Often, when we travel to a new place (be it a country, a town, a city) we see that the entire place is summed up in a souvenir shop. Not that souvenir shops are bad in any sense (at least I’m not the in position to say that they have any flaws), but I feel that souvenirs are so important, yet also misleading. Walking into a souvenir store in downtown Vancouver, most of the things you see have a polar bear or maple leave or even beaver resemblence. However, we could all agree that Vancouver (or Canada) has more than just polar bears, maple leaves or beavers. Sure, those things are sort of like the national symbols (just like other cities have their own national “symbol” – eg. the Eiffel Tower in Paris); yet, it is quite frustrating for me to see how souvenir shops market an entire city or country.
Sure, we (Canadians) are proud of our national treasures, but sometimes, I just think the marketing of an entire country facilitated by souvenirs can be very, very misleading. Just looking at the four items above, those souvenir receivers will not have any idea what Canada, particularly Vancouver, is really like. The awesome shopping on Robson street, the beautiful scenic spots, the somewhat exciting night life and etc. (You get the point.) Thus, next time, when you are in a new city or place, don’t believe everything you see in a souvenir shop. Perhaps, souvenir shops should have signs saying, “Selective marketing!” Hey, just an idea. 🙂
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