PETER ROBINSON MICHAEL LÜCK STEPHEN L. J. SMITH TOURISM PETER ROBINSON MICHAEL LÜCK STEPHEN L. J. SMITH

9 Visitor Attractions

Learning Objectives To understand the importance of attractions for the tourism industry To describe and classify different types of attractions To understand different ownership and management of different types of attractions To appreciate the role of events as attraction

Classification Four main types (Swarbrooke, 2002) 1. Features within the natural environment 2. Human-made buildings, structures and sites that were designed for a purpose other than attracting visitors, such as religious worship, but which now attract substantial numbers of visitors who use them as leisure amenities 3. Human-made buildings, structures and sites that are designed to attract visitors and are purpose- built to accommodate their needs, such as theme parks 4. Special events

Classification Another frequent typology is based on Natural features Man-made features Cultural features Any combination of these three

resource, catering, interpretation, retailing, events, conferences, Classification PRODUCT resource, catering, interpretation, retailing, events, conferences, activities FREE PAID BUILT NATURAL LOCAL MARKET REGIONAL MARKET NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL OWNERSHIP (Leask, 2003, p. 7)

Ownership Public Central government Government agencies Local authorities State industries Voluntary organizations Charitable trusts Private clubs and associations Private Individuals and partnerships Private companies Corporations

Attraction Attributes (Weaver and Lawton, 2010) Ownership and orientation Spatial configuration Authenticity Scarcity Status Carrying capacity Accessibility Market Context

Non-purpose-built Attractions Created for different purpose, but evolved into an attraction Churches (e.g. Notre Dame in Paris) Shopping malls (e.g. West Edmonton Mall, Canada) Factories (e.g. Coca Cola in Atlanta) Industrial sites (e.g. Waihi Gold Mine, New Zealand) Modern buildings (e.g. Sydney Opera House) Superstructures (e.g. Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco)

World Heritage Identified and declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Three categories Outstanding natural heritage Outstanding cultural heritage Outstanding natural and cultural heritage

World Heritage Issues/challenges Managing access (access versus conservation) ‘Edutainment’ Ownership

Events as Attraction MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events) Event types Festivals Tournaments Other

Events as Attraction Mega-events Legacies Opportunities Infrastructure improvements Community involvement/development

Visitor Interpretation Various techniques Signs and plates Audio tours Video screenings Guidebooks/brochures Personal interpretation (by tour guide) The role of the Tourist Information Centre

References Leask, A. (2003) The nature and purpose of visitor attarctions. In: Fyall, A., Garrod, B. and Leask, A. (eds) Managing Visitor Attractions: New Directions. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Amsterdam, pp. 5–15. Swarbrooke, J. (2002) The Development & Management of Visitor Attractions, 2nd edn. Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Weaver, D. and Lawton, L. (2010) Tourism Management, 4th edn. Wiley and Sons, Milton, Australia.