Acta geographica Slovenica, 58-2, 2018, 73–85
WHAT IS THE TOURIST LANDSCAPE?
ASPECTS AND FEATURES
OF THE CONCEPT
Ewa Skowronek, Andrzej Tucki, Edward Huijbens, Marta Jóźwik
Death Valley (USA).
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3986/AGS.3311
UDC: 911.5:338.48
COBISS: 1.01
What is the tourist landscape? Aspects and features of the concept
ABSTRACT: This paper will present a systematic review of the main publications for landscape and tourism
research in Scopus and polish language databases. These were used to identify papers on landscape and
tourism published from January 2003 to September 2013. A total of 382 articles and 37 other sources were
identified, but 116 analysed. The analysis, focusing on the explicated relation between landscape and tourism,
shows that it is a new but growing concern for geographers, ecologists, and landscape architects contributing
to the debate. The result is a veritable smorgasbord of definitions and approaches. The objective of this
paper is to systematise the current knowledge on tourism and landscape, review the existing definitions
of the term »tourist landscape«, and determine its aspects and components in the context of functions of
regions. The paper concludes with a tentative definition of a tourist landscape and proposals for further
scholarly research and some policy advice.
KEY WORDS: sustainable development, literature review, definitions of landscape, landscape structure,
features of tourist landscape, tourism space, landscape perception
Kaj je turistična pokrajina? Vidiki in značilnosti pojma
POVZETEK: Članek vsebuje sistematičen pregled glavnih del s področja raziskav pokrajine in turizma,
vključenih v bibliografsko zbirko Scopus in poljske podatkovne zbirke. V teh podatkovnih zbirkah so avtorji
iskali članke na temo pokrajine in turizma, objavljene med januarjem 2003 in septembrom 2013. Skupno
so našli 382 člankov in 37 drugih virov, od katerih so jih analizirali 116. Analiza, pri kateri so se osredo -
točili na razmerje med pokrajino in turizmom, je pokazala, da je to novo, a vse pomembnejše področje
za geografe, ekologe in krajinske arhitekte, posledica česar je široka paleta definicij in pristopov. Cilj tega
članka je sistematično urediti trenutno znanje o turizmu in pokrajini, pregledati obstoječe definicije pojma
»turistična pokrajina« ter ugotoviti njegove vidike in sestavine v kontekstu funkcij regij. Avtorji članek
zaokrožijo z okvirno definicijo turistične pokrajine, predlogi za nadaljnje raziskave in nasveti za politiko
obravnavanega področja.
KLJUČNE BESEDE: trajnostni razvoj, pregled literature, definicije pokrajine, zgradba pokrajine, značilnosti
turistične pokrajine, turistični prostor, dojemanje pokrajine
Ewa Skowronek, Andrzej Tucki, Marta Jóźwik
Department of Regional Geography and Tourism, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University
ewa.skowronek@umcs.pl, andrzej.tucki@umcs.pl, marjoz@umcs.pl
Edward Huijbens
School of Business and Science, University of Akureyri
Edward@unak.is
The paper was submitted for publication on November 13th, 2015.
Uredništvo je prejelo prispevek 13. novembra 2015.
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Acta geographica Slovenica, 58-2, 2018
1 Introduction
Social awareness of the importance and function of landscape has been increasing in recent years. It is com-
monly considered as the primary element of European heritage, and as an important factor affecting the
quality of life of people (Costanza et al. 1997, De Groot, Wilson and Bouman 2002; Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment 2005; Wylie 2007; Gkoltsiou and Terkenli 2012). The establishment of the European Landscape
Convention (ELC) in 2000 aptly demonstrates this importance and demonstrates landscape’s social,
economic, cultural, and ecological role, as well as contribution to society’s wealth (European Landscape
Convention 2000). Because landscape is a »common resource«, and its state is subject to continuous changes,
it requires continuous assessment, protection, management, and planning. Proper functioning of landscape
is supported by development based on long term and mutually sustainable relations between social needs,
economic activity, and the environment (Nučič 2012).
Tourism, as a currently important area of the economy, also benefits from landscape, leading to its pos-
itive and negative transformations (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment 2005; Zaręba 2010). Supporting
sustainable development of tourism in relation to landscapes requires treating it as a necessary factor in
finding the balance between the maintenance of natural and cultural heritage and social needs and region-
al economy (Briassoullis 2002). Following the aims of developing sustainable tourism requires paying close
attention to the description and evolution of landscape, and ways of managing its resources (Bole, Pipan
and Komac 2013).
