Research and Markets: the Disneyland Resort in Paris is the Largest Single Attraction in Europe with up to 13 Million Visitors.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c38904) has announced the addition of European Tourist Attractions Market Assessment 2005 to their offering

Tourism Flows in Europe and the Role of Attractions

Tourism patterns in Europe, or the "flows" from one country or city to another, have been shaped by a variety of factors, including history, colonialism, geography, concentrations of population and industry, international trends and events (e.g. the two World Wars and the development of the EU, etc.) and, above all, climate differences.

The north-to-south flow in search of sunshine, from relatively prosperous northern countries to poorer southern regions, has been a major feature of tourism. However, this is basically "seaside" tourism, whereas "attractions" tourism has a very different structure. Major attractions are visited by a combination of domestic tourists and daytrippers, students and foreign visitors, often with a high proportion of foreign visitors from neighbouring countries (e.g. exchanges of visits between Paris and London). However, visits from long-haul destinations are usually more lucrative, with tourists from North America or the Far East staying longer and spending more in Europe than other Europeans.

Historic Appeal and Types of Attractions Tourism

In contrast to other continents, European "attractions tourism" is dominated by attractions that are founded on history and cultures going back many centuries. For numerous visitors, simply wandering around the "Old Town" - the well-preserved ancient hearts of many cities and towns across Europe - is enough of an attraction. Some cities have never been allowed to change significantly, while others have enjoyed regeneration to make them more appealing to tourists. These areas that attract many tourists are often described as "honeypots". They usually contain attractive scenery or historic or culturally significant buildings which invite tourists to cluster like bees.

Attractions tourism falls into a number of identifiable types:

--old town

--ecclesiastical (visiting major cathedrals and churches)

--collections (museums, art galleries, zoos, etc.)

--fortifications (castles and city walls)

--stately home (country seats, chateaux, palaces and royal residences).

This range of attractions is equaled by diversity in the ownership of the attractions. Owners range across national governments, regional and local governments, municipalities (cities), non-profitmaking organisations (including churches, charities and trusts) and private owners (divided between families, e.g. aristocratic owners of stately homes and corporate owners such as theme park operators).

Modern Developments

In terms of attractions that welcome millions of visitors, theme parks represent the major development in Europe, although the market still lags many years behind the US market, where it originated with the Disney parks in the 1950s and 1960s. Disneyland Resort Paris, the only Disney park in Europe, was 10 years old in 2005 and attracts up to 13 million visitors, making it by far the largest single attraction in Europe. Europe also has several other parks inspired by Hollywood studios and movie themes (e.g. Warner Bros Movie Worlds in Germany and Spain).

The UK is particularly rich in theme parks and its main company, Tussauds Group, operates other European parks and attractions. Spain and Germany each have several large theme parks, and there are three Legoland parks (in Denmark, the UK and Germany). Corporate groups operating parks are becoming more important than single-owner operators. These include Tussauds (UK), StarParks (the European division of the US-based Six Flags, recently acquired by the private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners) and Grevin (France). Other modern attractions take a more educational approach, often themed around science, space or the environment. These attract a mixture of domestic and foreign tourists and students.

The Major Honeypots

Ranking the most important attractions is difficult because tourists tend to be attracted in the greatest numbers to clusters of attractions, accommodation and other facilities. This makes it difficult to know whether a general area or a specific attraction is the main source of appeal (and vice versa).

Apart from the largest theme parks, which exert their own peculiar magnetism (led by Disneyland Resort Paris, Port Aventura in Spain, Europa-Park in Germany, Legoland in Denmark and Alton Towers in the UK), the following cities with their major "honeypots" are outstanding in Europe.

--Paris - including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Pompidou Centre and Notre Dame. France as a whole has easily the highest number of inbound visitors annually (at 75 million in 2003).

--London - featuring the British Airways London Eye, Tate Modern, the British Museum (four branches) and the Tower of London. The UK ranks fourth for European arrivals in total (at 24.7 million in 2003) but mainly offers cultural and attractions tourism for foreigners, rather than "seaside" tourism (which accounts for most of the 50 million-plus visitors to Spain).

--Rome - with attractions extending far beyond the Coliseum, the Forum and other antiquities and the Vatican. Italy receives up to 40 million visitors a year and Rome is just one major honeypot, the others being Venice and the area around Naples (e.g. the island of Capri and Pompeii).

--Berlin - which is attractive for its range of shopping opportunities and nightlife, as well as its historical curiosity since the Reunification of Germany and the regeneration of the former East Berlin.

--Barcelona - another city with a diverse appeal, focused for many around the work of the architect Gaudi and rejuvenated by its hosting of the Olympics in 1994.

Other cities that are particularly popular for short breaks are Amsterdam, Prague, Bruges, Madrid and Athens. Low-cost airlines are opening up destinations such as Krakow in Poland and the Scandinavian capitals.

Topics Covered Include:
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
2. Strategic Overview
3. Tourism Flows by Country
4. France
5. Spain
6. Italy
7. United Kingdom
8. Germany
9. Other European Attractions
10. Future Prospects
11. Consumer Confidence
12. Further Sources

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