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Place = A space, area, or spot // Un espacio, área o lugar
What makes a place special are the people who share the space, whose place this was before, today, and tomorrow. Sharing spaces in sacred places is the task at hand. What are makes a sacred place? Places that are loved and treated with reverence.
Beyond the journey, what makes trips so grand for visitors are the connections with locals on their turf. Are we invited? Are we welcomed? How do we avoid being visitors who are irresponsible?
For locals, some of the touristed places become off-limits because of crowding and hiked expenses. Interaction with visitors becomes limited – the entertainment, the shopping, the restaurants.
The way these first-person adventures treat the places and people beyond the horizon is a narrative balanced with how locals treat visitors.
Travelers are seeking place-based information. Where is Point A in relation to Point B. What else is nearby? The good news is that of this is available via apps. The better news is when locals are involved. This is not to say that those seeking travel tips are not looking for eco options, but first and foremost on their minds are the basics of getting from here to there.
Effective google searches regularly include multiple terms that include a place name and an activity or interest. Examples: Honduras + Rainforest, Australia + Permaculture, Oaxaca + Weavings.
When you see places that are happy, you have found a healthy place.
About place
Places comprise not only the physical realm, but also the environmental and spiritual worlds.
Places are enjoyed best by those who pay attention. Even those looking for a weekend-getaway are seeking a connection with a particular place and that takes some preparation.
Places are also interpreted via collective and individual ‘memory’ which varies among stakeholders and age groups. Those interested in place-based travel tend to be interested for longer periods of time.
Locals and travelers have long cared about place, but travel writing has matured as a complicated subject worthy of reflection and review. E-conferences such as the 2001 Media, Environment and Tourism Conference focused on the urgent need to improve media coverage of place as opposed to destination.
Media
Some of our favorite place-based websites are created by those who live in the locale. We argue that travel writers ought to be paid fairly and that the best coverage – online or as guidebooks – are written by those who live in a specific place or by those who cultivate long-term relations with locals.
Headlines
Place is back – how did we ever lose it? – Conscious Tourism?
The tale of two slums in South Africa as residents seek to upgrade lives
Elsewhere on the Web
Flickr Places
Rebuilding Place – Richard Layman
Places Journal
Questions // Preguntas
- What is the value of place? // ¿Cuál es el valor del lugar?
- What was this place before? // ¿Qué era este lugar antes?
Stray Notes
- Living in a touristed place // Vivir en un lugar turístico
Videos
Planeta.com