> Is this sarcasm? The existence of guidebooks, in itself, ensures that multiple people will do what the guide says. A "better" guidebook will just ruin those "better" experiences too.
That assumes the guidebook is the same for everyone. In today's world of smartphone apps it's not hard to imagine a "personalized" guidebook for each tourist. You could even take it a step forward and make it fully dynamic and "re-route" tourists based on site congestion - sort of like Waze for tourists.
It would still break down at scale, statistically speaking, at least for the most famous destinations (i.e. the above-mentioned European capitals). And the experience would still be sub-par: you appreciate more what you discover on your own, because your brain is reacting to your own instincts rather than being intellectually told what you should like. It's also much harder to be disappointed, because there was no guide raising your expectations.
That assumes the guidebook is the same for everyone. In today's world of smartphone apps it's not hard to imagine a "personalized" guidebook for each tourist. You could even take it a step forward and make it fully dynamic and "re-route" tourists based on site congestion - sort of like Waze for tourists.