If nobody would drive an hour to visit your place, chances are you’re building for the people who are already there. There is an important difference between meeting a local need and creating a destination. The most successful places do not simply fill a gap. They give people a reason to come.
Why Local Amenities Rarely Become Tourist Attractions
Adding a new restaurant, café, hotel, or gathering place to a small community can be both valuable and appreciated. But it is rarely enough to attract visitors from outside the area. More often than not, it becomes something that serves local residents well without becoming a destination in its own right.
Whenever you invest time and money into creating something, it is worth asking what long-term value it will generate. It is a bit like buying shoes. You can spend $20 on a pair three times a year, or invest $150 in a quality pair that lasts for five years. The cheapest option upfront is not always the least expensive over time.
The same principle applies to destination development. A business that only serves local needs may be easier to establish, while an experience that attracts visitors from outside the region can create far greater value over the long run.
I have visited restaurants in northeastern Greece that people drive for hours to experience. Some are located far from the beaten path, such as Ταβέρνα Κοττάνη, where part of the journey takes you along narrow mountain roads and gravel tracks. Others are far more accessible, such as Mushroomland, which is located along a regular mountain road.
What they have in common is that people travel there because the experience is worth the trip.
At Mushroomland, the entire concept revolves around local mushrooms. The story, the ingredients, and the passion behind the concept are just as important as the food itself. At Ταβέρνα Κοττάνη, it is the atmosphere, the surroundings, and the feeling of discovering something hidden away from mainstream tourism that draws people in.
Both places demonstrate the same principle: when the experience is strong enough, location becomes less important.
In tourism, these are often referred to as destination drivers, experiences that are powerful enough to motivate a journey on their own. According to organizations such as the UN Tourism Organization and OECD, unique experiences, local identity, and authenticity are increasingly influencing where people choose to travel, particularly outside traditional tourist destinations.
The same idea can be found in the Experience Economy theory developed by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore. Their work illustrates how economies have evolved from goods and services toward experiences. Where customers once paid primarily for products, they now increasingly pay for emotions, memories, and the overall experience.
When something is memorable, distinctive, or meaningful enough, its location suddenly matters far less. People will find their way there. They will plan their trip around it, talk about it afterward, and recommend it to others.
That is the moment when a place stops being a stop along the way and becomes the reason for the journey.
Experiences Matter More Than Products in Modern Tourism
Today, people travel for experiences, seeking places that offer something they cannot find elsewhere. A hotel is no longer just a bed, and a bar is no longer simply a place to have a drink. What determines whether a place becomes a stop along the way or the very reason for the journey is the combination of atmosphere, surroundings, history, and the overall experience.
That is also why I have such strong faith in guesthouses and bed-and-breakfasts. A hotel is often just a hotel, no matter where you are. It is designed to be comfortable, efficient, and predictable, but for that very reason, the experience tends to be fairly similar wherever you go.
Airbnb offers something different. It feels more personal and homely, but the experience itself is often just as neutral.
A guesthouse sits somewhere in between. It provides the comfort of a hotel, but with an identity shaped by the people who run it. The difference lies in the details, the stories, the atmosphere, and the personality of the place. No two guesthouses are alike, and that is precisely why they often become part of the journey rather than simply a place to sleep.
When a place has character, the stay becomes part of the experience rather than just a practical stop along the way. This is also where many people underestimate their own potential. They focus on creating something that works, while it is often the personal, authentic, and slightly imperfect touches that people remember long after they have returned home.
What Makes a Place Worth Sharing on Social Media?
When people take photos and share their experiences, it is rarely just because something looks beautiful. More often, it is because the place has given them a feeling they want to share with others. It might be the view, the atmosphere, the story behind the place, or the feeling of discovering something special. The photo simply becomes proof of the experience.
The goal should not be to create a place that is photogenic for photography’s sake, but to create something worth sharing. Something that makes people think, “I have to show this to others” or “More people should visit this place.” When a place creates that feeling, guests often become your most effective marketers.
It is easy to underestimate the value of this. Yet every time someone shares a photo, a video, or a recommendation, they potentially reach hundreds or even thousands of people without you spending a single dollar on advertising. That is why investing in the experience itself can be far more valuable than many traditional marketing efforts.
Why Unique Experiences Are More Valuable Than Luxury
Luxury, in itself, is not difficult to create. It simply costs more. You can find luxury almost everywhere, and it often looks remarkably similar regardless of where you are. Comfort, quality, and high standards matter, but they are rarely the sole reason why people choose one place over another.
What truly matters is character. It is what makes something feel unique and gives people an experience they cannot find elsewhere. That is precisely why it becomes more interesting. It does not have to be more expensive or more elaborate, but it does have to feel authentic.
This does not exclude luxury, quite the opposite. Character can be luxurious, but in its own way, not as a copy of something that already exists.
It might be a building that embraces the landscape rather than ignoring it, a view that becomes part of the experience itself, or a concept so clear and distinctive that people understand it the moment they see it. It can also be found in the story behind a place, in its personality, its authenticity, and in the things that give it meaning beyond the product or service being offered.
How Rural and Remote Areas Can Become Attractive Travel Destinations
People no longer compare a destination with the next village down the road. They compare it with everything they have seen and experienced before. Expectations are shaped by our previous experiences, regardless of industry. As a result, what was once considered good enough has often become just one option among many.
One of the major trends in tourism is that more travelers are moving away from the most well-known destinations in search of places that feel authentic and less crowded. According to Expedia, more than 60 percent of travelers have either visited or considered visiting so-called detour destinations — lesser-known places located near established tourist hotspots. And perhaps this is where rural and remote areas have their greatest advantage.
While many destinations have become highly commercialized and carefully packaged, there are still places that offer space, nature, tranquility, and stories that have not been overused. This creates a completely different foundation, not just for developing something that works, but for creating something that genuinely stands out.
Research on travel behavior also shows that when an experience is compelling enough, people are willing to invest both time and money to seek it out. Driving an hour or more each way is perfectly normal for a memorable experience, which in practice means that location itself is rarely the biggest limitation.
Are You Building a Local Business or a Destination People Want to Visit?
It is easy to focus on what is missing locally: a restaurant, a hotel, a bar, or a place where people can gather. That makes sense, but in doing so, you are primarily building for the people who are already there.
If you are going to invest your time, money, and energy into creating something, why not think a little bigger? Why not add that extra touch that makes people remember it, talk about it, and recommend it to others?
I believe what separates the most successful concepts from the rest is a willingness to create something people remember, talk about, and want to share, often without it costing significantly more.
Companies such as Planet Hollywood and Hard Rock Cafe have demonstrated this for decades. People do not visit them solely for the food or drinks. They come for the experience surrounding them. In practice, they serve many of the same things as countless other venues, yet they have managed to turn them into something more.
In a world where so much is simply good enough, it is often that little extra touch that makes the difference between a place people visit once and a place they return to and recommend to others.
