Honeypot (tourism)

A Honeypot site is a location attracting a large number of tourists who, due to the numbers, place pressure on the environment and people.^[1][2]

Honeypots are frequently used by cities or countries to manage their tourism industry. The use of honeypots can protect fragile land away from major cities while satisfying tourists. One such example is the construction of local parks to prevent tourists from damaging more valuable ecosystems farther from their main destination. Honeypots have the added benefit of concentrating a large number of income-generating visitors in one place, thus developing that area, and in turn making the area more appealing to tourists.^[3] However, honeypots can suffer from problems of overcrowding, including litter, vandalism, and strain on facilities and transport networks.^[1] Honeypots attract tourists because of parking spaces, shopping centres, parks and public toilets.

The once sleepy medieval village has attracted an increasing number of visitors over recent years and is a classic example of a tourist 'honeypot' . . . Ste. Enimie is one of these 'designated' places that are designed to attract people to it and therefore reduce the impact on the surrounding area.^[4]

References