So, I was born and raised in this beauuuutiful, highly popular and highly commercialized tourist destionation island.
Don’t get me wrong, I am proud of it and I embrace it whole-heartedly.
I left my hometown at 18 (now I’m 28), but still visit pretty frequently (my core family doesn’t live there anymore but I still have many friends & relatives there).
Thing is, my hometown has gotten extremely popular and commercialized over the years (it has appeared in many Hollywood movies, has been a popular choice for destination weddings, sees many nationalities from all over the globe moving there to work remotely and enjoy a nice beach-side lifestyle).
I know I should be happy that this level of tourism and enthusiasm is boosting the local economy, especially now that post-pandemic travelling is resuming rapidly.
HOWEVER, a part of me also feels sad because the influx of tourists just make the place become less affordable, so overrated, so clichè, and people assume they know the ins/outs of the island just because they had been there once or twice. Which irks me sometimes.
I am always happy to encourage people to visit my beautiful hometown when they have the opportunity, and give good recommendations as well (heck, sometimes I even help some friends create a complete itinerary).
But it also kinda feels like my hometown is not really mine anymore, or that these people have a false illusion about what it’s truly like just because they’ve been there for vacations or lived there for a short while (depending on your skin color, you get treated by the locals differently too, thus affecting your personal experience & perception of the place).
Also, when people find out where I’m from (which is not usually very obvious, neither it is something that I brag about), they tend to treat me better but also make it as if my hometown is my whole personality/identity.
I don’t know why these bother me, but they do. Just wondering if anyone has had any similar experiences or can relate? How do you respond to people asking you questions about your (popular) hometown in an overly enthusiastic manner?
TLDR: My hometown is a popular global destination and I don’t like that it’s so hyped up by tourists.
1 comment
I understand your feelings about a home town, I was born and raised in Windsor UK, and 2 years ago I visited just as a tourist for the first time and it was quite odd, I had actually popped along to see the family plot in the town cemetery as my mum and dad had been added to the upgraded memorial stone. It was very odd being in such a familiar place but no longer belonging. There no close family there there’s some distance cousins but I didn’t feel comfortable just landing on them uninvited and unannounced. And as dear as my old home town is to me I wouldn’t move back there.