The Dynamics of Destinations and Tourism Development

Abstract

In the last decades, tourist destinations have been conceived as a geographic area in which tourism takes place and which is supposed to be organized, coordinated, be made competitive. Experiences from mature destinations such as in Switzerland show that the territorial concept of the destination fails in practice, limiting the actors in a self-made mental corset. Our lately applied approach that sees the destination as a space in which several dynamic visitor flows, each one in a different maturity stage, take place, allows a more relaxed view on the complex situation of the destination’s context. The corresponding techniques help entrepreneurs, tourist organizations, and public authorities to jointly (1) understand the past development and the current state of the destination, (2) articulate challenges and identify possible solutions, and (3) prioritize on feasible and useful projects and initiatives, including investments. In the first part of the article we explain the different perspectives and how the alternative viewpoint helps identify better the needs of the demand and consequently the requirements for (re-)designing infrastructure and services. The second part builds on experiences made in the tourist region of Heidiland, Switzerland. With the help of the new techniques: (1) actors focused specifically and unmistakably on the relevant areas of intervention, (2) rapidly agreed upon key projects in the region, and (3) found how these projects contributed to current and new visitor flows in the destination. The case presents four different projects in different maturity stages and highlights the linkages between market needs, supply-sided collaboration, and the role of the organizations. In the end, the approach argues for a shift away from ‘one (rather stable) functional space’ to ‘spaces with multiple dynamic functions’. Consequently, and relating to investments, we build a case to move from a land-related towards a flow-based approach.