Generational Divides

Youth Perspectives

Young people face unique challenges:

Limited Opportunities - Tourism jobs often seasonal, low-paid - Professional careers require leaving - Housing impossibly expensive - Social life tourist-dominated

Identity Questions - Home doesn't feel like home - Culture feels performed - Authenticity questions - Belonging uncertainty

Young resident Emma in Carcassonne: "I love my medieval city, but it's a museum. My friends work in tourist shops selling plastic swords. We party in the next town where we can be ourselves. Sometimes I feel like a refugee from my birthplace."

Elder Experiences

Older residents witness transformation:

Lost Worlds - Neighborhoods unrecognizable - Social networks dispersed - Traditions abandoned - Languages disappearing

Adaptation Struggles - Technology requirements - English necessity - Service changes - Isolation increases

85-year-old Yvette in Nice: "The fishermen are gone, replaced by yacht crews. The market sells souvenirs, not vegetables. My granddaughter lives in Paris—couldn't afford Nice. I'm a stranger in my birthplace."