Tourism deluge dilemma
The Taipei Times’ editorial prompted a wry chuckle from this reader (“Protect locals from tourism deluge,” July 26, page 6). I was reminded of a somewhat similar situation that Boston Harborfest, an organization that I was heavily involved with for nearly 30 years, inadvertently caused.
Tourism had slowed during the early summer, and many nonprofit organizations, especially museums and historical sites, were compelled to reduce operating hours. Boston Harborfest was created to draw attention to the many cultural and historical delights that our city had to offer.
We started with a few thousand participants; we ultimately saw that number catapult into the tens of thousands with, according to the Massachusetts Lodging Association, more than 2 million visitors from around the world coming to Boston before, during and after our week-long series of family-friendly events.
The success was so great that, for one of our signature events, the “Boston Chowderfest,” restaurants that had eagerly signed up in the early days for the opportunity to showcase their clam chowder expertise were too busy with the influx of customers to participate as easily as before, when they had few to no customers.
They found a “resolution” of sorts by hiring part-time staff to participate in the Boston Chowderfest while the regular staff tended to the hordes of customers that the now internationally recognized Boston Harborfest was bringing to the city.
The dilemma that certain areas of Taiwan are facing during these truly troubling times mirrors my own experience. Let us hope that all parties are able to arrive at a level of accommodation that would continue to bring badly needed revenue to local businesses while mitigating the impact of an influx of tourists eager to “get out and about.”
Kirk Hazlett
University of Tampa
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