In spite of the gloomy economic outlook, Istria is teeming with tourists. They are everywhere. But they spend little, as many Istrians complain ever more loudly. Today I even heard that the amount of garbage collected over the peninsula has shrunk by half by comparison with the tourist season last year. Across the rich world, the middle class is shrinking not only in terms of its purchasing power, but also in terms of its size. If it is swelling in anything, it is only age. And pensioners everywhere have only a fraction of their former income to spend. What does this say about Istrian tourism in the years to come? The outlook is pretty gloomy, to be sure. The Great Recession may well linger for years in both Europe and America. Chances are that this year will be remembered as one of the best in recent years. A record year, perhaps. And the rest will be history to relish close to the hearth.