Tactile Tourism : Tourist Attractions to Touch

The present article explores tourist attractions that include touch as a significant component of the tourist’splace-related experience. We have chosen to label this phenomenon “tactile tourism”. The tradition of touchingattractions is not new but has been a central part of the experience of specific place-related interests for a longtime. However, despite its frequent and often significant presence in tourist destinations, few studies in tourismresearch study the phenomenon. The article is based on a theoretical line of reasoning which starts from a fewconcrete examples of different places in Europe where we have identified tactile features relevant to tourism.The empirical material for our discussion has been collected partly through e-mail correspondence with touristorganizations in the places selected for the study and partly through articles in social media and other relevantsecondary data. This tactile experience contributes a substantial share of the primary enticement of the attractionand simultaneously invests the place with meaning, which in turn attracts tourists.