Introduction
This section comprises a survey of the countries of the world from a tourism perspective. The focus will be on the flows of tourists to and from each country and the major tourist attractions within each country.
The study of tourist movements is important for several reasons. For those at a destination it is vital to know the origins of the visitors. By knowing where the market comes from, marketing plans can be drawn up to reach potential travelers. Also, by studying the geographic characteristics of existing tourists, it may be possible to identify additional untapped market areas. For example, we may note that visitors to a particular "sun and fun" destination tend to come from cold-weather cities within a 200-mile radius (approx. 517 kilometers) of the destination. Further analysis might show several large cold-weather centers of population within 200 miles (approx. 517 kilometers) where there is at present no marketing effort. These would be potential market areas for expansion of the marketing effort.
From a theoretical viewpoint the study of tourist flows is also important. By analyzing existing tourist flows, general principles can be developed to explain the movements of tourists. By applying these principles to other destinations we can identify areas of potential future tourist movements.
- 1871 reads
