ABSTRACT
Along with the transport and accommodation sector, attractions form one of the central components of tourism, providing a vital element in the visitor’s enjoyment and experience. Attractions are a central element in terms of what tourists visit at destinations as well as being something they may visit en route to a destination. In many respects, they are the lifeblood of a destination, because they are part of the appeal, ambience and overall experience that visitors seek to consume in areas they visit. One of the major problems in identifying attractions is that they are patronized by tourists, but in terms of the scale and volume of visits, they are dominated by leisure and day trippers as well as local residents. In this respect the market for attractions is large and forms a vital part of the infrastructure of the destination area. Attractions provide a vital nucleus for visitor spending in destinations, and when they are linked to regeneration strategies such as that of Liverpool’s European City of Culture, they can be harnessed to create a new image and help reposition the city as a place to visit. Thus, a successful attraction industry is vital for a healthy tourism sector so that visitors have sufficient opportunity to undertake visits and to spend during their stay.
