Chapter 14
Destinations: Tourism Generators
DESTINATIONS
 Travel and tourism usually involves having a
destination in mind.
 Destinations go hand in hand with travel
motives, as discussed earlier.
 People travel for reasons of (1) recreation; (2)
business and; (3) to visit friends and relatives
 This module will focus on recreational travel
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 300 million visitors each
year and generate about $10 billion
INDUSTRY FACTS (FROM
IAAPA)
 There are more than 600 amusement parks and
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traditional attractions in the U.S. alone. In 2006, 335
million people visited these venues and enjoyed more
that 1.5 billion “rides.”
There are approximately 300 amusement parks in
Europe.
Four of the world’s 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 but there are others that focus on
a particular concept such as historical,
marine, nature, fictional characters, etc.
 Disney, though continues to be the leader.
DISNEY
Consider that Disney owns/operates:
 5 major themed destinations around the world
 WDW in Orlando is the largest
 Hong Kong DisneyLand is the newest
 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, club manager,
etc.
 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 world’s 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
 In addition to always being near a place to
place a legal wager, there are now additional
gaming destinations to travel to
 Connecticut (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun)
 Mississippi Gulf Coast
 Midwest (riverboats)
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
 Over 3,000 new hotel rooms were added in
2005
 The ADR and Occupancy Rates continue to
increase
 There are new projects in the planning stages
totaling $30 billion
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 and
by providing 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 (for tourism purposes) is to provide an
experience different from those of “man made”
destinations
 The National Park Service preserves unimpaired 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 (Worlds Fairs) and small
(East Cupcake, Missouri Film Festival)
 Successful events attract both locals and
tourists and contribute to the local community