Key issues in the conceptualization of tourism destinations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review the evolution of how the term destination' has been used, critiqued, and analyzed. While the traditional view of a destination has largely focused geographical features and the systemic concept of tourism destinations has focused on the interaction between tourists, the staff in industries providing tourism services, and the local population, more recent conceptualizations of tourism destinations treat destinations as complex adaptive systems that adapt to ever-changing economic, political, and social trends. As well, recent work on integrative conceptual frameworks of tourism destinations highlights the importance of particular geographical elements in the emergence and development of destinations which affect the structure of the mode of production, the range of stakeholders involved in tourism activity, and the entire process of destinations evolution. Although the traditional - geographic concept of destination, from today's point of view, is one-sided and not comprehensive, geographical elements, however, are the nucleus from which a tourism destination occurs and develops. In this regard, it is indisputable that the geographical attributes of tourism destinations represent the key component of their resource base. This fact should be borne in mind in future conceptualizations of destinations.