A review of the available literature referring to the relationship between landscape and tourism shows
that it is a new but growing concern amongst geographers, ecologists, and landscape architects. Moreover,
a detailed analysis of this literature revealed the appearance of a new term, namely »tourist landscape«,
reflecting some evolution in outlining the relationship between the two. However direct descriptions and
definitions of the term appear only in a handful of current publications. It is most commonly used in titles
of papers without a clear definition (Skowronek, Jóźwik and Tucki 2013).
This paper attempts to present a conceptual framework for tourist landscapes and provides an analy-
sis of the structure of tourist landscapes based on existing literature.
The analysis of the literature described in this paper represents an attempt to provide answers to the
following questions:
• In what context are the relations between tourism and landscape presented?
• How has tourist landscape been defined so far?
• What are aspects and detailed elements of tourist landscape?
The determination and understanding of the essence of the tourist landscape is an important compo-
nent of understanding the geography of any place. Tourist landscape is a resource, permitting the development
of various functions, among others social-economic and cultural, including tourism. As emphasised by
among others Zaręba (2010) and Kulczyk (2013), any activities aimed at the use of tourist landscape should
consider maintenance of the harmony between the natural and cultural environment and social-economic
activity. The maintenance of the balance of the aforementioned components contributes to the preserva-
tion of spatial order, and permits the development of regions in the long run. It is a very important task
for communities and local authorities. It generates the necessity of investigation and determination of
components of tourist landscape important from the point of view of its users (tourists and residents)
for the purpose of its proper planning and management, as also emphasised by the European Landscape
Convention.
2 Material and methods
The objectives of this paper were approached through a content analysis of the literature. Content analy-
sis is a method for an objective, systematic, quantitative, and reliable study of published information and
is extensively used as a method for literature reviews.
The content of Polish and international literature focusing on »tourism/tourist« and »landscape(s)«
was performed. Among Polish journals, we selected the longest standing scientific journal concerning the
theory of tourism (Turyzm), and journals dedicated to landscape and its transformations: Problemy Ekologii
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Krajobrazu (issued by Polska Asocjacja Ekologii Krajobrazu – Polish Association for Landscape Ecology)
and Prace Komisji Krajobrazu Kulturowego (Polskie Towarzystwo Geograficzne – Polish Geographical
Society). Moreover, we considered the most important papers and publications cited by the authors of arti-
cles in the above journals, referring to the issue of tourism and landscape.
The analysis covered volumes of journals and publications issued in the years 2003–2013, with titles
including key words tourism and landscape, recreational landscape, and tourist space. Initially 362 scientific
articles were reviewed, 59 of which were selected for further analysis. Moreover, 19 books and textbooks
were collected and used.
The review of articles by international authors was performed based on available papers published in
the citation database of Scopus. The search criteria included again the following key words: tourist/tourism,
landscape/landscapes. A total of 20 articles were collected, published in 11 journals in the years 1977–2012,
Table 1: Identified papers in literature review
Polish sources
Journals Number of papers Papers included in the analysis
Problemy Ekologii Krajobrazu 228 38
Prace Komisji Krajobrazu Kulturowego 27 8
Turyzm 103 9
Other journals 4 4
Total 362 59
Books Included in the analysis
Books 12
Chapters in books 7
Total 19
International sources
Journals Papers included in the analysis
An International Multidisciplinary Journal of Tourism 1
Annales de Géographie 1
Annals of Tourism Research 5
Environmental Management 1
Human Geographies 1
International Journal of Energy and Environment 1
Journal of Cultural Heritage 1
Landscape and Urban Planning 3
Tourism Geographies 4
Tourism Management 1
Tourism Review 1
Total 20
Books Included in the analysis
Books 13
Total 13
Other sources Included in the analysis
Other sources 5
Total 5
Total number of books and papers included in the analysis 
Total papers included in the analysis 79
Total books/chapters included in the analysis 32
Other sources included in the analysis 5
Total 116
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and 13 books published in the years 1982–2011. Moreover, five conference speeches and presentations relat-
ed to the issue available on the internet were identified and reviewed. An overview of the publications covered
by the analysis is presented in table 1.
At the next stage of the research, a detailed analysis of the content of the 116 scientific papers demon-
strating actual engagement and/or use of the term tourist landscape was performed. As a result, the collected
sources were divided into groups in terms of the presented relations between tourism and landscape (Table 2).
Next, specific papers including definitions of tourism landscape were identified and their definitions scru-
tinised (Table 3). It turned out that among all of the publications, only 14 scientific papers included such
a definition, representing only 12% of the total presented literature on the subject.
