What makes a good tourist attraction.

Claire Jeanne Patricia Main

International Tourism Management Yr 1

Personal Skills for Managers

Module Tutor: Steve Jones

School of Tourism and Hospitality Management

Hand in Date: Thursday 7th November 2002.-

1. Features of a good tourist attraction

To determine whether a tourist attraction is successful, the following aspects need to

be considered;

  • The number of visitors it achieves compared with their target number of

       visitors,

  • The amount of income the attraction makes compared with their target figures,

  • How well known the attraction is throughout the country. Is it internationally

      recognised?

  • Whether visitors would come to the attraction on more than one occasion,

  • If the attraction is safe and that this element is recognised by the local

      supervising authorities, also does it cater for people with disabilities/ special

      needs,

        

  • What the visitor experience is like on the whole.

1:1         Visitors

        

The amount of visitors a tourist attraction receives reflects on how well the

marketing for the attraction has worked. If marketing has not been done

effectively the attraction will not reach its full business potential and could fail

due to insufficient sales revenue. For example in the case of the Millennium

Dome, only half the amount of the expected number of visitors actually visited

the Dome, therefore leading to its closure after just one year, and losing

millions of pounds.  A good tourist attraction should attract enough visitors to

keep it open and guarantee a profit, yet not too many so that the attraction isn’t

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too crowded, leading to unnecessary queue times and an unpleasant time for

the visitors.

 

        

1:2        Income

The income that an attraction makes is not based solely on the entrance fee

multiplied by the number of visitors, a good tourist attraction would have

other features such as a coffee bar, restaurant, and gift shop. Features like

these also enhance the visitor’s experience, encouraging numerous visits

throughout the lifespan of the attraction. For attractions where the entrance is

free, the only profit it will ...

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