Involving residents in the process of planning for destination development is a key factor in understanding the challenges. Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) is put forward as a successful method that enables the collection of the needs and wants of the public. Our aim in this paper is to challenge the current understanding of the success of PPGIS by critically evaluating the public and participation aspects of the method. Extant literature underpins the importance of including knowledgeable and highly interested participants in PPGIS studies as that is likely to lead to higher participation rates and data that could be “valuable” in decision-making processes. Broadly, there seems to be a consensus among scholars over the importance of including residents in PPGIS studies as they are not only affected most, but they also have better geographical knowledge of the places they live in. In this paper, we report on a PPGIS study focused on mapping residents’ perceptions of places that needed transportation improvements in Malung-Sälen, Sweden. We, in collaboration with stakeholders at Malung-Sälen municipality, distributed an online PPGIS survey to the residents between November 2021 and January 2022. Surprisingly, despite the hegemonic view of PPGIS studies including residents being successful, findings from the study show a relatively low response rate and engagement in mapping. Thus, there is an imperative need to rethink how to involve and assess the success of PPGIS studies in general and more so those focusing on residents. In other words, what happens if residents do not map?