Wait. I can't have an opinion about places other than my immediate surrounding?

I'm not saying you can't, you are of course free to do whatever you want. I'm saying it doesn't make much sense (to me).

You may be focusing on the negative aspect of it ( and possibly only one perspective, but I will wait for your response to confirm if that is the case ). As a potential tourist, opinion of others of a given locale will make a difference in deciding whether I will want to visit. In other words, it absolutely makes sense to not only hold, but even seek out opinion of other places. But, in line with what you said, we are not all wired the same way. Still, just because it does not make sense to you does not mean others don't see value in it.

We're talking about policy changes, not tourism. Largely this is in the context of how to fix the problem.