Our beautiful village is being ruined by tourists – it’s being turned into a mini Blackpool by a permanent traffic jam
RESIDENTS of a beautiful village say it is being ruined by tourists and being turned into a mini Blackpool.
Locals of Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, called it a “sad shadow of its former self” as its popularity as a holiday hotspot has grown.
The small village was named in the top 20 most welcoming places to visit by Booking.com this year, but all the extra attention has its downsides according to the people living there.
TripAdvisor reviews suggest that they feel the extra numbers coming to Bourton are destroying some of its charm.
One reviewer said that the whole village had been “ruined” by holidaymakers.
They wrote: “It is a beautiful village that has been ruined by tourism and all the negatives that co-exist with that.
“There are thousands of people walking around numerous restaurants, tacky shops and various other money-making concerns.”
Another added: “Very disappointed to see this charming village has been turned into a mini Blackpool.
“Over commercialised, mostly shops selling tat and together with extortionate parking charges and ridiculous car parks that no longer accept cash.”
Others also slammed the expensive parking and traffic jams and said there was a lack of “authenticity” about the place.
However, not everyone was of the same mind.
Indeed, far from being “mini Blackpool”, one glowing review dubbed Bourton “Little Venice“.
Another praised: “Bourton has to be one of the most beautiful villages in England.
“It is a delight to wander along the main street crisscrossing the river on quaint bridges.
“There really is nothing not to like.”
Meanwhile, a third called the village “charming” and “delightful”.
It comes after a group of posh residents said their idyllic village was being blighted by a newbuild nightmare.
And in another village, it was branches of McDonald’s and KFC that drew the ire of locals.