Section 1.2: Architectural Tourism
Most people who are going for a vacation or embark on a travel destination are in
search of relaxation, do some sight-seeing, maybe some shopping and generally have
a good time. Most sight-seeing tours include visiting of some monuments and buildings
which have historical importance or are visually stunning. This gives an opportunity
to look and examine these buildings and architectural masterpiece up close and have
a better look at these buildings that we had only gazed at in magazines and television.
The culture and history of a place can be traced through the kind of architecture
it had. However, when a vacation is taken solely to look at these historical monuments
and study different architectural styles, it is called architectural tourism. In
our context the term architectural tourism means going to a travel destination to
see historical monuments and architecture, as a main ambition and/or as a secondary
added-on effect for the tourist. Architectural tourism in those terms is already
very big today and many site operators are promoting this form of tourism as a value-added
component. Here we are going to address this part of tourism services, issues related
to it, discuss some issues connected to it as well as propose some potentially new
solutions for implementing architectural travel and tourism on a local basis for
the new generations.
