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Unlock This CourseEvery destination needs something to draw tourists in. That "something" is an attraction a feature of a place that makes people want to visit. Attractions are one of the most important parts of destination appeal and for your iGCSE exam, you need to be able to identify, describe and explain them clearly.
Attractions fall into two broad categories:
Key Definitions:
These exist because of geography, geology and ecology. Think waterfalls, coral reefs, rainforests, volcanoes and wildlife. They are often unique to a specific location and cannot be replicated elsewhere which makes them very powerful for destination appeal.
These are created by humans, either deliberately for tourism (like Disneyland) or for another purpose that later became a tourist draw (like the Colosseum in Rome). Built attractions can be updated, expanded and marketed giving destinations more control over their appeal.
Natural attractions are often the reason a destination first gets noticed. They tend to form the core identity of a place think of Kenya and its safari wildlife, or Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. Let's explore the main types.
Beaches, coral reefs, sea caves and coastal cliffs are among the most visited natural features in the world. The appeal is usually a mix of scenery, relaxation and water-based activities like snorkelling, surfing and diving.
The Great Barrier Reef in Australia stretches over 2,300 km and is the world's largest coral reef system. It attracts over 2 million visitors per year and supports a tourism industry worth around AUD $6.4 billion annually.
White sand beaches in the Caribbean, Thailand and the Maldives are iconic natural attractions. Their appeal comes from warm water, sunshine and scenery all naturally occurring features that require no construction.
The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland attract around 1.5 million visitors each year. Dramatic coastal scenery appeals to walkers, photographers and nature lovers a very different market from beach tourists.
The Great Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's most famous natural attractions. Located off the coast of Queensland, it is home to over 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc. Tourists come for diving, snorkelling, glass-bottom boat tours and scenic flights. The reef generates enormous economic benefits for Australia but it also faces serious threats from climate change, coral bleaching and tourism pressure. This is a classic iGCSE example of a natural attraction that brings both opportunities and challenges.
Dramatic landforms attract tourists looking for adventure, challenge and breathtaking scenery. Mountains offer skiing, hiking and climbing. Volcanoes even active ones draw curious visitors from around the world.
Mount Fuji in Japan is both a natural and cultural icon. Around 300,000 people climb it every year during the official climbing season (July–September). Its near-perfect volcanic cone shape makes it one of the most photographed mountains on Earth. In 2024, Japanese authorities introduced a gate and a fee on the most popular trail to manage overtourism a real-world example of how natural attractions can be loved too much.
Wildlife tourism sometimes called ecotourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in travel. Tourists travel specifically to see animals in their natural habitat. This type of tourism is strongly linked to natural attractions.
Key examples:
Ecotourism is growing at around 20–34% per year globally significantly faster than mainstream tourism. Natural attractions are at the heart of this trend. Tourists increasingly want authentic experiences in natural settings, which puts enormous pressure on fragile ecosystems.
Built attractions are man-made features that draw tourists. They range from ancient monuments thousands of years old to brand-new theme parks and sports arenas. Unlike natural attractions, built attractions can be planned, funded and developed meaning destinations have more power to shape their own appeal.
Some of the world's most visited attractions are historic sites places where something significant happened, or where remarkable buildings still stand. These appeal to tourists interested in history, culture and heritage.
Built between 70–80 AD, the Colosseum receives around 7 million visitors per year, making it one of the most visited built attractions on Earth. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a symbol of Roman civilisation.
An Inca citadel built in the 15th century, set high in the Andes at 2,430 metres. It attracts around 1.5 million visitors per year. Peru limits daily visitor numbers to protect the site from damage.
The world's largest religious monument, built in the 12th century. Tourism here grew from 7,650 visitors in 1993 to over 2 million by 2019 a dramatic example of how a built attraction can transform a destination's economy.
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, is arguably the world's most famous built attraction. Commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1632 as a mausoleum for his wife, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site visited by around 7–8 million people per year. The Indian government has introduced timed entry tickets and visitor caps to reduce crowding and protect the marble structure from pollution and wear. The Taj Mahal generates significant income for the local economy hotels, guides, transport and craft sellers all benefit. It is a perfect iGCSE example of a built attraction with both positive and negative tourism impacts.
Some built attractions are created entirely for tourism. Theme parks are the clearest example they exist solely to entertain visitors and generate revenue. They can be built almost anywhere, which means destinations can create appeal from scratch.
Key examples:
Major sports venues and events can act as powerful built attractions. Stadiums, racing circuits and sports museums draw fans and tourists who want to experience something connected to their passion.
The Camp Nou in Barcelona home of FC Barcelona receives around 1.5 million visitors per year on stadium tours, making it one of Spain's most visited attractions. The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum in London attracts visitors year-round, not just during the famous tournament. Meanwhile, the FIFA World Cup and Olympic Games are temporary built-attraction events that can permanently upgrade a destination's infrastructure and global profile.
Dubai is one of the best examples in the world of a destination that has deliberately created its appeal through built attractions. Fifty years ago, Dubai was a small trading port with little tourism. Today it is one of the world's top destinations, largely because of massive investment in built attractions. The Burj Khalifa (the world's tallest building at 828 metres) attracts millions of visitors to its observation decks. The Palm Jumeirah an artificial island shaped like a palm tree hosts luxury hotels including the Atlantis resort. The Dubai Mall is one of the world's largest shopping centres and contains an indoor ski slope, an aquarium and an ice rink. Dubai shows that with enough investment, a destination can build world-class appeal almost entirely through man-made features.
In your iGCSE exam, you may be asked to compare natural and built attractions, or to explain why one type might be more appealing than another. Here are the key points to consider:
Both natural and built attractions face threats that can reduce their appeal or even destroy them entirely. Understanding these threats is important for the iGCSE exam.
In the exam, never just name an attraction always explain WHY it appeals to tourists. Think about: What type of tourist does it attract? What activities does it offer? Is it unique? Is it accessible? Does it operate year-round? A good exam answer always links the feature to its appeal and then to the wider impact on the destination.
The most successful destinations usually have a strong mix of both natural and built attractions. This gives them broader appeal they can attract different types of tourists and reduce their dependence on a single feature.
New Zealand is a great example. It has stunning natural attractions fjords, geysers, mountains and beaches but also built attractions like the Hobbiton movie set (from The Lord of the Rings), which attracts film tourism. Egypt combines the natural attraction of the River Nile with iconic built attractions like the Pyramids of Giza and the temples of Luxor. Japan blends natural attractions (Mount Fuji, cherry blossom forests) with extraordinary built heritage (Kyoto's temples, Tokyo's modern architecture).
The Butler Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) describes how destinations develop over time. Attractions play a key role at every stage:
Understanding this cycle helps explain why destinations invest in new built attractions even when they already have strong natural ones.
Blackpool was once Britain's most popular seaside resort, drawing millions of visitors to its natural attraction the beach and early built attractions like Blackpool Tower (1894) and the Pleasure Beach funfair. By the 1980s and 1990s, it had stagnated as cheap foreign holidays drew British tourists away. In recent years, Blackpool has invested heavily in new built attractions to rejuvenate its appeal: the Sandcastle Waterpark, a new tramway and the famous Blackpool Illuminations (which now attract 3–4 million visitors each autumn). This is a textbook example of using built attractions to revive a destination at the stagnation stage of the Butler TALC.