types of tourism in geography

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Tourism Geography

Introduction, general overviews.

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• The Institutional Environment Shaping Tourism Geography Education
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• Tourism and Agriculture
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Tourism Geography by Deborah Che LAST REVIEWED: 27 April 2017 LAST MODIFIED: 27 April 2017 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199874002-0156

Geography is the ideal discipline for studying the global tourism industry; as the key journal Tourism Geographies (under Journals ) explains, there are many fundamentally geographical aspects to tourism which (1) “occurs in places, (2) is sold and begins in a place of origin and is consumed in destination places, (3) transforms the environment of visited places in ways that are distinct from non-tourism processes, (4) involves the movement of people, goods, services, ideas, and money over space, and (5) presents a distinct way that people view, understand and relate to the world.” Given the inherently spatial aspects of tourism, geographers have contributed significantly to academic tourism studies. They have developed some of the most important conceptual models for explaining tourism development, including resort morphology, the tourist-historic city, and the tourist area life cycle. Additionally geographers have made the most sustained contributions to the study of the environmental dimensions of tourism and have been major contributors to the concepts of sustainable tourism and Ecotourism . Even though it has been at the core of tourism studies and also strengthened geography department enrollments, tourism geography ironically has been somewhat peripheral in academic geography. This status may be due in part to the inertia of academic institutions and staff in not seeing tourism as a serious subject for study, as well as the difficulty in measuring the tourism industry as compared to primary and secondary industries. This bibliography highlights the contributions of tourism geography and geographers to tourism research and education through a review of general overviews, Handbooks , Journals , Progress in Human Geography Reports , and Textbooks and publications on Tourism Geography Education , as well as those on specific topical areas including Culture and Heritage Tourism , Sustainability and Tourism , Migration and Mobilities , Economic Geography and Tourism , and Destination Place Branding .

The sources in this section provide overviews of tourism geography and are references to the extensive literature reviewed. Butler 2004 interweaves personal experiences from Butler’s academic career in geography in Canada and tourism management in the UK in discussing geographical research on tourism before 1950, from 1950–1980 and post-1980 to the early 21st century. His earlier contributions primarily concerned environmental aspects of tourism such as sustainable development, carrying capacity, and limits to use, while his later work diversified into areas including mobilities and movement, regional development, and cultural topics. Hall 2013 reviews contemporary tourism geography and argues that the subdiscipline has been a significant contributor to the melding and hybridity of geographic binaries, especially in the development of more critical applied geographies of environmental change. Hall and Page 2009 identifies themes emerging from the research of geographers, including explaining spatialities, tourism planning and places, development and its critiques, tourism as an “applied” area of research, and future prospects in the development of spatiality in tourism research. Focusing on the state of North American tourism geography, Meyer-Arendt and Lew 2003 highlights the research themes and approaches of members of the Recreation, Tourism and Sport specialty group of the Association of American Geographers. In contrast to the former pieces, which largely focus on tourism geography research published in English, Kreisel 2004 provides an insight into the German geographical research on tourism and leisure which—with the exception of Christaller’s application of his central places theory to tourism and his hypothesis that zones more distant from urban and industrial agglomerations were more favorable for tourism development—is largely unfamiliar to non-German readers. Likewise, Lazzarotti 2002 reviews French tourism geography research outside the Anglo-American dominated academic literature. The general overviews in Butler 2004 , Hall 2013 , and Hall and Page 2009 note that while geography has been foundational to tourism studies, with over one-third of the most cited tourism scholars from 1970–2007 having graduate qualifications in geography ( Hall and Page 2009 ), tourism has been marginalized in academic geography, with few positions in geography departments and barely a mention in key publications on the history of geographical thought. Likewise Butler 2004 (see also Sustainability and Tourism ) found hardly any articles on tourism and recreation were published in the leading geographical journals from 1950–1990. While the 1970s embargo on tourism research at the Annals of the Association of American Geographers ended with a change in editors and policy ( Butler 2004 ), tourism research has remained relatively peripheral in geography as contrasted to geography’s core status within tourism.

