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of the former include special structures �buildings,
bridges, monuments), communities, theme
parks, cuisine and works of art. Nature includes
mountains and other scenery, vegetation, climate
and nature preserves and parks. Depending on
the place and the purpose of the attraction
inventory, other types of categories are often
combined with the nominal ones.
Attractions may also be classified into cognitive
or perceptual categories �see cognition), such as
authenticity, educational, adventurous and recreational.
They can be inventoried based on their
organisational or structural characteristics, including
isolated or clustered, urban or rural, low or
high capacity, and seasonal or year-round attraction
�see seasonality). The cognitive approach to
attraction inventories is used when the destination
image is of primary interest for marketing
purposes. The organisational approach is used
when undertaking community planning and
controlling the development process are the main
concern.
Further reading
Gunn, C.A. �1972) Vacationscape:Designing Tourist
Regions, Austin, TX: Bureau of Business Research,
University of Texas.
Leiper, N. �1990) `Tourist attraction systems', Annals
of Tourism Research 17: 367±84.
Lew, Alan A. �1987) À framework of tourist
attraction research', Annals of Tourism Research
14: 533±75.
MacCannell, D. �1976) A New Theory of the Leisure
Class, New York: Schocken Books.
Walsh-Heron, J. and Stevens, T. �1990) The
Management of Visitor Attractions and Events, Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
attraction, religious
ALAN A. LEW, USA
Religious attractions are places or events
which are recognised by individuals or groups as
worthy of devotion and visitation. As religious or
sacred phenomena, they stand out from the
profane and commonplace. They can be distin-
attraction, religious 37
guished primarily by the intensity of the perceived
holiness. Not all religious phenomena that are
venerated or visited by devout believers or tourists
have equal status or perceived holiness. So-called
mystico-religious sites are perceived as the most
sacred because adherents of a religion believe
that God and man are brought into direct context
through them. Homelands, the second level of
sanctity, are sacred attractions because they
represent the roots of individuals or peoples. These
are historical sacred sites that have been assigned
sanctity as a result of an event occurring there �see
also site, sacred). Israel as the homeland of
Judaism, and U tah together with the Rocky
Mountains and Jackson County �Missouri) as the
homeland of Mormonism, are typical examples of
such religious attractions that influence the
touristic activities of their believers. At the lowest
level of sacred space are the historical attractions
that have been assigned sanctity as a result of
significant events occurring there. Mormon examples
include Joseph Smith's birthplace and Kirtland
�Ohio) where the first Mormon temple was
built.
Religious attractions can also be objects as well
certain events and activities that are both venerated
and visited by believers. Of special importance
among the religious objects in all religions are
natural sacred attractions such as holy mountains,
caves, rivers, rocks and stones, animals, plants and
trees. Wayside sanctuaries like figures, symbols and
chapters are to be found especially in the main
Christian denominations. Temples, stupas, pagodas,
shrines, synagogues, churches and mosques
are the most striking religious attractions that are
built because they house the deity or give shelter to
the devotees. Sometimes even religiouslyinfluenced
settlements are attractions for the
adherents of a religion, such as the monasteries
in various religions. So-called civil religions and
ideologies also have at their disposal quasi-religious
attractions like historical battlegrounds, tombs,
mausoleums and monuments venerated and visited
by their adherents.
Religious festivals, conferences, church meetings
and congresses with local, regional, national
and international catchment areas are attractions
for a different number of believers. Diocese
meetings in the Roman Catholic Church have