Why do we do that?

I'm currently vacationing in Gatlinburg, TN.  It was a small town in the Smokie Mountains with beautiful views of the National Park.  The town itself has grown from a quaint, quiet vacation spot to a total tourist trap filled with go-carts, miniature golf, and Ripley's museums.  None of which have anything to do with the natural beauty surrounding the town.  For those that stay in one of the "over 1000 motel rooms" in town, there are a variety of "authentic" country shows, fast food places, and gift shops of all types to visit.  It has become the Tennessee version of the Jersey shore.

So the question that I have is, why do we do this to places of natural beauty?  Why do we allow greed to overtake our good sense and stewardship of nature?  How does a beautiful shoreline or picturesque mountain translate into video arcade?  Why do we build hundreds of hotel/motel rooms and condo rentals in these locations so that people can supposedly come to enjoy what nature has to offer and then clutter it all up with mindless nonsense that takes us away from all of that offering?

Thoughts anyone?