Butler, Richard. “Geographical Research on Tourism, Recreation, and Leisure: Origins, Eras, and Directions.” Tourism Geographies 6.2 (2004): 143–162.

DOI: 10.1080/1461668042000208453

Draws on the author’s four-decade involvement in the field of leisure, recreation, and tourism. Uniquely interweaves personal narratives in discussing the diverse research emphases and contributions by geographers; the explosion in tourism programs (mainly in business and management schools); and future contributions possible if a strong spatial focus and a synthesizing approach are maintained.

Hall, C. Michael. “Framing Tourism Geography: Notes from the Underground.” Annals of Tourism Research 43 (2013): 601–623.

DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2013.06.007

While noting the context in which tourism geography operates as a foundational discipline to the study of tourism (although perceived as marginal to institutional geography) the article argues that tourism geography has been a significant contributor to bridging geographic binaries, including the applied versus theoretical and physical versus human.

Hall, C. M., and S. J. Page. “Progress in Tourism Management: From the Geography of Tourism to Geographies of Tourism—A Review.” Tourism Management 30.1 (2009): 3–16.

DOI: 10.1016/j.tourman.2008.05.014

Provides a review of the state of tourism geography thirty years from when the journal first began publishing articles by geographers; especially timely given the subdiscipline is at a crossroads with the retirement of those who contributed significantly to tourism studies and the emergence of a new generation of tourism geographers.

Kreisel, Werner. “Geography of Leisure and Tourism Research in the German-speaking World: Three Pillars to Progress.” Tourism Geographies 6.2 (2004): 163–185.

DOI: 10.1080/1461668042000208435

This article provides an insight into German-language research in this subdiscipline, from Hans Poser’s 1939 on landscape and tourism regions to current applied foci on sustainable tourism, including strategic resource and quality management planning and the transformation of former industrial landscapes for recreation, leisure, and tourism.

Lazzarotti, Olivier. “French Tourism Geographies: A Review.” Tourism Geographies 4.2 (2002): 135–147.

DOI: 10.1080/14616680210124909

This article provides an historical overview of the French geographical literature on tourism since the end of the 19th century, which has been hampered by academic institutional assumptions of what is/is not geography.

Meyer-Arendt, Klaus J., and Alan A. Lew. “Recreation, Tourism and Sport.” In Geography in America at the Dawn of the 21 st Century . Edited by Gary L. Gaile and Cort J. Willmott, 526–542. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

A useful overview that identifies the broad tourism geography themes and approaches in which recreation, tourism and sport academics have published, including travel; historical tourism; perception; environmental aspects; destination studies; specialized tourism including cultural, farm, and rural tourism and resorts and marketing; and economic aspects of tourism.

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Geography of Tourism

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From a general perspective, geographers study the earth as the home of human beings and explore the interrelationships between them and their environments from a diversity of scales. As such, tourism has been one of their interests for almost a century. There has always been a close relationship among tourism, travel, exploration, and geography, as well as the description of other people and places, the lands inhabited, the resources used, and the cultures that are sustained, as well as the threats to people, other forms of life, and their environments. National Geographic Magazine was first published 130 years ago and has both led and reflected changing public perceptions of geography. It is now published in a number of editions, in different languages.

Early academic tourism papers, predominantly of a descriptive nature, date to the 1930s, although publications with travel and exploration content precede this date by centuries. Geographical research on tourism was spearheaded in...

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Brouder, Patrick. 2020. Reset redux: Possible evolutionary pathways towards the transformation of tourism in a COVID-19 world. Tourism Geographies 22: 484–490.

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Butler, Richard. 1980. The concept of a tourism area cycle of evolution: Implications for management of resources. Canadian Geographer 24 (1): 5–12.

Dodds, Rachel, and Richard Butler. 2019. Overtourism: Issues, realities and solutions . Berlin: De Gruyter.

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Hall, C. Michael, and Stephen Page. 2006. The geography of tourism and recreation . London: Routledge.

Lew, Alan, C. Michael Hall, and Allan Williams. 2014. The Wiley Blackwell companion to tourism . Malden: Blackwell.

Mathieson, Alister, and Geoffrey Wall. 1982. Tourism: Economic, physical and social impacts . Harlow: Longman.

