When You're A Tourist...Do The Locals Hate You?

[Bob Saget]

Tourists: They are valued, they are the reason CM's & CP's have a job, they are the reason WDW & Central Fla thrive...they are important!

However, in the private confines of Vista Way, or any given off-stage area...you can hear a much different opinion on how tourists are perceived.

"But Bob...are you suggesting the CM behind the Mickey Mouse head or under the Cinderella makeup may actually hate us??"
Damn right. I've worked in tourism/hospitality enough decades to know...it's an ironic fact that many people who's incomes are dependent on tourists...don't really like tourists!

Just participate in Disney's CP for a semester & observe many of the Vista Way chatter. Or go have lunch at any one of Dollywood's Host lounges. Work front counter at any major resort. You will know.

Many tourist cities (such as Aspen & Las Vegas) do not like to give out information to outsiders concerning backroads and "off the beaten path" areas...as they do not want to see tourists in many of their local spots. It's just an unspoken rule of locals. They mock how tourists dress, mock tourists' appearance, and mock tourists' idiotic questions they've been asked a billion times before. Yet to their face...the tourist is practically God to them with how he/she is welcomed into their hotels, shops, restaurants, and parks.

"Tourists are a necessary headache," a good friend & former WDW CP once told me. "You hate the sight of their faces but love the sound of their spending." And that's really what it's all about. Hospitality is making someone feel at home, even though you wish they really were. It's an odd phenomenon that the average tourist is so hated, yet he/she provides such an important asset to the business & city which he/she is patronizing. This is one of the reasons I have so much respect for WDW & it's CM's. They put up with a lot, & take a lot of unneeded verbal abuse...yet despite their loathing of tourists, they put all of that aside when on stage and treat every guest like family. A feat that is not quite as easy as it sounds...yet Disney does this brilliantly.

 

[Britt]

I live in Colorado Springs and we get soooooo many tourists here for Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, the USAFA, Cheyenne Mountain and of course, the people passing through to the ski resorts.

You avoid ALL of those areas on the weekends like the plague in the summer. They have no idea where they're going, so they drive REALLY slow (in our passing lanes, of course), they wear "hiking clothes" they bought at Dicks because they expect it all to be so rugged ("honey, you're gong to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and yes, it's in the mountains, but NO, you dont hike there. Put on your Nikes." haha).

However, tourism is big for our city, so we have a love/hate relationship with em. They're great about checking out the little Mom & Pop shops in Old Colorado City, and eating at their places. But they leave their trash all over the place in the city parks, GoG...PP...it's so frustrating.

OOOOO Or signing their name on the GoG rocks. OH MY GOSH. Seriously? Put the dang sharpie away.

So, YES, I bet locals hate the tourists. I know the ones in CA do, and they dont try and hide it. LOL (HELL, Americans get rude about international tourists being at WDW. So we know they do!)

 

[KappleB2]

Disney does it fantastically!! I work retail and there are MANY days I wish no one would come in the store, but then....I wouldn't have a job!

I appreciate the kindness and magic CMs share even MORE now.

 

[disneysince71]

 

[shannon12]

I can see that. I've always worked in NYC. Sometimes tourists are just CLUELESS. I understand it can be a pretty overwhelming place, but please dont step foot out of Grand Central and then stop dead in your tracks staring at the skyscrapers! I have to get to work!

 

[Bloopers]

Oh come on... they're not bad. I probably like them more than the locals around here I only dislike them when they're on the road with me and have no idea where they're going and I'm in a hurry to get to work. Other than that, I don't have a problem with them. Unless they're rude, but that's a whole 'nother story.

 

[PUSH]

You just can't be stupid. Don't ask where the nearest restrooms are when there's most likely a sign within sight of you. Use the tools Disney gives you! Maps are helpful. As my former geography teacher once said "Maps are friends." Of course don't stand in the middle of Main Street looking at the map for 10 minutes trying to figure out A) Where you are and B) Where you should be.

 

[disneysince71]

You just can't be stupid. Don't ask where the nearest restrooms are when there's most likely a sign within sight of you. Use the tools Disney gives you! Maps are helpful. As my former geography teacher once said "Maps are friends." Of course don't stand in the middle of Main Street looking at the map for 10 minutes trying to figure out A) Where you are and B) Where you should be.

