The Travel Writer's Dilemma: Share, or Gatekeep?

My favorite bed and breakfast in Santa Cruz got picked up by the NYT travel section. Here’s what happened next: It became so popular that for a year or so it was impossible for regulars to book. Persistent regulars could still book if they booked far enough ahead so I got to see the collapse play out in slow motion. The increased load put strain on the staff and systems that had been stable for years causing uncommon lapses in service quality. The spike in traffic faded, The regulars who had been coming for years had gotten trained to go elsewhere (as evidenced by how easy it became to book) The dip coincided with increase costs related to the increased traffic. Suddenly a stable, cash-flow positive business was operating at a loss. The business failed and they sold at a loss. (I saw the sale listing and it was way less than the business was worth before the spike). The new owners didn’t “get it” so nearly every great thing about the place was ruined.

Now before I write a review I think carefully about how I think the business would respond to more business. For some I can just tell they’ll respond with grace (Charm Thai in Phoenix OR is awesome, everyone should go there). For others I hold off because I know the increase would crush them.

But is this a real problem? As far as I can tell there are two types of hyped up tourist spots:

1. Has been for a long time already (Eiffel Tower, Times Square, Khaoson Road, ...)

2. Recent spot because some influencer posted nice photos on Instagram (some cliff, some field of sun flowers, ...)

Never heard of a travel writer actually establishing (single-handedly) a tourist spot.

And why is that? Probably because most people don't read text that is longer than one or two paragraphs.