Atkinson said "... an event like that is quite within the bounds of contemporary practice" to Leeds Student. And he told The Times "It's definitely art, but whether it's good or bad art is another thing." Some newspapers also ran opinion pieces on Going Places as art. Leeds Student said it was neither creative nor original because millions of people take package holidays every year. Using the Going Places group and "sheep-pickler Damien Hirst" as examples, the Yorkshire Evening Post condemned modern art practitioners as more skilled at self-promotion than making art objects.
