tourist trap

noun

: a place that attracts and exploits tourists

Examples of tourist trap in a Sentence

The street market is a tourist trap that mostly sells cheap souvenirs. That hotel is just a tourist trap.
Recent Examples on the Web There are no town squares, no restaurants, and no tourist traps. Meena Thiruvengadam, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2023 In the anarchic, cutthroat, casually anachronistic fantasy world Jenkins builds—where Ed and his bitter first mate Izzy (Con O’Neill) dress in bikers’ leathers and the Republic of Pirates is a tourist trap—no pirate would get worked up over an anomaly as benign as two men kissing. TIME, 5 Oct. 2023 But, according to a new report from USA Today, that pink box represents one of the top 10 tourist traps on planet Earth. oregonlive, 25 Aug. 2023 Several chose this length of West 11th — pretty, conveniently located, strewn with extra-wide townhouses, and out of the way of Carrie Bradshaw’s tourist trap of a brownstone one block over — for their gigantic new homes. Curbed, 17 Apr. 2023 According to People Who Actually Do It By Hannah Singleton As Norman and I acclimated to Tulum, measuring time in sunrises and siestas, we got invited to local activities, away from the tourist traps. Geena Rocero, SELF, 26 June 2023 Visit the ice bar: Something of a tourist trap, Magic Ice is nevertheless a fun experience. David Nikel, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023 In a recent interview with Travel + Leisure, Steves shared some of his best tips for dining out in Europe, including how to be a more thoughtful consumer and avoid tourist traps. Kelsey Fowler, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2023 And the smattering of 1980s jewelry store tourist traps are giving way to a new generation of storefronts, like art galleries 81C and the Creative Native. Joe Sills, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tourist trap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tourist trap was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near tourist trap

Cite this Entry

“Tourist trap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tourist%20trap. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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