We're blaming (or thanking) social media for the latest travel phenomenon.
Much like 90s-style ultra-wide-leg jeans, the rat is enjoying the moment.
Why now? Among other reasons, this is probably due to the fact that: literally Very popular. Rat populations have been increasing in major cities across the country in recent years. Things escalated to the point where cities like New York appointed a “Rat Emperor” (a real-life professional and real person named Kathleen Corradi) to lead the city's sanitation department to deal with this pest. ing.
But, as is often the case with trends, the cottage industry was never far behind. Apparently, rat tourism is all the rage now.
New York City's Rat Daddy, legally known as Kenny Bolwerk, is living proof that rat tourism is real, and in his case it's tied directly to the goal of rat eradication. After starting his TikTok series “Rat Tok,” showcasing rat-infested areas of the city, Bolwerk said these virtual boyfriends have helped him garner more than 276,000 TikTok followers. We decided to turn the tour into an actual tour. “We're all kind of walking around and finding mice. It's like finding a plane at the airport, or going to the zoo and just standing outside the exhibit,” he recently told Thrillist. Ta. “That's basically what we're doing.”
But while real-life hygiene issues have brought Borowak and his Rat Tok to fame, he says the ultimate goal is to actually find solutions to problems. His idea was to tour people (no more than five at the top) every night until social media followers, tourists, and visitors helped raise enough awareness that the city was actually dealing with the people there. The plan is to visit infected areas. Once that's done, it's time to move on to the next area, or what he calls the next “season.” According to Bollwerk, Season 4 of Rat Tok is currently in production.
Born out of the social media phenomenon and solution-oriented aversion to rats, Chicago's “rat hole” (a creepy rat cutout-like hole in a Chicago cement sidewalk made famous by social media) is this. No wonder it gained popularity so quickly. Tourists and locals alike make the pilgrimage to visit and pay their respects. In fact, Chicago was declared the most rat-infested city in the United States last year by pest control company Orkin for the ninth year in a row.
But don't be fooled by the American-born social media phenomenon. These viral obsessions know no boundaries. Thanks to its soaring popularity, the rat and its distorted but glorified forms of tourism are alive and well abroad. The Sewerage Museum in Brussels, Belgium, which educates visitors about the history of the city's sewers, the work of sewer workers, and the water cycle, recently opened a new exhibit focused on rats.
The exhibit, titled “Gutter Rats,” aimed to educate visitors about these sewer-loving animals and “dispel some preconceptions and stereotypes about drain rats.” Rattus website Pointed out. Visitors experience life for a day through the eyes of a rat and understand what it means to be a small rodent in the dark atmosphere of running through the sewers of Brussels. “Surprising questions, fun interactions, and good ergonomics stimulate not only the visual sense, but also the tactile and auditory senses,” the exhibit's description reads. “In this way, participants become the protagonists of their own visits, big or small.” Of course, the “mouse for a day” experience has also already become a TikTok sensation.
Tourism related to sewers and rats has become a trend overseas as well. A spokesperson for the Sewerage Museum told Tillist: “The number of visitors is certainly increasing.” “2023 was his best year ever, with an increase of more than 30% compared to 2022.” However, they added that 2023 was also an exceptional year for Belgian museums as a whole. Pointed out.
Not surprisingly, the most popular age group for museum visitors is the same as social media users. “We're seeing a trend of people between the ages of 18 and 30 visiting this museum,” they told Thrillist. Most visitors are from Belgium, but we are also noticing an increasing number of foreign tourists.
Bolwerk explains that social media has actually increased interest in rat tours. Most of the time, the people on his tours aren't even New Yorkers. It's either people from other cities in the United States, or people from other countries entirely, minus the curious locals.
Part of its appeal, Borwerk believes, is the uniqueness of New York's rat “culture,” something New Yorkers themselves no longer pay much attention to. ”[Visitors] I was watching it on TikTok,” he says. These days, The Times says that instead of going to the Square or the Empire State Building, people just want to take a mouse tour. ”
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