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Tourism » The Butler Model

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

Cambridge spec: 9.3.2

The six stages of the Butler model and what happens at each one
How visitor numbers, facilities, local involvement and the environment change over time
How to describe a real resort using the model
The strengths and limitations of the Butler model

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Resorts have a life story

A tourist resort does not stay the same for ever. Many start as quiet places, grow quickly, then slow down. Some fall out of fashion, while others find a new way to attract visitors.

In 1980 the geographer R. W. Butler suggested that most resorts follow a similar pattern. His idea is called the Butler model. It is drawn as an S-shaped curve, with time along the bottom and the number of visitors up the side.

Key terms:

Butler model (tourist area life cycle): a model showing the stages a tourist resort passes through as visitor numbers rise, level off and then fall or rise again.
Exploration: the first stage, with very few visitors.
Involvement: local people begin to provide for visitors.
Development: a stage of fast growth, often with outside companies.
Consolidation: visitor numbers are still rising, but more slowly.
Stagnation: visitor numbers reach a peak and stop growing.
Decline: visitor numbers fall.
Rejuvenation: the resort is renewed and visitor numbers rise again.

The stages, one by one

If you are asked to sketch the curve, start low and flat, rise steeply, flatten off at a peak, then show two possible paths: one falling (decline) and one rising again (rejuvenation). Label the bottom axis "time" and the side axis "number of visitors". You met the reasons tourism grows in Why Tourism Has Grown. Here we look at what happens to one resort over time.

Stage	Visitors	Facilities	Local involvement	Environment
1. Exploration	Very few, adventurous travellers	None built for tourists; visitors use local homes and shops	High, as visitors mix with local people	Untouched and natural
2. Involvement	Slowly rising	Locals add guest rooms, small cafes and shops	Very high; local people run most services	Little change
3. Development	Rising fast	Large hotels, airports and roads, often built by outside companies	Falling, as outside firms take control	Land is built on, with more waste and pressure on resources
4. Consolidation	Still growing, but more slowly	Well established, with big chains and heavy advertising	Low; some locals feel the area is changing too much	Pressure continues
5. Stagnation	At a peak, no longer rising	Many facilities, some becoming old	Low	Problems such as crowding and damage are clear
6. Decline or rejuvenation	Decline: falling. Rejuvenation: rising again	Decline: empty, run-down hotels. Rejuvenation: new attractions	Decline: locals may buy cheap hotels. Rejuvenation: locals may invest again, or outside investors fund new attractions	Decline: neglected. Rejuvenation: cleaned up and improved

Decline or rejuvenation

📉 Decline

Visitors turn to newer, cheaper or more fashionable places. Hotels lose money and close, and the resort becomes run-down. Fewer visitors means fewer jobs and less income for local people.

🌟 Rejuvenation

The resort is given a new purpose. It might build new attractions, improve the beach or promote a new type of tourism, such as conferences or winter breaks. Visitor numbers then rise again.

A real example: Benidorm

Benidorm is a resort on the Costa Blanca in Spain. It began as a small fishing town. Large-scale tourism grew from the 1950s, and it became a huge resort packed with high-rise hotels and apartment blocks.

Early stages: a quiet fishing town with few visitors.
Development: fast growth as tour operators sold cheap package holidays and many tall hotels were built.
Consolidation and stagnation: Benidorm became one of the best-known resorts in Spain, so growth was no longer as fast as in the early boom years.
Towards rejuvenation: to keep numbers up, it has tried to attract visitors outside the summer months, so that it is busy for more of the year.

This shows that a resort does not have to fall into decline. It can try to renew itself. Not every resort will follow the curve exactly, so always say that the model is a guide.

Strengths and limitations

✅ Strengths

Simple: easy to understand and to draw.
Helps planning: planners can guess what may come next and prepare, for example by limiting building before problems start.
Fits many resorts: many resorts show a similar pattern of growth.

❌ Limitations

Not all resorts follow it: some skip stages or never decline.
Timescales vary: one resort may take 20 years to grow, another 100.
External shocks: events such as a pandemic, war or natural disaster can change visitor numbers suddenly.
Hard to know the current stage: it is often only clear in hindsight, because a dip may be temporary.

Common mistakes

Do not mix up the order of the stages: exploration, involvement, development, consolidation, stagnation, then decline or rejuvenation. Do not say that every resort will decline, because stagnation can lead to decline or rejuvenation. Do not simply write "visitors go up". Say how fast, for example "slowly" or "rapidly", and link it to a stage.

Exam-style question

Table 1 shows made-up figures for the number of visitors to Resort Z.

Year	1960	1980	2000	2010	2020
Visitors (thousands)	5	200	600	602	600

(a) Identify which stage of the Butler model best describes Resort Z in 2020. [1 mark]

(b) Describe what happens to local involvement as a resort moves from the involvement stage to the development stage. [2 marks]

(c) Suggest two ways Resort Z could be rejuvenated. [2 marks]

(d) Evaluate how useful the Butler model is for planning the future of a tourist resort. [6 marks]

Model answer

(a) Stagnation (1)

(b) Local involvement falls (1), because outside companies build large hotels and take control of services (1).

(c) Any two from: build new attractions (1), improve the beach and surroundings (1), promote a new type of tourism or attract visitors in other seasons (1).

(d) Level 3 (5-6 marks) answer: The Butler model is useful because it is simple and shows planners that resorts often pass through stages. If Resort Z knows it is at stagnation, it can prepare to rejuvenate before visitors fall away, for example by adding new attractions. The model also fits many resorts, so planners can compare their own resort with others. However, it has limitations. Not all resorts follow the curve, and the timescale varies, so a resort might not move to the next stage when expected. External shocks such as a pandemic can cause a sudden fall in visitors that the model does not predict. It is also hard to know the current stage until later, since a dip in numbers may be temporary. Overall, the model is a helpful guide for planning but should not be relied on alone, so planners should also use local data and other information.

Exam tip

In an "Evaluate" question, give strengths and limitations, then finish with a clear judgement about how useful the model is.

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