Tourist destinations can be categorized based on the reasons people travel to them. Film-induced tourism attracts visitors to locations featured in movies, allowing fans to experience scenes firsthand.
Pilgrimage Tourism
- People travel to take part in a religious activity
- Usually involves a journey to a sacred place (e.g. a shrine, mosque, temple or a church) that is important to a person's beliefs and faith
- E.g. The Vatican City, The Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, Varanasi in India
- Major religious holidays or events also play a big role in drawing large crowds to these sites
- E.g. Easter Christmas, Ramadan, Haji
Film-induced Tourism
- People travel to see locations featured in films
- Films can influence the destination choices of tourists
- People may want to travel to places even before watching the films
- Tourists can understand how certain scenes of the film were filmed by visiting these places
- Curious tourists can understand how certain places inspired parts of the film
- E.g. Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China, Remains of the set of The Lord of the Rings in Matamata, New Zealand
Heritage Tourism
- Experience better culture and understand the history of places better
- Help reinforce national identities for domestic tourists
- Help promote a country’s identity, culture and history to international tourists
- E.g. Tower of London in London, UK, Lost City of the Incas in Machu Picchu, Peru
Places of conflict
Dark Tourism
- Tourism that involves travelling to sites associated with death and tragedy
- People who take part in dark tourism include survivors, relatives and friends of those affected, and people interested to know more about an event
- Dark tourism sites include battlefields, fortifications, museums and memorials at location that are important in modern history
- E.g. Cu Chi Tunnels in Vietnam, Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Cambodia, Ruins of Pompeii in Italy
- Areas where wars, battles, man-made tragedies and unfavourable political situations have occurred
- Such places are often visited by tourists who want to participate in dark tourism
Places of scenic beauty
Honeypot tourism
- Attracts large numbers of people
- Scenic beauty
- Has good tourist facilities eg. transport, accommodation, retail services
- Overcrowded during peak season
- Eg. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa
Medical tourism
- Where people travel to undergo medical procedures that enhance/restore their health
- Eg. cosmetic surgery in South Korea
Theme Parks
- Places with amusement park settings
- Attractions that have a central subject or theme (e.g. movies)
- Cater to variety of people, young and old
- A large-scale enterprise that is part of an international chain.
- E.g. the Walt Disney Company operates theme parks in California and Florida, USA; Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong; and Paris, France
Medical facilities
- Seek better medical treatment compared to home country
- Avoid long waiting periods or high costs of treatment from home countries
- Better medical procedures
MICE (business travellers)
- Venues that hold large-scale events
- Has supporting infrastructure & services eg. hotels
- Located along international air routes
- They attract organisers of trade fairs & international conferences
- Eg.YOG 2010, SEA Games 2015