Lesson 1: Attractions
Completion requirements
Unit 1
Just the Facts
Lesson 1: Attractions
"Just to travel is rather boring, but to travel with a purpose is education and exciting." ~ Sargent Shriver
. . . things tourists usually like to see or do.
In other words, it's a place that attracts tourists and motivates them to select a particular destination. Simple enough.
Think of Disneyland. Have you ever heard someone talk about their family vacation plans and simply state that they're going to Disneyland? This is one of the model tourist attractions.
When we dig deeper, we see that within the tourism industry attractions are generally broken into three distinct categories.
Click on the + beside each of the categories below for more information.
Definition
Natural attractions are tourist attractions that have been created by nature. Many of these areas have been given a status to protect their environment and provide facilities so that the public is able to enjoy the sights. Examples of natural attractions might be caves, waterfalls, seashore, mountains, or lakes. Role
Through education and experiential learning, Parks Canada states that our National Parks have a role to inspire Canadians to protect our natural ecosystems through understanding and appreciation without comprising their integrity.
Definition
Constructed attractions are tourist attractions that have been built on purpose to attract tourists into an area. People typically think of purpose-built attractions as places that are fun, enjoyable, and built for tourist enjoyment. Examples of constructed attractions would be West Edmonton Mall Waterpark, The CN Tower, or Capilano Suspension Bridge.
Role
The constructed attraction's main role is to increase the number of tourists, thereby increasing tourism dollars.
Definition
Globalization has developed a new niche in tourism, called cultural attractions. When travelling, more global tourists are motivated to better understand a region's history and its citizens and to experience their culture. A cultural attraction finds ways of sharing this, often through cultural experiences. Examples within Canada are; the Whetung Ojibwa Centre in Ontario, the Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatchewan, Dog sledding in Alberta and Keno City's Keno Mining Museum in the Yukon.
Role
Cultural attractions should satisfy cultural tourists' needs for an active vacation through versatile forms of selective offerings, the enrichment of knowledge and cultural experiences while maintaining and respecting the culture's integrity and truth.