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Nepal, Sanjay. 2009. Traditions and trends: A review of geographical scholarship in tourism. Tourism Geographies 11 (1): 2–22.

Smith, Stephen. 2010. The discovery of tourism . Bingley: Emerald.

Tao, Teresa, and Geoffrey Wall. 2009. Tourism as a sustainable livelihood strategy. Tourism Management 30: 90–98.

Xie, Philip F., and Kai Gu. 2019. The morphology of tourism: Planning for impact in tourist destinations . Abingdon: Routledge.

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Wall, G. (2023). Geography of Tourism. In: Jafari, J., Xiao, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Tourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01669-6_92-2

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A short definition of Travel & Tourism

A term to cover travel to places away from one’s home environment undertaken principally for leisure but also for business. Tourist activities generally involve spending money in a new location and do not involve remuneration from within the place or country visited. Definitions of tourism by international organizations such as the World Tourist Organization recognize anyone who spends at least one night but no longer than one year somewhere other than their country of residence as a tourist. Tourism is often distinguished from recreation because it takes place further from the home and is more commercialized. It overlaps with leisure , but includes business travel. In The Tourist Gaze (1991) John Urry argued persuasively that the core feature of tourism was the desire to gaze upon what was different or unusual. Much of tourism can be understood in terms of the arrangements of places and landscapes to be viewed, and the cultivation of techniques of viewing and circulating images, e.g. photography, video, postcards, etc. But tourist activities do more than please the sense of sight, and often involve multiple embodied experiences, e.g. kayaking, dining, and sunbathing. Tourism is a form of and has its origins in travel, but a distinction is often made between the two; travel is described as a more specialized, niche, or selective activity, while tourism is associated with organized popular or mass activities. In part, the difference is one of marketing or discourse.

Although tourism now includes an increasingly diverse range of activities, perhaps too many for convenient classification, it is often described as the world’s largest industry. The World Travel and Tourist Council estimates that tourism accounts for 11 per cent of world GDP and 8 per cent of all waged work (200 million employees). But tourism as it is now understood is a relatively recent phenomenon. Most historical accounts trace its origins to the Grand Tour, undertaken by elite young European men between the 17th and 19th centuries. They would travel within Europe to see and learn about cultural matters, notably the fruits of the Renaissance and Greek and Roman classical civilizations. Health spas, seaside towns, and mountain resorts also became fixtures for the wealthy traveller. The 19th century saw the development of journeys to wild places inspired by romantic ideas or picturesque or sublime landscapes: England’s Lake District was a leading attraction ( see wilderness ). The spread of road and rail travel in the 19th century allowed the urban working classes to enjoy annual trips to seaside resorts such as Long Island, New York, ushering in the first organized tourist industry. But it was not until the combination of greater affluence, more leisure time, and air travel after the Second World War that modern mass tourism took off. Until the late 20th century, however, it remained open largely to Westerners, and Europe itself accounted for the majority of international tourist journeys. The globalization of tourism in the past two or so decades has involved almost every country becoming both an origin and destination of tourist travel to some degree. Close to a billion international tourist visits are now made annually, with China established in the top five for destinations and origins, alongside the USA and European countries. Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai also count among the top tourist urban destinations.

The geographical interest in tourism has developed strongly since the 1980s, although there are studies dating back to the 1930s. It draws upon the same range of methods and perspectives as the rest of human geography , although there are important overlaps with environmental geography (for example, in coastal and marine environment management) and a strong element of applied geography . Given that tourism hinges precisely on the differences between one place and another, it is intrinsically geographical. The main areas of research are on factors of supply and demand, but also on social, economic, and environmental impact ( see resort life-cycle model ). There are separate studies of urban and rural tourism, as well as a concern for regional differences (Hudman and Jackson 2003). The different forms of tourism and their related bodily and sensuous experiences—heritage visits, ecotourism , package holidays, adventure travel, and backpacking among them—are also well studied. In unpacking the experiences of tours, however, it becomes apparent how many of its core characteristics—difference, exoticism, cosmopolitanism , leisureliness—are increasingly found more widely and even close to home. The interests of tourist studies in mobility , pleasure, and difference are, in this regard, central to much of current human geography.

