ABSTRACT
The issue of the regeneration of tourism destinations has often been embodied in studies of the life-cycle process (Butler, 1980; Cooper, 1992) in an analytical approach closely resembling the economic concept of technical innovation and diffusion (Ferguson, 1988). In these studies attention has concentrated on destinations whose principal function is tourism, such as seaside resorts and spas. More recently it has been recognised that major Old World cities, hitherto considered immune from cyclical effects, for example Athens, Amsterdam, Rome and Venice, and New World cities, for instance New York, Sydney and Vancouver, are showing signs of suffering in the same way as specific tourism destinations, notwithstanding that they possess a multifunctional economic base and therefore are not so heavily reliant on tourism. Even flagship tourist historic cities like Bath, Copenhagen, Edinburgh and Paris acknowledge a need to maintain their core attractions and introduce new ones and undertake refurbishment and/or renewal. Similarly, other large cities, in common with these of the first rank, contain commercial, industrial and residential areas which have declined as a result of economic, social and cultural change. However, it is increasingly being recognised that, rather than undertaking complete redevelopment, especially of central business districts, as in the past, there are many structurally sound buildings of historic interest capable of performing a number of new functions to meet the needs of the urban residents and support activities, such as tourism. This recognition has, of late, coincided with fears concerning the drift of populations from urban centres to the suburbs and the burgeoning of out-of-town retail malls and commercial and industrial development which respectively threaten the viability of high street shops and office and factory employment, which in turn undermines the local tax and services base. It is now realised that there is a need to reverse such trends in order to create a vibrant and buoyant urban economy. The initiation of schemes to revitalise and diversify the economic, social and cultural foundations of cities and towns has been reinforced by calls to pursue sustainable development. While the concept is subject to much confusion both in its definition and its implementation, having been interpreted in many ways (Pearce et al., 1989; Turner et al., 1994), a consensus is evolving as to what its implications are for achieving sustainable cities (Hunter and Haughton, 1994). An important element of sustainability is the regeneration of run-down areas in which conservation schemes make an important
contribution. Such schemes in many premier league historic and modern tourist cities can act as benchmarks for other potentially attractive destinations.