The collected and chronologically listed definitions were used for the identification of aspects, com-
ponents of tourist landscape, and for the development of its proposed definition in this paper.
3 Tourist landscape in the literature
Defining the tourist landscapes is a demanding task. The term landscape itself has multiple aspects, dimen-
sions and meanings depending on the disciplinary context in which it is deployed (Wojciechowski 1986;
Terkenli 2001; Ostaszewska 2002; Andrejczuk 2010). In tourism, activities are considered in spatial terms
covering also the adaptation of space and its management aimed at satisfying tourist needs (Richling 2010).
Landscape is, therefore, a crucial aspect of tourist space (Terkenli 2000; 2002; 2006; 2011; Włodarczyk 2009b).
Consequently, landscape is an important object of research for tourism, as one to be manipulated, shaped
and managed (Pietrzak 2010). The research problems addressed in works pertaining to the relations between
tourism and landscape dealing with delimitation and the analysis of its structure and functioning are sum-
marised in table 2. 
Referring to the term tourist landscape and its meaning one should be aware that only some recent sci-
entific publications refer to it directly or try to define it. The first works containing the term »tourism/tourist
landscape(s)« were published in 1970’s, including Ferrario (1978) »The tourist landscape: a method of eval-
uating tourist potential and its application to South Africa«. Closer to the turn of the Millennium publications
such as Healy (1994) »The »common pool« problem in tourist landscapes«, Dietvorst (1998) »Tourist land-
scapes: Accelerating transformations« and Aitchison, MacLeod and Shaw (2000) »Leisure and Tourism
Landscapes« emerged. The works by Terkenli (2000, 2002, 2006, 2011) and Gkoltsiou and Terkenli (2008),
focus on tourist landscapes analysing its geographic and cultural components. Papers by Pritchard and
Morgan (2000a, 2000b), Rickly-Boyd and Metro-Roland (2010), consider the term in relation to tourist
marketing and the evaluation of attractiveness of tourist destinations. The concept of resortscapes was intro-
duced by Lu (2011) while analysing the changes in rural landscape structure and local residents’ attitude
to mass tourism development.
It should be emphasised that in most cases tourist landscape is analysed for specifically defined research
objectives, without providing or building on a more general definition (see e.g. Chronis and Hampton 2008;
Fyhri 2009; Chrenka and Ira 2011; Kulczyk 2013; Xiaobo 2010). However some of the authors did define
the term »tourist landscape« in their works. These include Gunn (1979), Wall (in: Jafari 1982), Lozato-Giotart
(1993), Dietvorst (1998), Terkenli (2001; 2002), van der Duim (2007), Włodarczyk (2009a; 2009b; 2011),
Kowalczyk and Derek (2010), Richling (2010) and Myga-Piątek (2012). Table 3 presents the definitions
that can be encountered in their work in chronological order.
The first definitions contained many different wordings. Their common feature, however, was to high-
light the touristic function of a landscape as well as its key purpose of meeting the tourists’ needs.
At the turn of the Millennium and the years to follow definitions considered the internal consisten-
cy (system), the genesis of the landscape, which was the result of environmental changes caused by tourism
and the potential of the landscape, which over time can become a tourist landscape.
Table 3 highlights the diversity of the attempts to construct the term »tourist landscape«. They result
from authors’ research attitude and specifications. Moreover, they are brought about by the lack of scien-
tific discussion of the term in the publications on the topic, where the problem fails to win researchers’
attention.
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Table 2: The relations between landscape and tourism, a review of research.
