Just returned from Jordan, and Petra's main trail is too polished now.

I hiked to the Monastery last month, expecting a rugged path. Now it's all paved and crowded with souvenir stalls. When did ancient sites become theme parks?

3 comments

3 Comments

river1901mo ago

Have you seen this happen with local spots too, where they lose their rough edges? My favorite hiking trail got a smooth path and a fee booth last year, and it just feels generic now. It's like we're packaging all unique places into safe, samey experiences for mass appeal. Where do we draw the line between opening up history and turning it into a product?

jakep241mo ago

It's frustrating when local spots get polished into generic experiences! From my experience, joining trail advocacy groups can help push back against overdevelopment. You gotta speak up before the fee booths change everything that made the place unique.

markm2726d ago

That line about "packaging unique places into safe, samey experiences" is exactly it. They're not selling you a place anymore, they're selling you a brand. The fee booth is just the start. Next comes the branded merch and rules against anything fun. It turns a real spot into a background for social media photos. The soul gets paved over with liability waivers and revenue plans.