Jeremy Helligar
Aug 31, 2018 · 1 min read

I feel as if “overtourism” is a “problem” created by Western journalists fumbling to find a hot topic. I’ve spent the past 15 months on the road, in Asia and in Eastern Europe, mostly in places that are off the radar for most Western tourists but also in several A destinations. I’ve been living outside of the US for 12 years, and in my experience, many locals everywhere anticipate high season. The more the merrier because it gives their cities international cachet and keeps their businesses afloat. The problem isn’t so much tourism in general as it is specifically arrogant Western tourists who think being fawned over and catered to by locals was included in their airfare. That’s an old story, but it’s the one that bears repeating.

Jeremy Helligar

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Brother. Son. Friend. Writer. Journalist. World Traveler. History-Obsessed Anxiety Survivor. Loner. Author of “Is It True What They Say About Black Men?”