What do you think about "influencers"? (page 2 of 3)

Do you know any companies or businesses that are really profitable?

Well... yeah: TotalEnergies, Nvidia, LVMH, Apple... but also some kebab shops (yes, really!!!!!) or even my village bakery....

From what I know

To find out if a business is profitable, you need to know how to read a balance sheet and, most importantly, an income statement—preferably over several years....

Well... yeah: Total Energies, Nvidia, LVMH, Apple.... but also some kebabs (yes, really!!!!!) or even my village bakery....

First off, do you work for a company? Do you have any basic business economics knowledge? 😐 Then, what about production costs like I mentioned earlier—what do you make of those? Total Energies has massive production costs...

I had no idea this topic would cause such a rant from our buddy Mathews... I barely recognize him.

Well, when you don’t have enough money to travel, you’ll laugh less. :)

To know if a company is profitable, you need to be able to read a balance sheet and, above all, an income statement—preferably over several years....

Don’t take me for an idiot, thanks.

on the one hand, do you work for a company

But my dear Mathews, who do you think you are? Or rather, stop treating other forum members like three-week-old chicks!

Do you have any knowledge of corporate economics?

Oh no, of course not—I’ve only "expertly" handled a few hundred of them...

And you? Do you even know how to break down an income statement?

PS: Back to Total Energies—a return on equity above 10%.......

Influencers—they’re the ultimate form of resourcefulness and business savvy. In a way, it’s a kind of intelligence. Thankfully, I’d say, because some of them, especially those exiled in the Near East, are living caricatures, made up mostly of stupidity and vulgarity.

They’ve managed to seize opportunities around new technologies and sometimes turn them into mountains of cash; not everyone can do that.

Since they mainly target idiots, and factories for producing those have been running at full capacity lately, their success isn’t all that surprising in hindsight. Commercially, they’re in the same league as politicians, gurus, cult leaders, and—to a lesser extent—market and fair hawkers. It’s true that anyone who’s made a fortune has done so by taking money from—or off the backs of—countless others.

When it comes to travel, their existence amplifies the word-of-mouth effect, but with the internet, that was bound to happen sooner or later anyway.

That said, assuming we’re not part of the idiots, we can’t really object to them all clustering in the same places at roughly the same time... unless we live there.

Most of us belong to a generation that’s already visited the interesting spots before they were plagued by overtourism, and we know where to go to avoid it—somewhere peaceful and better suited to our situation as old-timers 😉

Your thoughts are totally spot-on, Jojoone! As for your conclusion about places plagued by overtourism, sadly, it’s also true: I visited Santorini forty years ago. There were tourists already, sure, but when I saw what it’s become, based on recent reports, I wouldn’t want to go back now! 🙁

good evening, actually, the high concentration of travelers in one particular place isn’t new... (a little historical overview) In antiquity, considering the appeal of Constantinople or Babylon (which is a city in present-day Iraq) or Rome—basically, these major metropolises were definite centers of attraction. In the Middle Ages, peasants would go to towns to sell their agricultural produce at fairs. I’m writing in the conditional because, obviously, I wasn’t alive back then, heh heh. Don’t lose sight of the fact that travel used to have a religious function. People went on pilgrimages to Jerusalem or Mecca. And let’s not forget the major trade routes like the Silk Road, which started in China and passed through Samarkand, among other places. In short, just as many potential Towers of Babel. Modern leisure travel really took off with the introduction of paid leave (the Popular Front in 1936, if I remember correctly). The first images from *Mr. Hulot’s Holiday* show people taking the train. And this was made possible, in particular, by the rise of commercial aviation and the jumbo jet.

Overtourism has been around for several decades in some parts of Europe.

Boomers and Gen X might have experienced fairly peaceful trips, but since certain countries gained access to leisure society (China, etc.), it's become tough...

General wealth—is tourism dying?