Rogers, A., Castree, N., & Kitchin, R. (2013). " Tourism ." In  A Dictionary of Human Geography . Oxford University Press. Retrieved 9 Feb. 2022

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Tourism in Qatar

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Tourism in Qatar is big business! But why is this industry so important and why does it matter? Read on to find out…

Geography in Qatar

Statistics of tourism in qatar, popular tourist attractions in qatar, popular types of tourism in qatar, economic impacts of tourism in qatar, social impacts of tourism in qatar, environmental impacts of tourism in qatar, faqs about tourism in qatar, to conclude: tourism in qatar.

Qatar is a small country located in the Middle East, on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, and the Persian Gulf to the north, east, and west.

Qatar has a total area of approximately 11,586 square kilometres, making it one of the smallest countries in the region. Despite its small size, Qatar is home to a diverse range of landscapes, including deserts, coastal areas, and inland wetlands.

The western coast of Qatar includes the capital city of Doha, which sits on a peninsula that juts out into the Persian Gulf. The city is home to many of the country’s landmarks and attractions, including the Museum of Islamic Art, Souq Waqif, and the Pearl-Qatar.

Inland from the coast, the terrain becomes more rugged, and the landscape is characterised by sandy plains, rocky outcrops, and occasional wadis (dry riverbeds). The northern part of the country is particularly rich in fossil fuels, with extensive natural gas and oil reserves.

Qatar’s climate is hot and arid, with long, sweltering summers and relatively mild winters. Temperatures can soar above 45°C in the summer months, but drop to around 20-25°C in the winter. Rainfall is rare in Qatar, and most of the precipitation occurs during the winter months.

The tourism industry is an important part of Qatar’s economy, and the country has invested heavily in developing its infrastructure to attract visitors from around the world. Qatar has been working to diversify its economy away from reliance on oil and natural gas, and tourism is one of the key sectors that the government is focusing on developing.

As a result of the country’s efforts, Qatar is home to a number of world-class tourist attractions, including modern architecture, cultural and historical landmarks, shopping centres, and natural attractions. Some notable tourist destinations in Qatar include:

The Museum of Islamic Art: This iconic museum in Doha showcases Islamic art from all over the world, including ceramics, metalwork, and textiles. Its building, designed by I. M. Pei, is also a work of art in itself.

Souq Waqif: This bustling traditional market in Doha is a great place to experience local culture and buy souvenirs. It features a variety of shops selling handicrafts, spices, textiles, and jewellery.

The Pearl-Qatar: This man-made island off the coast of Doha is a luxurious residential and commercial development with upscale shops, restaurants, hotels, and marinas.

Katara Cultural Village: This cultural complex in Doha has a range of performance venues, galleries, and studios, as well as outdoor spaces for events and festivals.

Khor Al Adaid: This inland sea or ‘Inland Sea’ lies on the border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and its unique ecosystem is a popular destination for nature lovers and adventure seekers.

Qatar also hosts a number of international events and conferences, including the FIFA World Cup 2022, which is expected to attract a huge number of visitors to the country. The government’s National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 aims to increase the number of visitors to Qatar and develop its tourism industry into a sustainable and diversified sector that contributes significantly to the country’s economy.

Here are some statistics about tourism in Qatar that emphasise the importance of the industry:

1 – In 2019, Qatar received over 2.1 million international visitors, up from 1.6 million in 2018.

2 – The tourism sector contributed 4.2% to Qatar’s GDP in 2019.

3 – Qatar aims to attract 10 million visitors annually by 2030.

4 – Qatar Airways, the country’s flagship airline, has expanded its global network and offers direct flights to over 160 destinations worldwide.

5 – The average length of stay for tourists in Qatar was 4.5 nights in 2019.

6 – The majority of international visitors in 2019 were from neighbouring GCC Countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.

7 – In 2019, Qatar received over 100,000 visitors from China, which is becoming an increasingly important source market.

8 – The number of hotel rooms and hotel apartment units in Qatar increased by 19% between 2018 and 2019, to reach a total of 27,000.

