Tourism brings is a remarkable amount of money to the Adirondacks. About 17% of the population is employed through the tourist business, either in the summer or winter. Mostly, however, tourism occurs in the summer months, complicating the lives of many who rely only on summer income.
What I find questionable are the patterns of tourism. The Adirondacks are appealing to tourists because of their remote, natural wonder. Yet, a large part of the tourist culture has no interaction with nature itself. Water parks and luxury hotels are incorporated throughout the park with little regard for the park's natural attractiveness.
In the end, people are going to do what they can to survive of the land. The Adirondack economy is variable and tough to conquer. If this artificial tourism gives some businesses a head up, that's completely fine. I can't complain about economic success of the people in a more-or-less sustainable way. But I can complain about the shifting mindset to a more artificial, less engaged style of vacationing.
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Similar to you Chris, I am troubled by the idea that many tourists are opting to have less engagement with nature. It reminds me of the way iPhones and social media make it hard for individuals to really appreciate nature and its wonder. Sometimes I feel like we are competing to have the prettiest sunrise on the mountain rather than basking in the actual moment. But again, I agree with you that I could never tell a community that it is not allowed to have business if it is already facing economic challenges already.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree on both Chris' and Victoria's opinions. Nowadays, so much of our lives are lived through a filter - be it a cellphone screen or utterly careful or ideal locations, such as water parks. Because we have been raised in a time period where majority of our lifespan has been lived in the company of phones and an advertised desire for an ideal (wealthy) lifestyle, we are acclimated to being surrounded by technology and we desire to get that "perfect instagram picture" to prove that we have an ideal lifestyle. But I fear that this has greatly limited society, and we are slowly progressing away from being go-getters towards being reactionary individuals. With technology, we are tending to move way from living in the moment and instead living for future facebook likes or upvotes.
ReplyDeleteWith all that said, technology has really helped us progress as a society, but I believe that it would be more beneficial for tourists entering a wilderness park to be immersed in the wilderness around them.