New Yorkers shedding light on how tourists frustrate them, Angela Rayner’s tourist tax proposals being blocked and airport staff searching for ‘oversized’ bags are all up for discussion with our regular columnist.
What tourists get wrong in New York
A conversation thread on the online platform Reddit has apparently shed light on what really peeves New Yorkers about tourists. Most of it is unsurprising and is probably the same the world over.
One contributor said: “Move to the side if you’re going to stop. We’re not psychic – we don’t know you just spotted a Starbucks.” While another comments: “Standing at the top of subway stairs checking Google Maps? That’s how you start a sidewalk riot.”
I think it’s fair to say that New Yorkers are not the most patient of people. Ever heard of a ‘New York minute’? It’s the time it takes between a traffic light turning to green and someone behind you beeping their horn. Ivan Martinovi, a New Yorker and local business owner at Lifestyle Moving & Storage, says that tourists don’t realise just how important flow is to city life: “The second you walk out your door in New York, you’re part of the system. There’s no pulling over without consequences,” he explained. “We don’t hate tourists – but we do expect them to keep up.”
New Yorkers may seem brash, but most are just trying to get somewhere fast without having to dodge dog leashes, scooters or selfie sticks. Perhaps they have even less patience than me?
Taxes on tourism is a slippery slope
The deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has been blocked from allowing councils in England to tax tourists after chancellor Rachel Reeves feared it would hit businesses if a hotel levy became a reality.
If a council is given permission to generate a new revenue stream, do you think they’ll say no? Will they consider the bigger picture and the impact on tourism? No, because the value of tourism is so often ignored by the Government and this current group of clowns are desperate to raise money any way they can.
The chancellor has been a bit of a disaster since moving in to No.11 Downing Street but at least Mrs Reeves saw sense on this one. As for Rayner, she’s a serious piece of work.
I sometimes forget about tourist taxes when visiting cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam and Venice, and it always feels like an unsavoury stealth money grab. No such luck in Scotland unfortunately, because visitors to Edinburgh and Glasgow will pay a levy of 5% on hotel stays from July next year and January 2027 respectively. Taxing tourism? How about valuing and supporting it? Now there’s a thought.
Bagged, tagged and ripped off
Ah, the joys of modern air travel. Now it turns out airport staff are being paid bonuses to catch passengers with “oversized” bags - £1 a pop for every suitcase deemed too large. That’s right, gate agents are now bounty hunters thanks to an “incentive scheme” cooked up by easyJet’s ground-handling partners like Swissport and DHL.
Forget helping you board smoothly - their job now is to squint at your cabin bag and hope it sticks out an inch. Then it’s £48 to let it on board… and a little pocket money for them.
I read in the paper that one poor family of five got stung for £240, even though their bags apparently fit the measurement box. One family member still managed to shove hers under the seat but rules are rules, or rather revenues are revenues.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about fairness or safety, it’s about airlines squeezing us for every last penny, turning luggage into a cash cow. And the staff? They’re just doing what they’re paid to do - police the punters. If you’re flying soon, better bring a tape measure.
The views expressed in this column are not necessarily the views of the publisher.
