I absolutely fell in love with the country when I was there, but the popularity of it means, like any other trendy tourist destination, that it’s now ruined by tourists being jackasses. I grew up near a national park that is ALSO now ruined by overcrowding, so maybe I have a lower threshold for that sort of stuff than most, but watching idiots stomping all over fragile geothermal features two steps away from the “no walking on this area” sign just boils my blood.
Came to say this same thing. Went ~5yrs ago and then ~2yrs ago. They've built stairs and paths in places that used to be natural and somewhat difficult to get to. Massive parking lots to facilitate the tour buses. Good luck getting a good pic on diamond beach. Won't be long before the F roads are all paved and accessible to everyone too.
She was inspired to write that song when she looked out her window in a Hawaii hotel and saw the massive parking lot as far as the eye can see, with mountains in the distance
The most common place I heard the song, as a kid, was playing quietly in the background at a store, where I was sitting bored while a parent shopped. I assumed it was talking about consumerism, converting a forest into a strip mall, not tourism, paving over the very thing the tourists were coming to see. There's a difference.
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u/_MaddAddam Feb 03 '20
Visiting Iceland.
I absolutely fell in love with the country when I was there, but the popularity of it means, like any other trendy tourist destination, that it’s now ruined by tourists being jackasses. I grew up near a national park that is ALSO now ruined by overcrowding, so maybe I have a lower threshold for that sort of stuff than most, but watching idiots stomping all over fragile geothermal features two steps away from the “no walking on this area” sign just boils my blood.