I’m writing in the conditional because obviously I wasn’t alive back then, heh heh

This take is out of this world, Mathews. I burst out laughing—thanks a ton! 😄

hi Marie, with pleasure. Glad my comment brought you some good vibes 🙂

No need to speak hypothetically—these are periods/cultures that are really well-documented by texts and archaeology. 😁

good evening, do you agree with what I wrote then? Because sometimes there are members of this forum who disagree. After all, that’s part of the game

The new Mathews is sparkling and mind-blowing, disconcerting too. At least, he stayed true to VF.

Influencers are the ultimate form of resourcefulness and business savvy. In a way, it’s a kind of intelligence. Thankfully, I’d say, because some of them—especially those exiled in the Near East—are living caricatures, made up mostly of stupidity and vulgarity.

They’ve managed to seize opportunities around new technologies and sometimes turn them into mountains of cash; not everyone can do that.

Since they mainly target idiots and factories producing those are running at full capacity these days, in hindsight, their success isn’t surprising. Commercially, they’re in the same league as politicians, gurus, cult leaders, and—to a lesser extent—market and fair hawkers. It’s true that anyone who’s made a fortune has taken their money from the pockets or sweat of countless others.

When it comes to travel, their existence amplifies the word-of-mouth effect, but with the internet, this would’ve happened sooner or later anyway.

That said, assuming we’re not part of the idiots, we can’t really object to them all clustering in the same places at roughly the same time... unless we live there.

Most of us belong to a generation that’s already visited the interesting spots before they were plagued by overtourism, and we know where to go to avoid it—somewhere peaceful and better suited to our status as seasoned travelers 😉

I haven’t visited all the "interesting" places yet (gotta figure out the real definition). I haven’t been to Santorini, but because of the hype around this overtouristed destination, I don’t feel like going. Same for Bali...

Yes, that’s exactly the problem: even when you’re "part of a generation that’s already visited the interesting places," as Jojoone put it, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve seen a ton of them. For most of us, there are still plenty of amazing spots left to explore, but unfortunately, they’ve become a lot less appealing because of overtourism.

Of course, traveling off-season is always an option—I’ve always done that—but overtourism often extends the tourist season. Take Santorini, for example: you’d think it’d be quiet from November to March, but that’s hardly the ideal time to visit Greece!

Honestly, I think influencers speed up overtourism. Mind you, they’re not solely to blame—some governments are jumping on the bandwagon too, especially with those so-called Digital Nomad visas.

Yeah, I get it—imagining working from a visa in Costa Rica and renting a little beachside house sounds amazing, and the offer is tempting... But I feel like all these destinations are becoming carbon copies now: hotels, cafés, restaurants, activities—it’s all copy-pasted...

I’m really glad I got to travel before all this, like a lot of folks here, but as you say, there are still plenty of untouched spots out there. Personally, I’m refocusing more on France—there are incredible places to see all over the country.

Hi there! You’ve got it all figured out. The more crowded some places get, the more others stay nice and quiet. In the end, influencers (I only recently found out they exist) only influence those who want to be influenced. I really feel for the people who have to live daily where these influencers wreak havoc—they don’t have much choice but to move away. Not many influencers in my little hamlet, whose name I won’t share.😄

Actually, I think influencers speed up overtourism..

It’s obvious that overtourism is a problem that the relevant authorities need to manage. But on the bright side, with taxes on tourism revenue, we can pay for wardens or rangers in big national parks like in Tanzania or Kenya. And that helps protect these protected areas.

Okay, I’m not saying some "influencers" don’t do things that stand out, but for 99% of them, it’s just totally useless stuff...

Just adding that it’s crazy how all kinds of media manipulate people’s awareness 😉 😉 George Orwell must be spinning in his grave—it’s wild. What bothers me isn’t so much the content or style of what YouTubers and others produce, but rather the algorithms of the big platforms that push consumers to isolate themselves in a filter bubble. It’s especially younger people who are strongly influenced.

Really interesting; another example of the unintended consequences that come with any kind of progress. I get it now why I keep getting so many ads for women’s lingerie or adult films.