Framing of landscapes Sources
Landscape as a value of tourism development Scraton (1998)
Aitchison, MacLeod and Shaw (2000)
Briassoulis and van der Straaten, J. (ed.) (2000)
Knudsen et al. (2008)
Rickly-Boyd and Metro-Roland (2010)
Kulczyk (2013)
Pietrzak, M (2003)
Wołoszyn, W. (2006)
Balon, J. and Jodłowski, M. (2009)
Piechota, S. (2009)
Richling, A. (2010)
Kistowski, M. (2012)
Turyzm (2005); 15/1-2, 16/2 (2006), 17/1-2(2007), 19/1-2(2009)
Prace Komisji Krajobrazu Kulturowego 14 (2010)
Practical aspect of using landscape for tourism Pritchard and Morgan (2000a; 2000b)
product development Terkenli (2002; 2011)
Périgord and Donadieu (2007) 
Clivaz (2008)
Franch et al. (2008)
Glińska (2010)
Kaczmarek, Stasiak and Włodarczyk (2010)
Dudek-Mańkowska (2011)
Landscape as an important link in theoretical discussions Kostrowicki (1975) 
on the functioning and development of recreational areas Krzymowska-Kostrowicka (1980)
The role of landscape in visual aesthetic evaluation of natural Wojciechowski (1986)
environment and its influence on tourist and recreational Krzymowska-Kostrowicka (1999a; 1999b)
use of the areas Bezkowska (2005)
Landscape perception by tourists Kowalczyk (1992a; 1992b)
Eleftheriadis, Tsalikidis and Manos (1990)
Hunziker (1995)
Piechota (2006)
Jacobsen (2007)
Parzych (2009)
Fyhri, Jacobsen and Tømmervik (2009)
Landscape as an element of tourist attractiveness of the area Bezkowska (2003)
Kowalczyk (2007)
Meyer (2008)
Gkoltsiou and Terkenli (2008)
Cracolici and Nijkamp (2008)
Iatu and Bulai (2011)
4L tourism (Landscape, Leisure, Learning and Limit) Franch et al. (2008)
Place and significance of landscape in using natural heritage Howard and Pinder (2003)
for tourist purposes Przybyś (2008)
Forming the attitudes towards specific forms of landscape, Miossec (1977)
including tourist landscape Wojciechowski (1986)
Dann (1999) 
Harmony and authenticity of landscape in tourist destinations MacCannell (2005)
Urry (2002)
Chylińska (2008) 
Suchodolski (2008)
Chronis and Hampton (2008) 
Terkenli (2000; 2002)
Negative influence of tourism on landscape – Zaręba (2010)
»landscape depletion« Chrenka and Ira (2011)
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Table 3: Chronological review of the definitions of tourist landscape.
author year definition
Gunn 1979 The tourist landscape – total physical and visual environment utilized by all tourism activities, including
the whole context and infrastructure of tourism development, such as transportation, services, information,
direction and, generally speaking, all such developments that attract people to a destination.
Wall (in Jafari 1982) The tourist landscapes are both natural and human-made, designed to serve – or products that emerge
from – the accommodation of all needs of tourism development.
Lozato-Giotart 1993 The tourist landscape is a type of cultural landscape, which is reconstructed both in its functional and
symbolic structure, from the phenomenon of tourism.
Dietvorst 1998 A tourist landscape can be described as constructed through a myriad of symbolic and material
transformations of an original physical and/or socioeconomic landscape in order to serve the
interests of tourists and the tourist industry.
Krzymowska- 1999a Tourist and recreational landscape is the physiognomy of geographic environment and subjective world
Kostrowicka of values perceived by a tourist in accordance with a given cultural model it is a natural or urbanised area,
where tourism plays at least temporarily a predominant role
Terkenli 2001 The tourist landscape … a social interface where local and global perspectives, the sides of supply and
demand, production and consumption etc. come together in the ready construction and consumption
of place identity.
Terkenli 2002 The tourist landscape emerges as the product of tourism activities, which tend to dominate an area and
»infect« its appearance.
van der Duim 2007 »tourismscape« – hidden network of agents/actors and the relations between them which constitute
a tourist space, what is consequently called »tourist landscape« (as in Włodarczyk 2009b, 96). Significant
features of »tourist landscape« include network links (internal and external) and its internal coherence
(complementarity of facilities and services) (as in Kowalczyk, Derek 2010).
Włodarczyk 2009a, 124; »… tourist landscape is a physiognomy of tourist space synthesising natural and cultural elements and
2009b the effects of man’s tourist activeness in space … […] it can also be defined as a peculiar third 
90-92; dimension of tourist space« […] »it is a specific kind or a part of broadly understood cultural
landscape.«
2011, 268
Kowalczyk, 2010, 131-132 »Tourist landscape is a type of cultural landscape that can be shortly defined as a natural landscape that 
Derek was modified by tourist and leisure activities of men, […] it concerns the areas that were modified by
tourism to such an extent that they have their own specificity which makes them different from other of
types  landscape.«
A. Richli 2010, 343 »Tourist landscape […] can be defined […] as a natural or natural-anthropogenic system which 
Richling triggers, or can potentially trigger temporary population dislocations away from their place of residence
[…] it is a landscape featuring a potency (non necessarily used) to have tourist functions or a system
which is dominated by tourism or in which tourism plays an important role.«
Myga-Piątek 2012, 151 Tourism landscape is a prototype of cultural landscape, which forms as a result of tourism development,
with its predominant function of serving incoming tourists. Tourist type of landscape is primarily
determined by not only potential values or dominating functions, but by material elements of tourist
infrastructure, which clearly define the space and make it different from other functional types of
landscape.
