One year ago, we published a story about how tourists felt about Gastown, and it seems like sentiments have changed dramatically; for the most part.
Recent reviews from TripAdvisor on Gastown suggest that compared to last year, tourists are finding the historic neighbourhood an enjoyable place to visit.
This comes after a controversial decampment of the Downtown Eastside, particularly East Hastings Street.
However, it doesn’t sound like everyone’s having an enjoyable experience.
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What tourists are saying about Gastown
Reviews on Gastown have been left by tourists from all over the world over the last few months.
“Things to know before coming to Gastown”
One review left by someone who rented an Airbnb in Gastown suggested that the area is a “straight-up sh** hole.”
The review states that the streets smell like urine and there’s “garbage everywhere.”
“I will never come back. This is a disgrace!”
Not all reviews were this harsh.
“Definitely worth a visit”
A tourist from New Zealand left a more positive review about Gastown and they resonated with the steam clock.
“Stopped here from the on-off bus for lunch and to have a mooch round. The steam ⏰ clock is really worth seeing and the shops are quite varied and interesting. Definitely worth a visit.”
Overhyped
Tourists from the UK had an average experience in Gastown, but they had something to say about the reports of urine and drugs.
“No drugs, no feces, no urine, no homeless people. There were one or two on edges of [the] area, but no threat.”
“Very pretty part of the city”
A different tourist from the UK had much nicer things to say about Gastown but not so much about Chinatown.
“It was a relief after the sad sights in Chinatown,” the review began.
“We enjoyed walking along Water Street and seeing the steam clock. We also saw Vancouver’s own flat iron building and the Steamworks brewery. We were… [here] for about half an hour, but it was very pretty with its cobbled streets and lamp posts.”
While tourist sentiments are far from perfect, it’s a vast improvement over some of the reviews we read on TripAdvisor last year.
What’s your experience in Gastown like lately?