9 – The highest-spending tourists in Qatar come from China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

10 – The tourism industry in Qatar provides direct and indirect employment to approximately 66,000 people.

Qatar is a rapidly growing tourism destination in the Middle East that offers a range of attractions for visitors. Here are some of the most popular tourist attractions in Qatar:

Museum of Islamic Art: Located in Doha, the Museum of Islamic Art is home to one of the world’s most extensive collections of Islamic artefact s from around the world. Its stunning architecture designed by I.M.Pei is a popular attraction itself.

Souq Waqif: This traditional market in Doha is one of the oldest souqs in the region, and it is a great place to buy souvenirs, spices, and traditional clothing. Visitors can also enjoy traditional Qatari food in one of the many restaurants inside Souq Waqif.

The Pearl Qatar: A luxurious man-made island off the coast of Doha, it’s an impressive residential and commercial development that features high-end shops, restaurants, and hotels. Visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Persian Gulf and explore the so-called Qanat Quartier area, which boasts colourful and picturesque Venetian-style homes.

Katara Cultural Village: This cultural complex in Doha features a broad range of performance venues, galleries, and studios, focusing on arts, literature, and cultural preservation. It’s also a hotspot for music festivals, exhibitions or film screenings.

Aspire Park: Located in the heart of Doha, Aspire Park is a vast green space stretching over 88 hectares. It features walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and cafes, and it’s a great spot for enjoying a leisurely stroll or a picnic.

Qatar offers a diverse range of tourism experiences, and visitors can choose from many different types of tourism. Here are 5 popular types of tourism in Qatar:

• Cultural tourism: Qatar’s rich cultural heritage has a lot to offer visitors, from the Museum of Islamic Art to the Katara Cultural Village, which regularly hosts cultural festivals and events. Other popular cultural attractions include the scenic traditional markets such as Souq Waqif and the historic Al Zubarah Fort.
• Eco-tourism: Qatar is home to 3 vibrant nature reserves, including the Al Thakira Nature Reserve, which features mangrove forests and tranquil beaches. Visitors can enjoy various outdoor activities, such as hiking, birdwatching, and kayaking.
• Adventure tourism: Qatar offers a range of adventure tourism activities ranging from dune bashing, sandboarding or desert Safari, to Jet Skiing and parasailing along scenic coastlines.
• Sports tourism: Qatar is becoming increasingly popular as a sports tourism destination. In 2022, it will host the FIFA World Cup, and the country also hosts international events, such as the Qatar Open tennis tournament, and the MotoGP.
• Luxury tourism: With world-famous hotels like the Ritz-Carlton, the St. Regis, and the Four Seasons, Qatar has a reputation for luxury hospitality. Visitors can also explore high-end shopping centres, dine in elegant restaurants, and play golf at championship courses designed by some of the top golfers in the world. The Pearl Qatar is one of the most luxury urban developments in the Middle East, offering a high-end lifestyle and entertainment to its residents and visitors alike.

Tourism is becoming an increasingly important contributor to Qatar’s economy, generating significant economic impacts. Some of the economic impacts of tourism in Qatar include:

Job creation: The tourism industry provides employment opportunities across various sectors, including hospitality, transportation, and retail. The industry directly employs more than 66,000 people in Qatar.

Increased foreign exchange earnings: Tourism contributes to the country’s foreign exchange earnings by boosting spending by international visitors on a range of goods and services, including accommodation, food, and transportation.

Business opportunities: The development of the tourism industry provides business opportunities for local smaller companies, which can supply goods and services to hotels and restaurants serving the increasing numbers of visitors.

Infrastructure development: As tourism increases, Qatar invests in developing its tourism infrastructure, resulting in improved roads, airport facilities, public transportation, attractions, and other facilities.

Income generation: The income generated from tourism flows throughout the economy, resulting in income for individuals, households, and businesses. This increased income results in additional local spending and investment.

Tourism in Qatar can have significant social impacts, both positive and negative, on the host communities. Here are some of the social impacts of tourism in Qatar

Cultural exchange: Tourism in Qatar contributes to cultural exchange by bringing people from various countries and cultures together, allowing for the sharing of customs, traditions, and local knowledge.