 

[Gabe1]

I've listened to my DS enough years to believe that story maybe true for some CM's or CP's. My DS years ago, in 2007 was a CP and resided at Vista Way. He had way too much fun for hate. He went on to become a CM in various capacities after graduating college and still adores the hours he works at Disney now. Yeah, there are some pain in the butt guests, some pain in the butt CMs & managers but on a whole he has enjoyed most of the guests and most of his friendships he has made through Disney. He gets a kick out of making a little princess excited when he gives her a button she isn't expecting, the little things. My kid was brought up Disney and leans towards being happy for the families that are doing what he was able to experience throughout the years he grew up Disney. I guess there are hospitality folk that are envious of those vacationing, but what a waste of life to view tourists that way. Jealousy just eats people up inside.

After his 2007 CM before graduating and returning to Disney he had a reunion in Chicago with CMs from around the country and they all told stories, they stayed in my home for 2 days as they started filtering in before heading to Chicago. Not once did they dwell on the tourists or refer to them as headaches or anything near. By nature my kid isn't a mocker and doesn't really get off on mocking people, though I have no doubt some in the industry become burnt out and view tourists in this way, but then it is time to get out and find something else to do in life when this is their view.

I can't say my son had a good day when they had a hours long power outage, or the Halloween Party turned into the second coming of Noah's Arc, the 24 hour day was a challenge, but you get over it and move forward.

I'd say the only guests he has a difficult time getting past is the Brazilians. They seem to get a kick out of being obnoxious to anyone in their path. Even still they are such a minority in the spectrum of guests. On a whole from all the CMs I've met off stage through the years, I'm not buying into this so much. I have a friend that manages the mega Marriott, he thanks God all the time to be blessed with such a great job. I think it comes down to if you hate what you are doing you find negative, if you love what you are doing you find the positive.

 

[Britt]

I've listened to my DS enough years to believe that story maybe true for some CM's or CP's. My DS years ago, in 2007 was a CP and resided at Vista Way. He had way too much fun for hate. He went on to become a CM in various capacities after graduating college and still adores the hours he works at Disney now. Yeah, there are some pain in the butt guests, some pain in the butt CMs & managers but on a whole he has enjoyed most of the guests and most of his friendships he has met through Disney. He gets a kick out of making a little princess excited when he gives her a button she isn't expecting, the little things. My kid was brought up Disney and leans towards being happy for the families that are doing what he was able to experience throughout the years he grew up Disney. I guess there are hospitality folk that are envious of those vacationing, but what a waste of life to view tourists that way. Jealousy just eats people up inside.

After his 2007 CM before graduating and returning to Disney he had a reunion in Chicago with CMs from around the country and they all told stories, they stayed in my home for 2 days as they started filtering in before heading to Chicago. Not once did they dwell on the tourists or refer to them as headaches or anything near. By nature my kid isn't a mocker and doesn't really get off on mocking people, though I have no doubt some in the industry become burnt out and view tourists in this way, but then it is time to get out and find something else to do in life when this is their view.

I can't say my son had a good day when they had a hours long power outage, or the Halloween Party turned into the second coming of Noah's Arc, the 24 hour day was a challenge, but you get over it and move forward.

I'd say the only guests he has a difficult time getting past is the Brazilians. They seem to get a kick out of being obnoxious to anyone in their path. Even still they are such a minority in the spectrum of guests. On a whole form all the CMs I've met off stage through the years, I'm not buying into this so much. I have a friend that manages the mega Marriott, he thanks God all the time to be blessed with such a great job. I think it comes down to if you hate what you are doing you find negative, if you love what you are doing you find the positive.

Vista Wayyyyyyy

 

[luv]

^^ I love those Swoozie videos. He's a cute kid and very talented.

I don't mind the tourists.

I do mind the way they drive. They're either going waaaay too slow (like, 35 in 55)or they're driving too fast and cutting people off at the last second because they just realized they have to TURN NOW!!

I don't work in the parks, though.

 

[PUSH]

Vista Wayyyyyyy

These videos make me laugh so much!

 

[Nemo14]

Hospitality is making someone feel at home, even though you wish they really were.

Well put!

 

[Gabe1]

I don't mind the tourists.

I do mind the way they drive. They're either going waaaay too slow (like, 35 in 55)or they're driving too fast and cutting people off at the last second because they just realized they have to TURN NOW!!

Oh for the love of God, I'm in your camp!

I actually get lost in and around Disney still after all these years, I take the ME and I take taxi's. I don't want to be one of those that makes a right hand turn from the left turn lane.

You know how many times I've seen things like that happen?

