I feel your concerns op, traveling all the way Gridania to not cross a single player on the Tranquil paths and even LL many a times i find myself alone on the boat. When arriving at said city-states i hardly see anyone outside of crafters in the usual crafting attires.

When we had more players, everything was alive. From afk bazaars to traveling players. Hopefully when the game has finished its development players will come back to make everything bustling and alive again.