Tourism Landscapes: For the Tourist or of The Tourist?

Abstract

Significant areas of the world can justifiably be described as tourism landscapes, parts of the Mediterranean coast, some Caribbean Islands, and certain mountain areas in the Rockies and the Alps for example. In most cases these landscapes have been significantly modified and subsequently maintained to make and keep them attractive to tourists. Despite this, relatively little is known of the real preferences of tourists for landscape types and features, whether for example they are attracted to specific landforms and combinations of features, or primarily to opportunities and faculties which are located in preselected areas by entrepreneurs. A longitudinal model is discussed which describes the process of creation, establishment and change of tourism landscapes.