Rob,
I think you have hit on a subject that we all think we know about but lacks definition. What is meant by a "tourist"item? You have emphasised that these are low quality items produced in quatity. Others have used the term to mean highly decorative pieces, often with "non-functional" blades (blunt or low quality metal or roughly finished, etc.). In either case, there is a disparaging connotation which, you rightly point out, is not always justified. If a local would be happy to carry it, is it really a "tourist" piece? Good question.
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