Sign up to access the complete lesson and track your progress!
Unlock This Course
The built environment includes all the human-made structures and spaces that form our cities, towns and other developed areas. In tourism, these can be both attractions in themselves and facilities that support tourism activities.
Key Definitions:
The built environment offers numerous opportunities for tourism development:
Built environments can also present challenges for tourism development:
Historic buildings and districts are major tourism assets that attract visitors interested in culture, architecture and history. They provide authentic experiences and connections to the past that many tourists seek.
Bath is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its Roman Baths and Georgian architecture. The city attracts over 6 million visitors annually and has successfully balanced preservation with tourism development.
Opportunities: The historic Roman Baths, Bath Abbey and Georgian architecture create a unique tourism product that attracts international visitors.
Constraints: The city faces challenges with overcrowding in the compact historic centre, traffic congestion and the need to protect ancient structures.
Management Solutions: Bath has implemented visitor management strategies including pedestrianisation of central areas, development of walking tours to disperse visitors and investment in digital interpretation to enhance visitor experience while protecting physical structures.
Many cities have transformed former industrial or neglected areas into vibrant tourism destinations, creating new economic opportunities while preserving elements of their heritage.
Former industrial sites like factories, warehouses and docklands have been repurposed as cultural venues, museums and leisure facilities, creating distinctive tourism experiences.
Successful urban regeneration for tourism typically follows these stages:
Liverpool's Albert Dock is a prime example of successful regeneration of a historic built environment for tourism. Once a derelict dockland area, it has been transformed into a major tourism destination.
Background: Built in 1846, Albert Dock was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone with no structural wood, making it non-combustible. After decades of decline and abandonment, regeneration began in the 1980s.
Transformation: The area now houses museums (including Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum), restaurants, bars, shops and hotels. It played a key role in Liverpool gaining UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004.
Outcomes: The dock attracts over 6 million visitors annually and has helped position Liverpool as a major cultural tourism destination, while preserving its maritime heritage.
Iconic modern buildings and structures have become major tourism attractions in their own right, often transforming the image of a destination and attracting visitors specifically to see these architectural wonders.
Distinctive modern architecture like the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao or The Shard in London can become symbols of a city and major attractions.
Named after the transformation of Bilbao through the Guggenheim Museum, this refers to using iconic architecture to regenerate an area and boost tourism.
Cities with distinctive skylines like London, Dubai and Singapore attract visitors for panoramic views and photography opportunities.
The successful development of tourism in built environments requires careful management to maximise benefits while minimising negative impacts on both the physical structures and local communities.
These strategies help balance tourism development with conservation and community needs:
Venice illustrates both the opportunities and challenges of tourism in a historic built environment. The city's unique architecture and canal system attract millions of visitors annually, but this has created significant management challenges.
Challenges: Extreme overcrowding, damage to historic structures, displacement of local residents and environmental impacts from cruise ships.
Management Solutions: Venice has implemented several strategies including:
These measures aim to balance the economic benefits of tourism with the need to preserve Venice's unique built environment and maintain quality of life for residents.
When assessing the success of tourism development in built environments, it's important to consider multiple factors beyond just visitor numbers and economic impact.
Built environments offer rich opportunities for tourism development, from historic preservation to urban regeneration and iconic new architecture. However, successful development requires careful management to balance visitor needs with conservation requirements and community interests. With thoughtful planning and sustainable management approaches, built environment tourism can provide authentic experiences for visitors while preserving heritage and creating benefits for local communities.