ABSTRACT
One of the fundamental questions that interests tourism geographers is ‘how do places develop as centres of tourism?’ This chapter aims to explore this question by using an historical-geographic perspective on the spatial, social and structural development of domestic forms of tourism – that is, tourism that occurs within the boundaries of a single country. Two contrasting types of tourist place – urban coastal resorts and the picturesque countryside – are examined, using the case of Britain as a primary example, although with some comparative reference to other parts of Europe and North America. The British experience offers particularly good case studies of the development of tourist places since Britain was one of the first nations to develop modern practices of tourism and clearly exemplifies many of the factors that have shaped the subsequent geography of domestic tourist activity. However, Britain is by no means unique and other industrialised nations such as France, Germany and the USA have a rich tradition in local tourism from which many lessons may be learned.
