Page 20 - Introduction to Tourism

resources and environment component. Any

given destination is primarily and unchangeably

characterized by its physiography (the nature

and appearance of its landscape) and its climate

(the kind of weather it has over a period of years,

i.e., the conditions of heat and cold, moisture and
dryness, and wind). Finally, the third component

of the natural environment is people. In the case
of people, we must distinguish between two very

important categories of individuals: (1) those who
“belong” to the destination (its residents), and (2)

those who are current or potential visitors to the

destination (the tourism market).

The Built Environment

Another dimension of the tourism phenomenon is

the built environment that has been created by

humans. This built environment first includes the

culture of the residents of the host region. As

discussed in Chapter 10, the culture of a people
reflects many dimensions of its past development

and its current way of life. Culture is relatively a

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