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Over the last block of summers, I’ve noticed a change. Burlington is becoming somewhat of a tourist hot spot. People I have never seen before are strolling along the waterfront, snapping photos and taking selfies in a way that clearly indicates the surroundings are new, and they are witnessing a view they’ve never seen before.

The Burlington Village Square on Elizabeth Street has become crowded with such tourists, all vying for the same Instagram photo at the red telephone box, which has become Burlington’s nod to its British past. Locals, meanwhile, stroll right past the landmark without a glance. Our modest Brant Street pier and lighthouse attract attention too, and the Pearle Hotel and Spa — opened in 2021 — brings in enough business to stay happily afloat. Seeing all this fanfare does make me feel proud of my city. There is something quaint and charming that attracts people in for the day or for the weekend. But it also makes me nervous.

It’s not that I take issue with all this out-of-towner attention. Of course, people are welcome here. But sometimes I feel protective of my hometown. I feel a little worried, or in a position where I’m being asked to open my hometown up to many. Burlington has become exceptional. I go on YouTube, type in Burlington, and I find a  as slick as anything that would be made for º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøor Paris. In my parents’ generation — in the ‘70s and ‘80s — Burlington was a commuter town, attractive mainly for its proximity to the train and bus stations that carried locals to º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøand Hamilton. But in the past decade, people have started flowing in with fists full of cash to spend.

This uptick has not gone unnoticed by city officials. Tourism Burlington says in the first two months of 2025, visitor spending — both international and domestic — hit $58.1 million. This is wonderful news for Burlington, a thriving city that was borne as a small bedroom community. But as I watch my hometown grow, so does my concern about how the city will balance its appeal to satisfy the longtime residents with the visitors. Burlington, whose population passed 200,000 in 2024, was designed as a local community, not necessarily for the world.

Traffic is getting progressively worse, especially on the weekends. On Lakeshore Road, cars are bumper to bumper, and the competition for parking spots is fierce. When local residents start having to compete for space on their own roads, problems will arise. And I anticipate, tempers will flare. Matters will get even more complicated if local residents find themselves on waitlists, if line ups become the norm at favourite restaurants, or they can’t secure tickets to local event venues.

I guess I am just not convinced Burlington can handle its rising stardom. Maybe I’m just being nostalgic for simpler times, but unless we build another hotel, add more parking lots, and arrange for more tour guides to direct people around, things could get crowded and chaotic.

Tourism Burlington already offers some walking tours of the downtown area. outlines some plans for development, like expansions for recreational centres, but will these changes accommodate and satisfy the growing tourism industry, for visitors as well as the locals? Is it ready for what will happen if it reaches the point where there are busloads of visitors here for a full weekend of tours that include the Royal Botanical Gardens, Paletta Mansion, the Mount Nemo Conservation Area, and Ireland House? Are we prepared to host them all?

I am happy to live in Burlington, and I want to see it grow and prosper, but I also want the city to retain some of its original small-town appeal. That’s what seems to be attracting all the tourists, after all. But if Burlington becomes overrun with visitors, it risks alienating both locals and tourists. It’s a tricky situation.