World tourism resources

WORLD TOURISM RESOURCES

Prepared by:Ms. Annalyn Pena

The Characteristics of Tourism ResourcesTourism resources have three main characteristics:By tourism we usually mean tangible features that are

considered to be of economic value to the tourism sector. The sector and tourists therefore has to recognize that a place, landscape or natural feature is of value before it can become a tourism resource.

Most tourism resources are not used exclusively by tourists. Tourism shares the resource with agriculture, forestry, water management or residents using local services.

Tourism resources are perishable. Not only are they vulnerable to alteration and destruction by tourist pressure but also they are perishable in another sense. Tourist services such as beds in accommodation or ride seats in theme parks are impossible to stock and have to be consumed when and where they exist.

TOURISM RESOURCES AT A GLOBAL SCALE (LAND)mountains, hill lands, plateaus and lowland

plains

Mount Everest (Tibet)

Zhangye Danxia Mountains

Chocolate Hills (Philippines)

Grand Canyon (Arizona)

Geothermal Features

Lava Formations (Ribeira do Chamusco, Portugal)

Coatepeque Caldera, El Salvador

Geysers – Nevada, USA

Karst

Puerto Princesa Underground River (Philippines)

THE COASTBeach – extends from the foreshore to a landward boundary

formed by a line of cliffs, protective sand dunes or a man-made feature such as a sea wall. There are significant differences between beaches in terms of texture, from fine-grained sand to coarse shingle, while colours can vary from the usual buff to white and pink (where the sand is derived from fragments of coral), contrasting with black beaches of volcanic origin.

Coral reefs – a feature of oceanic islands and most mainland coasts in the tropics, where sea temperatures range between 23 and 29°C and the water is clear and of moderate depth. The coral reef ecosystems are extraordinarily diverse, but are highly vulnerable.

Coastal wetlands – consisting of estuaries, marshes and swamps

Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

Estuaries

INLAND WATER RESOURCES

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

Yangtze River

CULTURAL FEATURES

TOURISM ATTRACTIONSNatural, including beaches, caves, scenic

features and wildlife (flora and fauna)Man-made, but not originally designed to

attract touristsMan-made and purpose built to attract

touristsSpecial events

Natural Attractions

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam

Maya Bay, Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Great Wall of China (China)

The Colosseum (Rome, Italy)

Durian Building (Singapore)

Rio de Janeiro Carnival (Brazil)

Running of the Bulls (Spain)