The Context of Travel and Tourism in London - Dissertation Example

From the time of its construction and the day of its opening on December 31, 1999, the London Eye or the Millennium Wheel was considered as the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. However, this title did not last long, as the Star of Nanchang and Singapore Flyer have surpassed it, making it the third-largest globally. Despite this, the London Eye remains the world’s most popular Ferris wheel and observation wheel. Each year, the London Eye garners an average of 3 million visitors, most of which is comprised of international tourists.

Its 32 eye pods, each of which is capable of carrying 25 people, enable the London Eye to host this volume of visitors. Sir Richard Rogers (2007:32), the winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, shares his thoughts for the London Eye with the following:“The Eye has done for London what the Eiffel Tower did for Paris, which is to give it a symbol and to let people climb above the city and look back down on it. Not just the specialists or rich people, but everybody. That’s the beauty of it: it is public and accessible, and it is in a great position at the heart of London.

”Considered as an astounding tourist attraction and at the same time an imposing presence in the city of London, the London Eye is considered as the city’s symbol of the twenty-first century. Despite its social status, the landmark still belongs to a competitive industry wherein the source of revenues lies in the number of visitors or tourists. Such is the industry of tourism. With millions of visitors per year, this study aims to inquire about how destination marketing and promotion strategies could affect and contribute to the current increase in international tourism and the influx of international tourists to the London Eye.

In accordance with the aims of this study, a critical review of international tourism, destination marketing, and management literature will be used for this dissertation.