Urban planning has always focused on the provision of adequate housing facilities within the boundaries of a city. However, effective urban planning also requires the inclusion of recreational facilities in the urban agglomerations. The process of developing successful destinations requires the inclusion of a good mixture of residential as well as recreational facilities in the agglomerations. The provision of recreational facilities in the urban areas has become much easier because of the advanced technology that facilitates the process of recreational movement and ownership. This article discusses the importance of recreational destinations in the planning of cities as a whole.
As a whole, destinations have a deep impact on their own existence and are essential components of the cities. Therefore, the analysis of the overall sector of popular urban destinations is especially important owing to the profound effect on the overall economic development of cities built around popular tourist destinations. The increasing trend of tourist influx into cities has led to the growth of hotel business in many parts of Europe. Destinations are one of the most popular segments of tourism and thus, have a direct impact on the hotel industry.
A successful destination management plan should therefore include accommodation, entertainment and tourism aspects. Moreover, it is important to consider that most tourists traveling to a city do not stay for the duration of a single holiday but rather make repeated visits to the same destination over a period of time. Hence, hotels play an important role in attracting tourists to destinations as well as in maintaining a steady occupancy rate. The provision of meeting rooms and conference rooms at hotels has therefore contributed significantly to the growth of hotels across Europe. The growth of destinations in Europe has therefore resulted in a significant shift from being predominantly residential to being primarily commercial in nature.