rls263 9. attractions

what are visitor attractions?

• Appeals in a destination. Focal point for visitor activity and spending.

  • e.g., the natural aspect, cultural aspect, sport event, etc.

• Any site that appeals to people sufficiently to encourage them to travel there in order to visit it

• Include built environments, natural environments, cultural resources, products, festivals and events.

• Attracts residents as well as tourists, thus the term visitor attraction is more appropriate

globalization and visitor attractions

• globalization: when a concept, brand, item, etc. starts selling and being spread to other countries; becoming less localized and more international

• vistor attractions…

  • boosts local economies

    • Visitor attractions play a vital role in welcoming international tourists, generating revenue, and supporting jobs.

  • but comes with the challenge of overtourism

    • many top destinations now struggle with issues of overcrowding, resource strain, and sustainability.

challenges of overtourism

Popular destinations face overcrowding, environmental pressures, cultural strain, and the global spread of major brands that risk homogenizing tourism experiences.

homogenizing tourism

making them all look and feel the same everywhere.

• In tourism, this happens when global brands (like theme parks, hotel chains, or fast-food franchises) expand across countries. Instead of offering something unique and local, visitors often see the same attractions, foods, shops, and entertainment in different destinations. —> makes things boring asf for tourists. tourists expect to see something new that’s why they’re travelling away from home in the first place. cause why leave your home just to find the exact same things again?

• TDLR: tourism homogenization = loss of local identity, replaced by global sameness.

destinations vs attractions

destinations: a broader area; larger areas that include a number of individual attractions together with the support services required by tourists

attractions: a specific site within a destination. generally single units, individual sites or very small, easily delimited geographical areas based on a single key feature.

types of attractions

• urban centers (a concentrated, high-density area of population and buildings within a city, distinguished by its significant infrastructure, economic activity, and social interactions)

  • examples: notting hill (london), gastown (vancouver), kensington market (toronto), shinjuku district (tokyo)

• beach resorts / seaside resorts / waterfronts

  • examples: european beaches and blue flag standards, london docklands

• industrial tourism (visiting industrial sites, including historical industrial areas and operational factories, to observe production processes, learn about technological advancements, and explore industrial heritage)

  • examples: workplaces (NY stock exchange), abandoned and working mine operations

• gardens

  • examples: kew gardens, kirstenboch, cypress gardens, butchard gardens, muttart conservatory and devonian gardens

• rural attractions (primarily natural landscapes and roadside oddities that highlight local culture and history)

  • protected areas, battelfields, farming holidays, active volcanoes, sporting events (tour de france)

• wildlife / nature based attractions

  • constructed (manmade) 

    • examples: disney’s wild kingdom, aquariums, san diego zoo

  • natural (not manmade)

    • examples: mount robson, patagonia towers

• themeparks

  • examples: disneyland, cedar point

• cultural attractions (places where you can experience the physical and intellectual creations of people, offering insight into history, art, and diverse traditions of a destination)

  • examples: leaning tower of pisa