Assessment of world tourism from a geographical perspective and a comparative view of leading destinations in the market

Abstract

Leading world tourism destinations and their geographical characteristics need to be understood with comparative statistical data to forecast better the future of tourist flows. This study intends to analyze top destinations of world tourism from a geographical perspective and understand the role of geography in visitor mobilization process. Elements of physical geography (climate, distance, area) along with elements of human geography are discussed in relation with tourist arrivals and revenues. The paper analyzes top ten global tourism destinations and recommendations are provided for Turkey's destination marketing strategies based on the interpreted secondary data. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The 2nd International Geography Symposium-Mediterranean Environment