Tourism

[cbtreks]

A couple years ago - I think it was the weekend before Labor Day - Irish and I wanted to go to Redamak's https://www.redamaks.com/ and drove up to New Buffalo. We planned on driving by the beach and turning around (it costs to park and since we were only taking a quick look we didn't plan on parking in the first place), which just takes a couple

Comments

[curiouswombat]

Our island used to rely more on the tourist industry than any other for a lot of the last century. When I was a child in the 60s the 'visitors' were still a major source of income and a lot of places were only open from Easter until the second week of September, when the season ended. If you went to Douglas, our main big town, about 1/3 of the shops fitted into that category - not just the ones on the promenade, but in the main street - they sold souvenirs, sweets and ice-cream, and more souvenirs - and kippers. The cafes, of course, were the same.

It was very much the bucket and spade trade - everyone spent much of their day on the beach, parents and grandparents sitting in deckchairs, children paddling and building sand castles - and the late teens and early twenty-year olds mainly eyeing each other up walking along the prom and then spending the evenings in bars with entertainment, or at concerts.

Every so often someone on the local nostalgia page on FB posts a picture of Douglas sea front where the sand was so covered in people and deckchairs that it can't be seen and there are literally hundreds of people walking on the prom - and a lot of people say how wonderful it was, and how sad that it isn't like that now - and I think 'thank goodness it isn't!'

And there were always people asking us, somewhat condescendingly, "But what do you do in the winter?" To which the answer was a lot - all the things that had to shut down for the season as people and places were so busy with the visitors. Clubs restarted, sports restarted, we could go to the cinema and find a seat... and the best of the cafes were open all year round as the locals frequented them, too - and again there would be no need to queue.

These days we still have a fairly good tourist trade in normal times - but it is different - it appeals to people who are interested in history and heritage, in vintage trains and trams, or who play golf, or walk or cycle. And, to be honest, I much prefer it.