THE letters from Peter Leeming and David Thomas (Letters, August 8, 'Beauty spots overwhelmed' and 'Tourists can't be dispersed') brought to mind a couple of new words I have come across recently which seem to be relevant to the Lake District.

“Overtourism” was shortlisted by the Oxford Dictionary as one of its words of the year for 2018, defining it as “an excessive number of tourist visits to a popular destination or attraction, resulting in damage to the local environment and historical sites, and in poorer quality of life for residents”.

“Unesco-cide” has been suggested to describe how, while preserving historic places, listing as a World Heritage Site destroys the authentic life of the communities living there, turning them into theme parks.

John Mounsey

Kendal