Comments on: Vote: Are Shopping Malls Tourist Destinations?

By: Carlo Alcos

Carlo Alcos — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:14:07 +0000

I sincerely hope you’re right…to think that a shopping mall would be the top tourist destination in any city…*shudder*

By: Guylaine

Guylaine — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:11:54 +0000

I question the assertion that the Toronto Eaton Centre is the top tourist attraction in the city. I bet a heck of a lot of those millions visiting are local people or people who work in the mall.
The top “tourist” attractions would be places like Royal Ontario Museum, the CN Tower, Toronto Zoo, etc.

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By: Renee

Renee — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:30:23 +0000

I like them for people-watching and air conditioning/heat!

Also, one point about the Eaton Centre and their massive crowds–technically, I (and a lot of other people) go twice a day as part of my commute…there are two subway stations inside.

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By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:38:42 +0000

Ha ha! I am always a little mad at myself when I’m in a mall, but sometimes it’s just the thing to remind me why I left in the first place. Like the poll.

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By: Lauren Quinn

Lauren Quinn — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:44:52 +0000

You know, I never considered a shopping mall a “real” or “authentic” place to travel, but they can be really revealing. The Portuguese are mad about their shopping malls, and when everything else is closed down at 10pm on a Sunday night in Porto or Lisbon, the shopping mall food courts are bumping. Definitely a locals scene.

Speaking of which, visiting a shopping mall made it on this Perrin Post list of ways to avoid tourist traps and hang with locals: http://perrinpost.truth.travel/2009/11/wendy-perrins-jetsetter-list.html

So unglamorous and unexotic, but I guess pretty authentic. The Toronto geese are pretty killer too.

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By: Sophie

Sophie — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:20:55 +0000

Don’t like malls much myself, but my kids adore them. Agree with Eva about people-watching. Especially in countries where few people are outdoors, like the USA or the UAE, malls are good for just that. Emirati women, some totally covered, some hardly at all, groups of young men in long white dishdashas, sunglasses on top of their headscarves – all gathering at Costa Coffee. Fascinating.

Dubai must be the mall capital of the world. Not only do they have the world’s largest (they claim) including a skating rink, they also have Mall of the Emirates with indoor ski slopes! It feels strange to say a shopping mall is gorgeous, but some of the Dubai malls really are.

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By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:40:57 +0000

That mannequin is freaking hilarious.

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By: Alouise

Alouise — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:13:09 +0000

From someone who lives by a city with one of the world’s largest malls, West Edmonton Mall, they definitely are a tourist attraction. In a way I can see why, because a mall is a ’safe’ destination, and many (like West Ed) have attractions like a pool or mini golf, etc that’s good for families.

Personally for me a mall is a mall. And when it comes to West Ed I only go if I have to buy something from a store there that can’t be found anywhere else close to me, Right now it’s Christmas season, so it and all other malls in the city are nucking futs. I refuse to go to West Ed until at least after Valentine’s day, and only during the day when kids are in school.

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By: Candice

Candice — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:13:50 +0000

OMG, those store mannequins. Effing hilarious. I’ve never seen anything like that. I totally want to see the mall with an ice-rink.

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By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:45:17 +0000

Carlo, I think you should add an option to the vote – people-watching! Say what you will about shopping, but if you’re interested in human gathering places a mall is often a good bet.

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