The activities and services available at a destination are a part of branding and used to market a destination as visitors can identify a place just by recognising an attraction (Evangelista and Dioko, 2011). Pearce (1991), identifies an attraction as a ‘named site with a specific natural feature which is the focus of visitor and management attention’. Attractions such as geysers, blue lagoon, south shore, northern lights and golden circle trips are all famous for being uniquely available in Iceland. It is quite possible that it is the attractions that make Iceland what it is, rather than the city of Reykjavik itself.
Purpose built sites are specifically designed to attract mass amounts of tourists and Swarbrooke and Page (2012), identify the issue with natural attraction sites as they require extreme management and visitor control. Any venue or visitor attraction etc will have a carrying capacity and Butler (2006), suggests that if this is exceeded, the appeal and therefore visitation to the place would decrease and become less competitive. Therefore, new infrastructure and on site attractions must be introduced to not only increase the satisfaction of the visitors by reducing overcrowding, but to help preserve the true nature of the environment and ensure it is not disturbed. If this is controlled well enough, then it may increase the carrying capacity at each site.
This was seen at the blue lagoon and sites along the south shore and golden circle trips. Look at the blogs about my experience at each of these attractions and see how problems such as overcrowding, satisfaction levels, staffing and accessibility were managed. Before cafes, toilets and shops were available and a visitor flow technique in action, tourists were trampling protected areas, littering throughout the wilderness, vandalising landmarks and relieving themselves outdoors (Gottlieb, 2015).
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