A tourist site is different from a tourism sight. A tourist site involves not only the sense of sight but also the other senses all well- touch, smell, sound, and taste. The latter refers only to what the eyes can see, such as beautiful sceneries. A tourist site contains one or more tourist attractions, which may be a sight, event, the site’s history, an accommodation facility, a form of transportation, and the like. One or more tourist site comprises a destination. A tourist destination also includes access and amenities. Access refers to transportation vehicles and infrastructure. Vehicles could be bus, cars, trains, or aircraft. Infrastructure could be roads, railways, airports, seaports, and terminals. Amenities include banks, internet access and mobile phone signal, health facilities, and the like.

A tourism site could be privately owned or government owned. It could be a complex, an island, a city, or a province.

How do we characterize an excellent tourist site? Here is a set of criteria:

1. Must sell a “signature experience” which is authentic and unique, engages a variety of senses, and offers opportunities to experience in terms of culture, history, cuisine, and people. ;
2. Must meet international demand, which is based on understanding the target tourist, and meeting their expectations; and
3. Must practice high standard of international marketing, which includes a functional website, high- resolution and rights-free images, video clips, social media campaigns, willingness to host familiarization tours, and links with suppliers and partners.