A new class of traveller called 'destination dopes' has been blamed for the falloff in travel to traditionally popular destinations.
Destination dopes are those people who are attracted by posts to online social media that talk up alternative destinations, persuading these dopes to book a holiday and earn the 'influencer' big money in referral commissions.
For example, destination dopes are told:
- The Isle of Wight is the Hawaii of Europe
- Albania is the new Croatia
- Timbuktu is the Paris of the Sahara
Residents of the Isle of Wight have been bemused by American tourists arriving in tropical shirts and sunglasses, greeting everyone with a cheerful Aloha!
Travellers to Albania have been surprised that the only items for sale in the duty-free shop at Tirania airport are old Norman Wisdom DVDs.
Art lovers arriving in Timbukti have been astonished by the local performance art of placing severed heads on poles.