Travel and Tourism Unit 2

Lesson 1
Features of worldwide destinations

2.1 Demonstrate knowledge of the main global features

a) Location of major continental land masses, oceans and seas
b) Location of the world’s major cities in relation to their
importance as major transport hubs and destinations
2.2 Demonstrate awareness of different time zones and
climates
c) Relationship between global position (longitude) and time
zones
d) Relationship between global position (latitude) and physical
environment (equatorial, tropical – including deserts,
temperate, arctic)
e) Influence of climate on tourism (relief, temperature,
sunshine, precipitation, humidity, wind, hazards)
f) Correct information on climatic areas identified, using
reference sources
Features of worldwide destinations
2.3 Investigate travel and tourism destinations
a) Nature of destinations, e.g.:
• perishable (they can be altered)
• multiple use (people other than tourists use the destinations)
• cultural appraisals (destinations are influenced by fashion)
• Ingredients of a successful destination, e.g.: location, attractions,
organisation, support facilities
b) Tourist destinations as amalgams (combinations) of specific environmental
factors such as attractions (natural and man-made), shopping centres,
support facilities, hospitality and organisation
c) Implications of viewing destinations as amalgams and the idea of
sustainability
2.4 Identify and describe the features which attract tourists to a particular
destination
d) Features of location (climate, location, cultural, religious, etc.) identified and
described, using reference sources
e) Reasons why certain tourists (e.g. disabled, young people, families, business
visitors) might be attracted to a location
f) Influence of physical features on the opportunities and constraints for the
development of tourism, e.g. mountains and hills, coasts and inland
The Main Global Features

Introduction
► A destination is the place where a journey finally ends. It can
be a town, city or resort, a tourist attraction, such as a major
theme park or a much larger region such as a National Park.
► Most tourist destinations usually display many of following
features:
• information services (e.g. tourist information centre)
• a range of visitor attractions, including theme parks,
museum, gardens and/or children’s activities area,
• enough parking spaces for day visitors.
• accessible location for the mass market,
• accommodation and catering facilities,
• shopping facilities for the visitor,
• a character of their own.
The Main Global Features
Introduction (cont.)
► Tourist destination are themselves
influenced by the prevailing social, cultural,
environmental, economic and political
conditions.
► It is fundamental to the concept of tourist
destination that tourism is generally not the
sole economic activity or function within the
area identified as a destination.
► Those responsible for destinations
management must ensure that tourism
developments in such areas are in sync with
other social and economic activities of the
particular area so that future developments
would be sustainable. (role)
The Main Global Features
► As these changes take place Region 1995 2009 2020
individual tourist destinations (Forecast)
will develop and expand. Europe 338 460 717
► It is generally accepted that Asia and 85 180 416
the Canadian Geographer R. Pacific
W. Butler, writing in 1980, Americas 109 140 282
was the first person to liken Middle East 12 52 69
the development of tourist
Africa 20 48 77
destinations to a product
passing through the various World total 565 880 1561
stages of the product life
▲Fig. 2.1 - International tourist
cycle.
arrivals by region in millions
► He suggested that each destination in the world will follow a cycle of
evolution and pass through stages similar to youth, maturity and old age.
► The logical conclusion of such a process must be the ultimate death of a
particular destination, unless it can re-invent itself in some way and
continue to develop - a process known as ‘rejuvenation.
The Main Global Features
Example
The recent expansion of tourism in the Maldives since 1972 is a very good illustration of this process at
work and the following figures clearly show how the destination has been growing.
Year 1972 1979 1991 2000 2004 2007 2008
International arrivals (000’S) 1 30 196 467 600 676 683
Butler’s model identifies the following stages of development in a tourist site or area:
• Exploration - Very small tourist numbers (as for 1972 in the Maldives) and few, if any, tourist
facilities.
• Involvement - Small numbers of tourists, mainly independent travelers, with some local facilities
being developed (as for 1979 in the Maldives).
• Development - Visitor numbers rising rapidly with an increase in both foreign owned facilities, and
the expansion and upgrading of the local infrastructure (as for the period 1991-2000 in the
Maldives).
• Consolidation - Further increases in the number of tourists, with mass tourists being the largest
component. The addition of facilities reaches a peak as carrying capacity limit is approached (this
represents the first decade of the 21s' Century in the Maldives).
• Stagnation – Tourist numbers reach peak as facilities show signs of age
• Rejuvenation/decline - Either tourist numbers rise again due to new innovations or they will fall as
old-fashioned mass tourism lingers on.
However, even though it states that the stage of decline will be reached eventually, it is possible for the
tourist area to be rejuvenated and measures can be taken to ensure its sustainable use. This is the key
issue for all destinations: will it be possible for their growth and future development to be sustainable in
the years to come.
The Main Global Features

The main global features (cont.)