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4 The concept of the term
The analysis of the definitions collected in table 3 allows us to distinguish numerous, diverse conceptual
approaches to tourist landscapes (see Figure 1). For some authors »tourist landscape« is a particular phys-
iognomy of a geographic environment or tourist space (e.g. Krzymowska-Kostrowicka 1999a; Włodarczyk
2009a; 2009b). Others consider it as the area with its own characteristics resulting from the function (tourism),
which distinguishes them from other types of landscape (Kowalczyk and Derek 2010; Myga-Piątek 2012).
Yet, for others it is a consequence of the transformation of cultural landscapes resulting from the constant
development of tourism (Dietvorst 1998; Kowalczyk and Derek 2010; Lozato-Giotart 1993; Myga-Piątek
2012). Moreover, »tourist landscape« is seen as:
• natural or natural-anthropogenic system with appropriate potential to have a tourist function, which
generates or can generate tourism movement (Wall in Jafari 1982; Richling 2010),
• the area where tourism has, at least temporarily, a predominant role (Krzymowska-Kostrowicka 1999a;
Richling 2010),
• the area where tourism development constitutes an important component of the landscape (Kowalczyk
and Derek 2010; Richling 2010).
Slightly different approach is presented by van der Duim (2007), who sees the landscape as a network
of agents, human and non-human, internally and externally connected, and by Krzymowska-Kostrowicka
(1999) for whom it is tourist’s subjective world of values and interpretations. 
Having analysed the definitions presented in table 3, the authors suggest emphasising the following
aspects and features of a tourist landscape:
Genetic aspect – in this approach »tourist landscape« is a form of cultural landscape. It is a conse-
quence of landscape changes resulting from the development of tourist functions. It is a consecutive »layer
of cultural landscape«, which can be homogeneous or heterogeneous (coexistence of different types of land-
scapes attractive for tourism in a given destination). It can be featured with different levels of authenticity.
Physiognomic aspect – tourist landscape reflects tourism development which is aimed at meeting
tourists’ expectations and the requirements of the tourist economy. It is a particular physiognomy of tourist
space, which links natural and cultural elements with the effects of tourism activity, which differs funda-
mentally from other types of landscape.
Functional aspect – tourist landscape has a potential (not necessarily used) to have tourist functions.
It is an area where tourism can have, at least temporarily, a predominant role. Each stage of development
of tourist function is accompanied by different stages of development whereby tourist and para-tourist
facilities are built.
Interrelated network aspect – tourist landscape is composed of various network connections (inter-
nal and external), characterising internal coherence which consists of complementary facilities and services.
Social aspect – tourist landscape is closely connected with the presence of tourists, it is the object of
tourists’ interest and can potentially generate tourist movement. It is made to meet tourists’ expectations
and build a tourist economy. It is selected and used by tourists according to the preferred form of action.
TOURIST
ATTRACTIONS
TOURIST
TOURIST
FACILITIES
TOURIST LANDSCAPE
IMAGINARY
TOURIST LANDSCAPE
Figure 1: The components of the tourist landscape.
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Tourist landscape is the object of subjective evaluation and confrontation by tourists having their expec-
tations. It is taken into considerations in plans and implementation schedules.
The above five points demonstrate the complexity of the term and imply the necessity to conduct mul-
tidirectional research to operationalise the tourist landscape for purposes of analysis. Therefore a particularly
significant issue in constructing a definition of tourist landscape is the selection of the main elements that
constitute the term. Only one study (Gkoltsiou and Terkenli 2012) attempted that. On the basis of tables
2 and 3 we focus on the three components depicted in figure 1, in relation to the immaterial elements of
tourists, perceptions and expectations.
The following three components entail attractions, facilities and presence. 
Tourist attractions – in tourist landscape there are specific features and elements of natural or cul-
tural environment which are the subject of tourists’ interests, meet their preferences and expectations and
attract them to a given destination.
Tourist facilities – tourist function of the area is conditioned by the presence of tourist facilities and
services that are connected by their functions and complementarities, which were designed to make attrac-
tions available and accessible for tourists, and which serve the purpose of satisfying touristic and recreational
needs (as in Kowalczyk and Derek 2010).
