areas that aren’t inundated with tourists.
Some areas have few residents and are really geared towards tourists, such as Niagara Falls. Entire sections of Reno and Las Vegas in Nevada are meant for people to visit. Often these tourist trap areas offer a high markup on souvenir items and food. Big casinos, for example, aren’t generally known for the best food. Locals in both areas may be reluctant to point out the best local restaurants and shops as these too may become tourist traps.
Other candidates for the tourist trap are amusement parks, monuments, museums and historic sites. However, local residents can also enjoy them, depending on whether the cost of going to such a place is reasonable.
Many savvy tourists enjoy an authentic experience of the places they visit, so they tend to avoid overtly tourist-trap environments. You may also notice a notable rise in prices for services around tourist areas. For example, near the large hotels and piers of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, it costs about US$20 (USD) to take a cab into the city center. However, if you walk about three or four blocks from such an area, the cost of a ride is usually cut in half.
Another form of tourist trap that is common, particularly in tropical areas, is the timeshare trap. You will see stalls lining the main streets of the cities offering jeep hire or special tours for a minimal price. To actually rent a car or go on an excursion, one can waste hours of one’s vacation listening to a talk about available timeshares. One can avoid this by arranging day trips or car rentals before visiting an area.
To avoid the retail and restaurant tourist traps, it’s wise to get a good guidebook of an area or read blogs written by locals to determine places to visit. Several food and travel TV shows are also dedicated to finding convenient places to eat, stay, or looking for unique activities. This way one can visit a place and not pay the high markups and low quality goods generally accorded to tourists.
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