I found an amazing restaurant overseas, but I won't go back

Sydney Morning Herald

7 days ago

They capture these experiences on their phones of course, and post them on social media, because what's the point of visiting one of the darlings of Insta and TikTok – an eatery that has gone viral many times – if you're not going to stake your own claim.
Bar Nestor was always popular – but then it got really, really popular. People started posting it on social media (and yes, I'm one of those people), and it kicked off. It went from being 'a' place to go in San Sebastian, to being 'the' place to go in San Sebastian.
Hence, the queues. Hence, the fact I haven't been back in five or six years – I don't want to line up for hours for something I used to just walk in for.
This is just one example of something that is happening all over the world right now. Those little secrets don't stay secret for long.
You could have a favourite little restaurant (at home or abroad), a place you call into all the time, somewhere family-run, friendly. And then one day you will arrive and there will be a huge queue out the front. It will be there tomorrow, and the next day, and next week and maybe next year.
Your little secret has gone viral.
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An influencer I follow, who has a very large social media account – almost a million followers – posted recently about a tiny local restaurant in Greece, on the island of Folegrandos. It's a modest place, run by an elderly couple who don't have a menu, barely even a kitchen. They just make beautiful Greek food each day, and serve it to whomever comes in.
This influencer gushed about how perfect it was, how charming. But people commented: Why are you telling everyone about this? The place will be overrun. It will never be the restaurant that you found ever again.
There's a question we all have to ask ourselves as travellers now. This used to be something only a certain few would have to ponder, travel writers, celebrities, those with a following. But now everyone has to think: should I reveal my secrets?
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It's not just restaurants either, it's viewpoints, natural phenomena, cultural attractions, entire towns, cities or even countries.
You discover them and you want to share them. You're excited about them. And yes, there's some ego at play here – look at what I found. Look at how amazing it is.
There's an urge to shout it from the rooftops, to tell the world. You might have only a modest following on social media of family and friends, but these things can go viral quickly, they can reach the world.
And what happens then? It can be good or bad, or both. It can save a struggling business. It can bring tourism dollars to a part of the world that desperately needs it. Or, it can bring hordes of people to a place that was only ever good because it didn't have hordes of people, because it was charming, because it was quiet.
I think about this all the time, but you should too. What is the effect of calling attention to a venue, a business, an attraction, a place? Will it benefit or will it be harmed? Will the extra attention be welcome, or will it destroy the very thing you're trying to spread the word about?
That influencer who posted about the Greek restaurant has since deleted his post. It's far too late, however, for Bar Nestor.