©freepik

In the recent years, tourism has emerged out to be one of the world’s largest revenue-generating industries, and the major credit for this goes to architecture. Architecture has always been an extensive driving force in the rapid increase of tourism which in turn has increased the rate of growth of certain regions on a wide scale.

The never-ending enthusiasm for tourism culture all over the world has become evidently profitable due to the mass awareness about architecture. The economy is getting a boost with the constant increase in the number of tourists every year. In fact, some of the cities and countries like the Maldives, Bahamas, Thailand, Fiji, etc., depend solely on tourism for their survival, which is due to natural beauty and architecture of the place. Architecture in these popular destinations is a reflection of the culture, economy, history and resources of the region.

Be it Healthcare Tourism, Religious Tourism, Culture Centric Tourism, Recreational Tourism, etc., architecture has always been a spirit of tourists for ages. Ancient Greeks, Romans, or Egyptians who built massive astounding structures like amphitheaters, stadiums, agora, temples, pyramids, etc., to this day captivate a huge number of the global population. In addition, this existential relationship also acts as a catalyst and gives a boost to certain established direct and indirect factors such as employment, economy, adoption of sustainable technology, etc.

Tourism, however, gives rise to several opportunities for the people and the country. The escalation in tourism has led the leaders of nations to look into the matters of identification, preservation, and protection of heritage architecture. A huge amount of money has been invested in such restoration of old structures. New age structures of contemporary approach are being constructed which are becoming a point of concentration for tourists, as seen in cities like Dubai. Apart from protecting the heritages, such vast-scale investment is also fostering the acknowledgment of new technologies being invented in architecture.

Tourism of a region helps local people identify the required niches like transportation, accommodation, maintenance, guided tours and other related services and encourages development of employment opportunities which in turn benefits both the locals as well as the tourists. Markets have been spread immensely near the sites with heritage value and architectural significance offering a wide collection of souvenirs, community trends, cultural activities and localized food stalls. This is evident around historic monuments of the Taj Mahal, Amer Fort, St. Peters Basilica, etc. Consequently, tourism is proving to be fruitful for the locals, as it opens up ways for entrepreneurship and employment.

Tourism and Architecture are collaboratively uplifting the business of nations. There are numerous categories for architectural tourism and some of them are listed below.

Heritage Architectural Tourism

Since ancient times, people have been visiting significant places for leisure, worship, or assembly. This age-old relationship of people with places has been obvious since times immemorial and is continuing till date. The places have stood the test of time, gained patronage and featured in heritage lists across globe. Although they require preservation, conservation, protection, and reconstruction from time to time in order to keep their stability intact; these structures do contribute to the status of the place to be recognized as international tourist destinations.

Monuments like the Red Fort, Colosseum, Sphinx of Giza, Statue of Liberty, etc. are all examples of Heritage Architecture.

Skyline of Indian Heritage Sites

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Religious Architectural Tourism

Religion is another important element that has always played a very crucial role in shaping the world tourism. Religious structures become symbols of faith and religious identity. Visiting these structures becomes a proof of devotion towards the religion. Age-old temples that were discovered by archaeologists from Egypt and Mesopotamia served the same purpose and enjoyed same importance as modern day religious destinations. Structures like stupas, mosques, monasteries, synagogues, etc. attract a lot of tourists of respective faiths from every corner of the world. Not just typically enclosed worshipping spaces, but also places like pyramids and tombs are termed as sacred and hence are becoming avid hotspot for tourists.

Golden Temple, Amritsar

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Meenakshi Temple, Madurai

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Healthcare Architectural Tourism

With a sudden rise in concern for health of the international community, the outrage of Covid-19 in the past few years and with the emergence of new diseases, the healthcare tourism has gained popularity with people traveling to other countries in search of cure and for better medical facilities. It is also due to the treatment available at a cheaper cost in other countries.

Architecture of healthcare industry plays an important role in this kind of tourism. Besides the state of art facilities, the amenities, ambience and comfort provided at these centres are also crucial. It implies not only to the hospital buildings but also the development of spaces to cater the needs of care-givers accompanying the patients. Patients are provided with best of facilities so that their well-being is not compromised. World famous hospitals in Thailand, Turkey, Canada, USA, Malaysia, etc., receives constant flow of tourists across the world. One such example being Cleveland Clinic, USA, which has incorporated wellness-centric spaces in their hospitals like subtle interiors, green spaces, encouraging views, etc. for patients’ calm state of mind.

Some of the treatments offered here include cosmetic surgeries, fertility treatments, psychiatric consultations, etc.

Cleveland Clinic, USA, specializes in Robotics Surgery

©forbesmagazine

Culture-Centric Architectural Tourism

Cultural centric tourism is when the visitor’s foremost motivation is to learn, experience, discover, and absorb the actual and abstract cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. The area of interest could be art, architecture, literature, lifestyle, belief, traditions, value systems, etc.

