– United States Tourist Traps:
– Wall Drug in South Dakota offers free ice water to attract tourists.
– Breezewood, Pennsylvania forces drivers off the interstate with a dense bazaar of gas stations, restaurants, and motels.
– South of the Border in South Carolina is a themed attraction with restaurants, gas stations, an amusement park, and a mascot named Pedro.
– Alices Restaurant in California became a tourist trap after a song by Arlo Guthrie was released, themed after a different restaurant.
– Establishments like Da Yoopers Tourist Trap in Michigan and The Tourist Trap in Maryland embrace the term in their names.
– Related Topics:
– Gift shops
– Confidence tricks
– Lists of tourist attractions
– Overtourism
– Roadside attractions
– References:
– Wall Drug Store started during the Depression by offering free ice water to travelers.
– The New York Times highlighted traffic issues at a major intersection.
– Skyline Historical Society mentions Alice’s Restaurant in California.
– Da Yoopers Tourist Trap & Museum website provides information about the Michigan attraction.
– The Tourist Trap website offers details about the Maryland establishment.
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (May 2010) |
A tourist trap is an establishment (or group of establishments) created or re-purposed with the aim of attracting tourists and their money. Tourist traps typically provide overpriced services, entertainment, food, souvenirs, and other products for tourists to purchase. Tourist trap derives from the information asymmetry between tourists and the market.