 

[I_heart_Tigger]

Tourist jokes for CM's are mostly just in good fun. We used to have a tacky tourist party and wear packs, ponchos, 3d glasses stolen from the attractions, socks with sandals etc but honestly they weren't a huge topic of conversation unless something really crazy happened.

I think it's a little different for the internationals who get the same questions day after day by Americans who have no idea how uneducated they sound. If I only had a dollar for the amount of times Americans came to the Canadian pavilion wanting to know if we have televison or power or sunlight and how we find it living in snow year round or ask where we learned how to speak American or if we knew Mary who lives in a house with green shutters in Saskatchewan...by god, I would BUY Disney World!

The comments about tourists that end up being more difficult to laugh off are when people ask the Germany CM's about being Nazi's or the Morocco CM's about 9/11. My Japanese roommate got so tired of people sputtering gibberish - when Americans make random noises that they think sounds Japanese - that she began to pretend that they had actually said something inapropriate. My Chinese roommate worked in Nine Dragons and was asked at least twice a day if she ate or served cats for food.

I realize I may be stereoptyping a little bit by naming Americans as the culprit but in my years working there I can only recall one ignorant comment to me that wasn't made by an American - someone from the UK asked me why Nova Scotians were allowed to to work in the Canadian pavilion since it was a British Island.

So yes, tourists are annoying at times and yes they are the bread and butter of the industry and for the most part comments about them are non-existant or fairly harmless but every once in a while you really want to strangle one.

 

[Britt]

These videos make me laugh so much!

Seriously, I saw his first video and was laughing so hard I was crying! I love Swoozie and would LOVE to meet this guy...haha

 

[Gabe1]

Tourist jokes for CM's are mostly just in good fun. We used to have a tacky tourist party and wear packs, ponchos, 3d glasses stolen from the attractions, socks with sandals etc but honestly they weren't a huge topic of conversation unless something really crazy happened.

I think it's a little different for the internationals who get the same questions day after day by Americans who have no idea how uneducated they sound. If I only had a dollar for the amount of times Americans came to the Canadian pavilion wanting to know if we have televison or power or sunlight and how we find it living in snow year round or ask where we learned how to speak American or if we knew Mary who lives in a house with green shutters in Saskatchewan...by god, I would BUY Disney World!

The comments about tourists that end up being more difficult to laugh off are when people ask the Germany CM's about being Nazi's or the Morocco CM's about 9/11. My Japanese roommate got so tired of people sputtering gibberish - when Americans make random noises that they think sounds Japanese - that she began to pretend that they had actually said something inapropriate. My Chinese roommate worked in Nine Dragons and was asked at least twice a day if she ate or served cats for food.

I realize I may be stereoptyping a little bit by naming Americans as the culprit but in my years working there I can only recall one ignorant comment to me that wasn't made by an American - someone from the UK asked me why Nova Scotians were allowed to to work in the Canadian pavilion since it was a British Island.

So yes, tourists are annoying at times and yes they are the bread and butter of the industry and for the most part comments about them are non-existant or fairly harmless but every once in a while you really want to strangle one.

Well stated!

I believe there are people internationally that do not have filters. It isn't limited to those in tourist industries. I've experienced filter-less people everywhere, can I tell you how many educators I have tripped across that lost their filters years ago and they believe they are educated, educated poorly is more like it. Yeah, still it is just a handful but we can find the filter-less in any walk of life.

 

[Britt]

Well stated!

I believe there are people internationally that do not have filters. It isn't limited to those in tourist industries. I've experienced filter-less people everywhere, can I tell you how many educators I have tripped across that lost their filters years ago and they believe they are educated, educated poorly is more like it. Yeah, still it is just a handful but we can find the filter-less in any walk of life.

I've got LOTS of those on Facebook...lol Especially last year...politics bring out the worst in people, I swear!

 

[PUSH]

Seriously, I saw his first video and was laughing so hard I was crying! I love Swoozie and would LOVE to meet this guy...haha

He seems so nice, too! I like how he keeps it clean for the most part. A lot of YouTubers think they need to swear or do stupid things in order to draw people in. Plus, he has Disney references! A true class act right there!

 

[Brer Mickey]

I have lived in Orlando (hope to get back there soon!) and currently live in Miami. I find the tourists to be frustrating at times but I always remind myself 1) They help keep my taxes low and my economy boosted and 2) People actually pay money to come a visit where I live and that is awesome. Several times a day, a tour-around-the-city bus drives down my street and past my apartment. People paid money to see where I live!