SASS EGeog Tourism Gateway 1

Subject: Geography Topic: Global Tourism Gateway 1: How does the nature of tourism vary from place to place? _____________________________________________________________________________________ Who are the tourists? Tourists: Persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for m than _ h but not more than o consecutive y for leisure, business and other purposes. Tourism: Activities of tourists International Tourism: Tourism o of a tourist’s own country Domestic Tourism: Tourism w a tourist’s own country How do tourist destinations differ from one another? Different places and environments provide different opportunities for a wide range of tourist activities: • N environments e.g. coasts, mountains • H environments e.g. cities, historical sites A destination may have a different tourist activity from another due to: • Topography • Climate • History • Investment in facilities Example: Climate - Warm climates and clear coastal waters allow activities such as swimming and sun-bathing - Cold climates and mountains provide opportunities for skiing Tourist destinations may provide different o for tourist activities depending on the characteristics of the location: • Places of scenic beauty: - Honeypot Tourism • Places with good facilities: - Meetings, Conventions, Incentives and Events - Medical - Theme Parks • Places with rich culture: - Heritage - Film-induced tourism - Religious pilgrimages • Places of conflicts: - Dark Tourism

1. Places of scenic beauty • Earth’s n environments (e.g. mountains, valleys, rivers, deserts, waterfalls, coral reefs and rainforests) have become major tourist destinations • Often involve awe-inspiring s _ • Different from b environments of towns and cities • Provide opportunities for mountaineering, hiking, cycling and swimming • For example: • Wildlife sites give visitors a chance to watch lions, elephants and giraffes closely in their natural habitat e.g. The Safaris in Kenya • Mountainous areas have unique combinations of vegetation, wildlife, weather and high altitude that draw mountaineers e.g. Nepal is very popular mountaineering site because of the beautiful mountains there • Tropical coastal resorts are popular among tourists who want to escape the cold winters of Europe and North America e.g. resorts in Bali, Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand are overcrowded during peak travelling seasons • Honeypot tourism: Tourism that attracts l numbers of people due to a site’s scenic beauty. • Tourists come to these sites like bees to flowers; hence the term ‘honeypot’, e.g. Grand Canyon, Halong Bay, Victoria Falls • O during peak seasons as tourist facilities such as hotels, shopping centres and transport stations are develop