Tourists – the presence of tourists and tourist movement, resulting from the interest in a given land-
scape, make the previous natural or cultural landscape have a new function – a tourist one, which becomes
equivalent or predominant to a previous one.
Imaginary tourist landscape – underpins the three components of the tourist landscape. This is the
immaterial elements directly related to a tourist. They are made of expectations, feelings and emotions,
established before, during and after a trip by any tourist. Tourists choose the destinations according to pre-
ferred form of activities and interests. Then, during the stay in the landscape encountered at a destination
these activities are contrasted with expectations that have been shaped by social environments and the media.
The landscape of a destination is perceived with senses and emotions. All the above mentioned elements
constitute a physiognomy of tourist landscape, which make it different from other types of landscape,
e.g. urban, industrial or rural.
5 Definition of tourist landscape
On the basis of the provided comprehensive literature review we suggest that a tourist landscape is a sig-
nificant type of landscape, functionally related to tourists and tourism activity. It’s  an integrated and
complementary whole meeting the needs of tourists and tourism through its operationalising of natural
and cultural elements. A tourist landscape is characterised by the dominant presence of tourists, tourist
attractions and tourist facilities. Tourist landscape is not uniform (there are different types and variations
thereof). It is characterized by subjective evaluation and a confrontation by tourists, in connection with
their perceptions and expectations, which affect its continuous transformation.
Based on these considerations we identify tourist landscape as an area, peculiar in its physiognomy
and structure, differing from other landscape types. It is recognizable and accepted by its users, created
to meet their touristic and recreational needs and expectations.
6 Conclusion
Landscape is currently one of the most important resources for the development of tourism. This area of
the economy has a multidimensional effect on the geographic environment. The effects are both positive
(e.g. economic growth of regions, protection and promotion of the natural and cultural heritage) as well
as negative – through appropriation of resources used for various purposes, increased pollution, and loss
of the authentic character and harmony of places. Krippendorf (1975, see also: Jędrzejczyk 2000) described
the tourist economy as the »devourer of landscape«, emphasising the ever growing tourism demand glob-
ally and how this leads to places being irreversibly transformed for tourism purposes. Following Krippendorf ’s
provocation the analysis of the relations between tourism and landscape grew, reflected in the number of
scientific publications referring to the issue, increasing over recent decades.
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The objective of this paper was to systematise the current knowledge on tourism and landscape, review
the existing definitions of the term »tourist landscape«, and determine its aspects and components in the
context of the functioning of regions.
The literature review presented above shows that the analysed subject is valid and increasingly pre-
sent in research papers by representatives of various scientific disciplines (among others geography, landscape
ecology, sociology, and economy). By referring to the relations between tourism and landscape, the authors
emphasise their mutual relations, varied interdependencies, use of landscape by tourism, and effect of tourism
on landscape, resulting in its transformations. The direct effect of tourism on landscape, resulting from
meeting various types of human needs, is its specific form and physiognomy described as »tourist land-
scape«. In prior research however, definitions of the term lack the rigour here presented as they suffer from
the specificity of the research interests of the authors, and particularly from the lack of scientific discus-
sion concerning the term in the literature on the subject. The diversity of approaches presented above, and
the specified aspects and features of tourist landscape demonstrate the challenges of defining the concept
and underline the necessity of performing multidirectional research on its essence. Our proposed defin-
ition of the »tourist landscape« should contribute to ordering knowledge resources and better understanding
the essence of the term, and therefore help determine the conditions and desired directions of use of its
resources and values.
Our tentative definition of the term tourist landscapes will permit the identification of spatial struc-
tures with specific features and parameters for tourism, determine functionality (preferences of various
groups of recipients), sustainability (environmental capacity, preferred forms of tourism), and provide for
measurability (price of the tourist offer, level of development of tourism in the region). This is in accor-
dance with the guidelines of the European Landscape Convention in the scope of assessment, management,
planning, and landscape protection and sustainable tourism.
Moreover, the results of the performed study suggest the appearance of another research problem, not
considered in the paper’s objectives, i.e. developing a tourist landscape typology. Lack of such detailed clas-
sifications is emphasised among others by economists dealing with the assessment of landscape capital
for the purposes of tourism development (Panfiluk 2013).
The discussion included in this paper, and proposal of the definition and further research on the typol-
ogy, constitute the authors’ modest contribution to the scientific discussion. The explanation and specification
of the term »tourist landscape« obviously requires further research and work. The literature review was
performed based on online data sources available to the authors. Studies considering all possible sources
could reveal a somewhat different image of the analysed phenomenon.
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