The big idea: Tourism and sport facilities are not placed at random — their location is decided by a mix of physical factors (relief, climate, scenery, water) and human factors (accessibility, land cost, population, investment).
Geographers split these into the site (the actual ground a facility sits on) and the situation (where it stands relative to roads, cities and markets). A stadium needs a flat, cheap site and a well-connected situation; a ski resort needs snow-covered slopes and access for visitors.
In the exam you must name a factor and develop why it matters — not just list.
Key terms for locating facilities
- Site — the physical ground a facility occupies (flat land, snow slopes, a coast, a river).
- Situation — its position relative to roads, cities, airports and the people it serves.
- Accessibility — how easily visitors can reach it (roads, rail, airports, car parking).
- Carrying capacity — the number of visitors a site can take before quality or environment suffers.
- Honeypot / hotspot — a place that attracts very large numbers of tourists into a small area.
- Multiplier effect — visitor spending that creates jobs and draws further investment to a place.
Physical sets the scene, human builds on it: Physical factors create the original pull — mountains for skiing, a warm coast for beaches, lakes and scenery for the countryside.
Human factors then decide whether it grows — accessibility, investment, marketing and cheap land turn natural potential into a built-up destination.
How this is tested: The figure here is usually a bar chart or table of visitor numbers for a few named destinations or facilities. First read the value off the axis — the short data parts ask you to Identify the busiest place or Estimate an arrivals figure from the chart.
The written follow-up is an Outline [2]: name one location factor (physical or human) and develop how it shapes a stadium, resort, festival or leisure complex — one mark for the factor, one for the development, tied to that facility.
Read the axis first. Which destination is busiest, and roughly how many visitors does it take?
Interactive diagram
Explore the labelled diagram, charts and maps for this topic in full study mode.
Using the chart, identify the busiest destination and estimate how many visitors it receives.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
| Facility | Key location factors | Advantage of a good site | Disadvantage / risk | Real example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sports stadium | Flat cheap land, accessibility, parking, away from homes | Easy access for big crowds; room to expand | Noise + traffic anger nearby residents | London 2012 Olympic Park (Stratford) |
| Music festival | Large open site, water + waste provision, road access, not too close to housing | Space for tens of thousands; fewer noise complaints | Mud/flooding on poor relief; access jams | Glastonbury (Somerset farmland) |
| Beach / city resort | Warm climate, coast or culture, hotels, airport links | Strong natural pull + repeat visitors | Overcrowding erodes the very thing tourists came for | Venice (lagoon city) |
| Ski resort | High snow-reliable slopes, relief, lift access, alpine scenery | A long season + dramatic scenery | Warmer winters and avalanche risk cut visitor numbers | Chamonix (French Alps) |
| Countryside / national park | Scenery, lakes, walking trails, near big cities | Honeypot pull for day-trippers and walkers | Footpath erosion + congestion at peak times | The Lake District (Cumbria) |
Name a factor, then DEVELOP it: An Outline [2] never scores full marks from a one-word factor. Add the so what: flat land (1) -> cheap to build on and easy to lay out a pitch and stands (1). The development mark is the link from the factor to the facility.
Using the table, give one factor that affects where a sports stadium is built, and develop why it matters.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Practice with real exam questions
Answer exam-style questions and get AI feedback that shows you exactly what examiners want to see in a full-marks response.
Each facility weighs its factors differently. A ski resort lives or dies on physical snow reliability; a stadium depends on human accessibility and land cost. To explain or suggest a location, name the dominant factor for that facility and trace how it works.
Physical factors that attract tourism
- Relief and snow — high alpine slopes give Chamonix a long, reliable ski season.
- Climate — warm, dry summers draw beach tourists to Mediterranean coasts.
- Scenery and water — the Lake District's mountains and lakes pull millions of walkers and day-trippers.
- Carrying capacity — a large flat site (Glastonbury's farmland) lets a festival host huge crowds.
Human factors that grow tourism
- Accessibility — Stratford's rail and Tube links let London 2012 move millions to the Olympic Park.
- Investment — Dubai built artificial islands, malls and airports to manufacture a desert tourism hotspot.
- Marketing and image — a famous brand or event keeps visitors returning year after year.
- Land cost — cheaper edge-of-city or rural land lets stadiums and festivals find the space they need.
Case studies for this topic: London 2012 (Stratford) — a cheap, derelict, well-connected brownfield site was regenerated for the Olympic Park; accessibility (rail/Tube) and land availability were the deciding human factors.
Venice — a lagoon city whose physical site and cultural pull made it a honeypot; success now overwhelms its tiny carrying capacity (overtourism).
Dubai — almost no physical attraction, so investment (islands, malls, airport hub) and marketing built a tourism hotspot from human factors alone.
The Lake District — scenery and lakes near big northern cities make it a classic countryside honeypot, with footpath erosion at peak times.
A ski resort in the Alps saw its winter visitor numbers fall. Suggest one physical factor that could explain this fall and develop how it reduces visitors.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Match the factor to the command: If the question asks for a physical factor, do not answer with a human one (price, advertising) — and vice versa. Read the wording, then anchor your factor to a named place for top marks.
How this is tested — the [10] Examine essay: Paper 1 Option E ends with a 10-mark Examine/Discuss essay, marked on markbands. Recurring versions: why some rural areas attract leisure (physical AND human reasons), the advantages and disadvantages of a festival's site, and the relative importance of human versus physical factors in growing a tourism hotspot.
Top band needs: accurate terms, named case studies, a balanced two-sided treatment, and a justified conclusion that weighs the factors. An inappropriate or missing example is capped low.
Examine the relative importance of human and physical factors in causing a tourism hotspot to grow.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Markband marks: (1) Develop both sides (physical AND human, or advantages AND disadvantages). (2) Anchor each to a named real place. (3) End on an explicit judgement that answers the command — which factor matters most, and how they interact.