Dublin case study

Attractions in Dublin
Dublin seems to have a large range of attractions, in order to offer something for every type
of visitor. There has been a lot of redevelopment in recent years including the Temple Bar
area, bringing the city slightly more up to date with new bars and restaurants, as well as a
number of cultural centres. The attractions seem to heavily focus on Dublins culture and
heritage, especially their pub culture, with walking tours, staged Irish entertainment nights
and a high number of visitors to The Guinness Storehouse. Many of the attractions,
however, have been created with the tourist in mind, such as the entertainment nights,
Dublin Viking Adventure, Dublinia, walking tours and Temple Bar.

Strengths
Dublin has a wide variety of visitor attractions on offer, something for every visitor
Most attractions stay open all year round, making it an all year round destination
Offers both modern and historical areas of the city
Lots of events on throughout the year to attract even more visitors
Attractions have been cleverly designed to deliver the image of Dublin that people
expect
Dublin is able to offer a number of free attractions due to public sector subsidies
Offer entertainment and attractions all day, e.g. walking tours, attractions, and also
into the night e.g. music nights
Weaknesses
Many attractions are artificially created, losing the authenticity and heritage
Attractions do not receive large visitor numbers due to the vast amount of
attractions in the city
Some of the more popular attractions carry high entrance fees
Not many outdoor or activity attractions in the city
The Temple Bar area attracts a more lively crowd, upsetting others, who avoid the
area

Attractions in Sydney
Sydney is a largely modern city, having a large amount of outdoor attractions, which is
understandable due to the warm weather they experience. Many of their attractions are
simply areas of the city and landscape, such as Circular Quay and Darling Harbour, as
opposed to purpose built attractions. Sydneys most popular attractions include the Sydney
Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, simply pieces of architecture, but which have
become iconic to the city and those who visit. Due to the beauty of the landscape and
coastline in Sydney, this is promoted as an attraction, for example Bondi beach and Penrith
valley. Many of Sydneys attractions incorporate outdoor activities, such as the walk from
Bondi to Coogee or the bridge climb on Sydney Harbour Bridge. They also have a number of
wildlife attractions such as Taronga Zoo, Sydney Sea Life Aquarium and Wild Life. To
maintain its history and heritage, Sydney is home to a number of museums, focusing mainly
on its aborigine decedents and how to city came to be, as well as more modern art galleries
and cultural centres.
Similarities between Dublin and Sydney
Both offer entertainment day and night with the areas focusing more on nightlife
such as Temple Bar and The Rocks
They both offer a large range of visitor attractions
Their visitor attractions are both suited to their individual climates
Both offer a number of free attractions, such as Museums and Botanic gardens
Differences between Dublin and Sydney
Sydney is a far more modern city, with very few older buildings and architecture
Attractions in Sydney are mainly outdoors and are very activity based, however in
Dublin most of their attractions are inside
Dublin has many artificially created attractions in order to keep the tourists view of
the city intact, whereas Sydney has promoted its landscapes and buildings as
attractions, making it far less commercialised
Dublin is home to more traditions which they promote through their attractions such
as pub walks and music nights








The role of visitor attractions in urban tourism
Visitor attractions seem to have a number of key roles within cities. One of the main impacts
is contributing to the regeneration of run down areas. Opening new attractions will have a
knock on effect to the surrounding area, caused by increased visitor numbers, generating
more revenue to improve local infrastructure. Another role of visitor attractions in urban
tourism is to improve the lives of the local people, by attracting more tourists to their cities.
An increased number of tourists will mean there is a higher demand for hotels, transport,
eateries, and other travel essentials; this will create more jobs and opportunities for the
local people, whose own spending will further contribute to the revenue generated.

One case study I looked at in Europe was Bilbao, Spain and the impact that the Guggenheim
Museum had on the city. Bilbao used to be a very industrial city and they needed to develop
into a modern, flourishing community. The museum opened in 1997 and had a huge impact
on the urban regeneration of the city. It attracted 1.36 million visitors within one year of its
opening and generated income in excess of its building cost; by 2000 it had generated $500
million in new economic activity and over $100 million in taxes. Since the museum opened
the city has undergone major regeneration, including large scale transport and
infrastructure projects. This example shows how an attraction can completely re market a
city, making it far more appealing to tourists and therefore generating more revenue for
regeneration.
I also looked at a report on Tourism and New Yorks economy published by the Federal
Reserve Bank of New York written in 1995. In this report, it highlighted how tourism is not a
big enough industry to make or break a country, but recognises the positive impacts tourism
has on the city. New York has many popular visitor attractions, such as the Statue of Liberty,
the Empire State Building and many museums and art galleries. People travel from all over
the world to the city to visit these attractions, generating a large amount of revenue for the
city, as well as a number of jobs. The report states that when the local economy is stagnant
or contracting, foreign tourism continues to grow, therefore providing a localised stabilizing,
economic force.

file:///C:/Users/a/Downloads/Interview%20Arantxa%20Rodriguez%20PDF.pdf
http://www.academia.edu/7372002/Guggenheim_Bilbao_-_Case_Study
http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/geography/research/projects/completed/museum-
sem/case-studies-1/guggenheim-museum-bilbao
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/australia/travel-tips-and-articles/77780
http://www.visitdublin.com/insidedublin/dublins_top_10s/top_10_free_attractions
http://www.insightguides.com/destinations/asia-pacific/australia/new-south-
wales/sydney/profil
http://www.sydney-australia.biz/places/
http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/places-to-go/attractions-and-tours/must-see-
attractions