Route tourism: a roadmap for successful destinations and local economic development

This paper examines themed tourism routes as a potential driver for local economic development. Lessons are drawn from case studies of the Camino de Santiago in Spain and France and the Midlands Meander in South Africa to demonstrate their positive impact on rural economies. The paper argues that the successful development of tourism routes is not an exact science and emerging destinations often have many difficulties to overcome. Using the case studies, it explores the elements of themed routes that make them successful destinations and highlights the importance of planning and institutional development.