tourist trap
5
4.2
- noun
- /ˈtʊrɪst træp/
- Informal
:
trampa para turistas
- After visiting several overpriced shops, we realized that the site was just another tourist trap disguised as a local treasure.
- tourist trap hotels
- fewer tourist traps
Examples
-
The Walk of Fame's not a landmark, it's a tourist trap.
-
From this height, even the statue, facing the other way, looked small, like the souvenir statuettes for sale in every tourist trap.
Fiction book (2002) -
Of all the places, I get stuck in a tourist trap.
-
And you thought this was a cheap tourist trap!
-
Do avoid getting caught in the rest of the commercial tourist traps.
Blog text (5) -
I'm not taking you to some tourist trap, honey.
-
The coast is great, but you want a full day if you're going to get south of the tourist traps.
Blog text (5) -
And all around the falls are the worst kind of tacky tourist traps.
Blog text (2) -
Anyway, it's a tourist trap family eatery for vacationers.
Blog text (13) -
Nearly every space not occupied by a strip mall or shopping plaza is either suburb or a tourist trap.
Blog text (8)
How Authentic
- US
43
1.1
- US
9
2.3
24
1.6
- Informal
5
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase transparently composes 'tourist' (a visitor) + 'trap' (something that catches/exploits), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a place that 'catches' or takes advantage of tourists — including overcharging or low authenticity. This X + trap pattern is a common, cross-linguistic metaphor for exploitative places, making the overall meaning predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Tourist trap comes from the simple image of a trap that catches a tourist, a shop or place that looks attractive but is made to take visitors' money with high prices and low-quality, not-real goods. That's why a tourist trap means 'a place that attracts tourists and charges them too much for poor or fake goods or experiences'.