► Tourists leave home, travel to reach a destination, interact
with economic, cultural, and physical landscapes at that
destination and finally return home. During their stay away
from home, they have a wide range of experiences all
strongly influenced by prevailing conditions at their chosen
destination.
The location of major continental Sand masses, oceans
and seas
► The world map shown in Fig. 2.2 clearly identifies the
earths continents and oceans. The map also shows that
the northern hemisphere has more land and that the
southern hemisphere has most of the water area.
The Main Global Features

▲Fig. 2.2 – World

The Main Global Features

The location of the world's major cities in relation to their

Importance as major transport hubs and destinations
► It is important to realise that all the world’s major cities are
not necessarily important tourism destinations. For an urban
area to be classed as a major city, it simply requires for there
to be a large population size.
► Similarly, just because a city has a busy international airport
does not mean that each international passenger will be a
tourist visiting that particular city.
► Fig. 2.3 attempts to show the difference between cities that
have a large number of international passenger arrivals at
their major airport and the cities that actually attract large
number of international visitors as tourists.
► Although the listings are not extensive, some very interesting
observations can be made.
The Main Global Features
Airport Arrivals City Visitor estimates
(millions) (millions)
Dubai 88.2 Bangkok 20.2
London (LHI) 70 London 20
Hong Kong (HKG) 70 Paris 16.1
Amsterdam 64 Dubai 16
Paris (CDG) 66 Singapore 13.45
Singapore 59 Tokyo 12.5
Seoul 58 Seoul 12.44
Frankfurt (FRA) 61 New York 12.4
Bangkok 45 Kuala Lumpur 12.1
Taipei 42 Hong Kong 9.25

▲Fig. 2.2 – Top 10 airports for international tourism arrivals (averaged

for 2016-2017) and Top 10 cities for international visitors (2017)
The Main Global Features
► To begin with the world’s two busiest airports based on the number of
passengers handled do not appear anywhere in Fig. 2.3. This is
because both Atlanta (ATL) with 90 million passengers and Chicago
(ORD) with 69 million passengers act as important hubs for transport
within the US. Therefore, many of the passengers handled are not
international visitors.
► London and Paris are important destinations and both cities have very
busy airports in terms of international visitor arrivals.
► London is particularly important because Heathrow (LHR) has
consistently been the world’s busiest airport for international arrivals
over recent years.

Atlanta Airport

Chicago Airport
The Main Global Features
► Hong Kong and Dubai feature as important destinations in both lists.
One of the reasons why both locations handle lots of international
visitors is because of the fact that they are all in very accessible
locations.
► Fig. 2.4 shows the large number of airlines that serve each destination
and so both locations have been made accessible to leisure and
business travellers and those visiting relatives and friends.

► Let us now briefly look at some aspects of Dubai’s location in relation

to its importance as a major transport hub and destination. Fig. 2.2
shows Dubai’s geographical location (55E, 25N) on the southern shore
of the Arabian Gulf.
The Main Global Features: (Dubai)
► It is strategically located at the crossroads of three continents - Europe, Asia
and Africa - a natural meeting place. Dubai is now a major aviation hub, the
government’s ‘open skies’ policy has resulted in Dubai International Airport
being served by over 100 airlines, with connections to more than 140 cities
worldwide.
► It is also the operation hub for Emirates and so attracts visitors wanting a
stopover.
► Dubai has a very accessible location and in terms of flying times: London is
seven hours away, Frankfurt is six, Hong Kong eight and Nairobi four. These
facts give Dubai a very wide catchment area. Business events in Dubai attract
delegates and trade visitors from around the world. This catchment area
covers the Gulf States, other Arab countries like Iran, the Asian subcontinent,
East Africa, Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
The Main Global Features: (Dubai)
► This rapidly developing region boasts a population of around 1.5
billion people. A recent analysis of Dubai hotel guests’ country of
origin identified the following breakdown in Fig. 2.5.
► Previously viewed in tourism terms as little more than a duty free
stopover, Dubai today has become a highly acclaimed destination
offering an outstanding range
of facilities and services.
► Dubai’s significance as a global
destination stems from the
fact that it can be viewed
from two main perspectives.
It is not just a simple holiday
destination for leisure
travellers; it is an important
commercial, trading and
business centre as well.
▲Fig. 2.5 - Dubai hotel guest’s country of