Preservation of cultural heritage: Qatar has a rich cultural heritage, which can be preserved through tourism. For example, museums such as the Museum of Islamic Art and the Katara Cultural Village showcase Qatari culture, and heritage sites such as the Al Zubarah Fort provide visitors with insights into the country’s history.

Improved infrastructure: The development of tourism can have a positive impact on the overall infrastructure of a country, resulting in the construction of improved roads, public transportation, and other facilities that benefit not only tourists but also local residents.

Job creation: The tourism industry provides employment opportunities for both locals and expatriate workers, thereby reducing unemployment rates and creating new opportunities for economic growth.

Increased environmental awareness: Tourism can promote a greater awareness of environmental issues, such as sustainable development and conservation efforts, and encourage individual responsibility to protect natural resources.

The government of Qatar has taken significant steps to reduce the environmental impact of tourism by promoting environmentally sustainable practices in the tourism sector. Qatar has also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and investing in renewable energy and eco-tourism projects to balance economic growth with environmental protection.

Increased waste generation: The tourism industry generates a significant amount of waste, including plastic water bottles, food packaging, and other disposable products. Waste management can be challenging, and the government has been implementing sustainability and environmental protection measures to manage the growing volume of waste.

Energy consumption: Tourism activity demands a high-energy consumption, with the number of buildings, hotels, and resorts, so energy intensive activities such as air conditioning, lighting, and other related services may lead to an environmental impact.

Water usage: Tourism activities are heavily reliant on water resources, which can put a strain on local water sources, particularly during times of low rainfall. Furthermore, in some areas, the scarcity of water resources is already a significant issue, putting additional pressure on the demand.

Land degradation: Due to the extensive constructions of tourist facilities, resorts, and other amenities, there could be a risk of degradation of land and related ecosystems, leading to reduced agricultural productivity, natural habitat loss, erosion, and soil degradation risks.

Biodiversity loss: Similar to land degradation, depending on the type of tourist activity or infrastructure, there could be an impact on the local flora and fauna biodiversity.

Overall, it is important for tourism development in Qatar to manage the environmental impact through sustainable practices, including the use of renewable energy, responsible waste minimization and management, and conservation of biodiversity, while ensuring sustainable tourism growth in the long term.

Now that we know a bit more about tourism in Qatar, lets answer some of the most common questions on this topic:

1 – Is Qatar safe for tourists?

Answer: Yes, Qatar is generally considered safe for tourists, with a low crime rate compared to other destinations in the region.

2 – What is the best time of year to visit Qatar?

Answer: The best time to visit Qatar is between November and March, as the weather during this time is mild and pleasant.

3 – Do I need a visa to visit Qatar?

Answer: Visitors from many countries need a visa to enter Qatar, and visa requirements vary depending on your nationality and length of stay.

4 – What languages are spoken in Qatar?

Answer: The official language of Qatar is Arabic, but English is widely spoken, particularly in tourist areas.

5 – What is the currency used in Qatar?

Answer: The currency used in Qatar is the Qatari riyal (QAR).

6 – Are credit cards accepted in Qatar?

Answer: Yes, credit cards are widely accepted in Qatar, particularly in hotels, restaurants, and shops.

7 – What is the dress code in Qatar?

Answer: Qatar is a conservative Muslim country, so it is advisable to dress modestly, particularly in public places. Women are expected to cover their shoulders and knees.

8 – Where are the best shopping destinations in Qatar?

Answer: Some of the best shopping destinations in Qatar include the Villaggio Mall, the Mall of Qatar, and the Souq Waqif.

9 – Can I drink alcohol in Qatar?

Answer: Tourists can purchase and consume alcohol in licensed hotels and restaurants, but it is illegal to drink alcohol in public places or to be intoxicated in public.

10 – What are some popular tourist attractions in Qatar?

Answer: Some of the popular tourist attractions in Qatar include the Museum of Islamic Art, the National Museum of Qatar, the Souq Waqif, the Pearl-Qatar, and desert safaris.

As you can see, tourism in Qatar is big business! However, there are many aspects that require careful and strategic management to ensure sustainable principles are practiced.

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