While looking at the example of the closely packed Blue Houses of Jodhpur, the city, even to this day, continues to be indulged in blues due to centuries-old traditional beliefs that blue is the good reflector of sunrays and keeps the houses cool. The other tradition says that blue was considered auspicious by Brahmans. This culture of Jodhpur has given it widespread importance, both in cultural as well as architectural aspects.

Another important example that defines culture within architecture, is the Auroville city, near Puducherry in Tamil Nadu. Designed by Ar. Roger Anger, Matrimandir, a modern structure is at the centre of the city. Surrounding it, lies the industrial, residential, cultural and international zones. People belonging to different nationalities, cultures and beliefs visit the place for psychological peace.

We can say that culture is what people want to experience in such places and not just monuments!

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Blue Houses of Jodhpur as seen from Mehrangarh Fort

©Faiza Ansari

Matrimandir, Auroville

©The Statesman

Ancient City Tourism

Archaeologists have found many ancient dead and living cities that send forth a fascinating notion for the tourists and visitors. Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world, which attract tourists from abroad. The city is home to ghats, temples, museums, etc.

Buried cities have their existing ruins standing somewhere in the backdrop of the vast horizon even to this day. One such example is the ultimate Indus Valley Civilization. The drainage system, the grid iron planning, the courtyard houses, the two-tier settlement, the great bath, the granary, etc. are excellent examples that set a standard of perfect urban planning for the planners of today. 

Ancient cities like Machu Picchu, Ephesus, Acropolis of Athens, etc., have gained popularity in the recent years and have been a topic of discussion in the tourism sector. Multiple efforts have also been made to preserve these tourist spots.

Mayan Pyramids and Statues at Ancient City of Easter Island, Chile

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Educative Architectural Tourism

All the architects have the understanding that architecture of a place is a response to the regional conditions and hence travel becomes an important aspect of architectural education. Architecture students are often told that “the more you explore, the more you learn.” Academically speaking, architecture students need to visit sites on a regular basis either for case studies or for ongoing site studies. Places enriched with architectural values like Chandigarh, Delhi, Agra, MP, Rajasthan, Orissa, etc., are a constant source of knowledge as travelling gives an insight into the lives of users and encourages us architects to vary our designs in accordance with human centricity and to draw a parallel between different places. Hilly areas like Nainital, Sikkim, Shimla, etc., are important for contour studies. Moreover, urban and regional planning subjects require in-depth surveys of particular towns and villages too.

Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur

©Faiza Ansari

Contour Planning of Gangtok, Sikkim

©Faiza Ansari

Influential Architectural Tourism

High-end projects are given mass publicity around the world which ultimately becomes a source of insights for the global community. One of the most recent examples of such an influential project is The Museum of Future, Dubai. Other buildings include Burj Khalifa, Sydney Opera House, Petronas Twin Tower, Lotus Temple, Centre Pompidou and not to forget the very famous Eiffel Tower, etc. People from all over the world travel to these destinations just because they have a mere tag of ‘super-popular building’.

Apple Park, California

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Tourism for Specific Architecture

Works of celebrated architects can be seen in particular regions like in the case of the planning of Chandigarh City by Le Corbusier . The city and structures designed by Le Corbusier stands as symbol of modern India and was inspirational to many further works.

Antoni Gaudi has a grasp in Barcelona with many of his famous works, and one of them being the renowned Sagrada La Familia, which has been under construction for more than 140 years. People who like the Neoclassical style of architecture can visit Paris, or Rajasthan for Rajputana style of architecture. Specific architecture is not just limited to any city or area but can be seen on a large scale as well like countries.

It also attracts people from other countries who wants to feel and live in the region with different space treatments and use; as per the culture of the region.

French Architecture of Puducherry

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Recreational Tourism

Tourism that involves visiting places for sports like stadiums, for merry time activities like Las Vegas and Thailand, etc.

For some people, travelling is not about monuments and spaces, but about lavish getaways, luxury staycations, and leisure activities. Tourism of Goa is an example of this category, as it offers a wide variety of recreational activities ranging from water sports, luxury clubs, over the top hotels to royal casinos.

Olympics is world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories. Olympics is held every 4 years, and everytime different country hosts it. It attracts a large population from worldwide, thus validating recreational tourism.

Olympic Venue, Tokyo

©Olympics

The cultural and architectural background of the place or country adds to the experience of a traveller or a tourist visiting that place. We must also acknowledge the fact that globalization, communication and exposure on social media is the main force that has made people aware of architecture of various destinations leading to tourism.  Therefore, it is justifiable to say that architecture and tourism are two sides of the same coin and their interdependence is what makes them viable for co-existence.

About Author

The author Faiza Ansari is an Architect, a Student of Urban & Regional Planning and an Architectural Writer who has a keen interest in ongoing AEC trends. She loves to pour her thoughts into words and is filled with enthusiasm for exploring places, virtually or actually.

She can be reached at: arfaiza.ansari@gmail.com

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