The destination life cycle: International tourism in Peru

Abstract

The destination life cycle, a concept first publicised in 1939 in the Scottish Geographical Magazine by E. W. Gilbert is reviewed. The destination life cycle model of Butler (1980) is used to examine the main trends in the total numbers of international tourists visiting Peru between the late 19th century and 1995. Possible extensions to Peru's tourist life cycle are considered in the light of the country's tourism resources, government promotion of the industry, tourism infrastructure and security issues. The relevance of case study material to the applicability of the model is briefly considered.