Do Attractions Attract Tourists? A Framework to Assess the Importance of Attractions in Driving Demand

A framework to assess the role attractions play in driving destination choice is proposed. It assesses specificity of need with the number of attraction sets and individual attractions within each set that can satisfy the need. Individual attractions will play an increasingly important role in destination choice as needs become more singular and specific. Alternately, if needs are broad, the number of attraction sets and attractions within each set becomes increasingly substitutable, making it difficult to ascribe visitation to any specific attraction. The framework provides a mechanism for Destination Management Organizations to identify the proximate cause of visitation.