Copyright © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

DESTINATIONS Travel and tourism usually involves having a destination in mind As discussed previously, destinations go hand in hand with travel motives People travel for reasons of (1) recreation; (2) business and; (3) to visit friends and relatives

DESTINATIONS Motives for pleasure travel include: Religion Health Scenic beauty Sporting events Culture Entertainment Combinations of the above

DESTINATIONS Secondary and Primary Destinations Primary destinations are those that draw tourists from great distances and are the main reason for travel (name three) Secondary destinations draw people from nearby or they stop on the way to somewhere else (name three)

MASS MARKET TOURISM It was not long ago that travel (for pleasure) was reserved for the wealthy While wealth still affords certain privileges, travel is now available to the middle-class and others Travel has become less expensive, more democratic, and more accessible Examples include Las Vegas and Disney

PLANNED PLAY ENVIRONMENTS Planned play environments are those that are built (temporarily or permanently) with the intention of attracting tourists Examples include fairs and festivals, amusement parks, theme parks, gaming destinations and even entire cities

THEME PARKS Amusement parks, the predecessor of theme parks, have been in this country for over 100 years The oldest continually operating amusement park in the United States is Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, which opened in 1846 Theme parks are a more recent development and focus on one particular theme (Disney, LegoLand) Together, they draw over 340 million visitors each year and generate more than $12 billion

INDUSTRY FACTS (FROM IAAPA) There are more than 600 amusement parks and traditional attractions in the U.S. alone In 2007, 341 million people visited these venues and enjoyed more that 1.5 billion rides There are approximately 300 amusement parks in Europe Four of the worlds top ten most visited amusement parks are in Asia The U.S. amusement industry provides jobs for upwards of 500,000 year-round and seasonal employees 28 percent of Americans surveyed visited an amusement park last year

THEME PARKS While Disney World is the most well known theme park there are others that focus on a particular concept such as history, marine, nature, fictional characters, etc. Disney, though, continues to be the leader

DISNEY 5 major themed destinations around the world WDW in Orlando is the largest Hong Kong DisneyLand is the newest The next Disney park will be in Shanghai Revenues from Disney theme parks are in excess of $9 billion

DISNEYWORLD Walt Disney World is on a scale that no other park in the world can compete Disney is at once a theme park operator, hotel provider, food service operator, nightclub and sports provider, and club manager Disney employs 55,000 employees in Orlando alone

REGIONAL THEME PARKS Regional theme parks operate on a slightly smaller scale In most cases, they can be classified as secondary destinations Six Flags is the worlds largest regional theme park operator Others include Dollywood and LegoLand

GAMING AND CASINOS At one time, if somebody wanted to gamble legally, they had to travel to Las Vegas (1931) or Atlantic City (1976) Las Vegas is still the grand gaming destination but tourists have many other options At this time, 47 states offer some sort of legalized gambling (including lotteries)

GAMING AND CASINOS The number and type of gaming operations continues to grow Connecticut (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun) Mississippi Gulf Coast Midwest (riverboats) Others?

GAMING AND CASINOS – LAS VEGAS Las Vegas is still the major gaming destination in the US It offers much more than gaming though and, in recent years, has made a conscious effort to diversify – restaurants, stage shows, shopping and attractions Las Vegas attracted over 38 million visitors last year

GAMING AND CASINOS – LAS VEGAS Everything in Las Vegas seems to get bigger and bigger The new MGM CitiCenter includes a 60-floor mega resort and casino The ADR and occupancy rates continue to increase There are over 40 golf courses The number of fine-dining restaurants and celebrity chefs continues to increase

GAMING AND CASINOS – ATLANTIC CITY Atlantic City operates on a much smaller scale than does Las Vegas although it attracted 35 million visitors last year Visitors tend to come from the region though (over 30% come from NYC), stay for shorter periods and spend less AC is attempting to reposition itself to younger people though by offering more services and in a more luxurious setting

GAMING AND CASINOS – MOHEGAN SUN Located on 240 acres in southeastern Connecticut - competes with Foxwoods Owned by the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority 300,000 square feet of gaming space Retail, dining, entertainment, 1,200 hotel rooms New $740 million project is underway

SHOPPING Shopping has become a primary tourist activity Shopping areas (Michigan Avenue, Newbury Street), Shopping Centers (St. Louis Centre, Prudential), and Malls (West Edmonton and Mall of America) all contribute to this tourist activity The largest malls are now in Asia (8 of the 10 largest malls in the world are now located in Asia) Golden Resources Mall (in Beijing) is the largest at (50% larger than Mall of America)

NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS Natural environments include national parks, state parks, eco resorts, etc. Their purpose regarding tourism is to provide an experience different from those of man-made destinations The National Park Service preserves the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS Fairs and festivals are driven by tradition, culture, and economics They can be large (World Fairs) and small (East Cupcake, Missouri Film Festival) Successful events attract both locals and tourists and contribute to the local community