Sustainable Destination Management
Strategies in the OIC Member Countries
29
Definition and Classification of Multi-Destination Tourism Corridors (MDTCs)
The concept of Tourism Corridors is described as “an approach to tourism that offers travelers
the opportunity to visit a variety of built and natural attractions along a themed route.” 39 As the
focus of this report is MDT, a Multi-Destination Tourism Corridor (MDTC), in the scope of this
report, is referred to as a route defined by a theme covering more than one country. MDTCs can
be classified according to several criteria, including theme, design, historical origin, territorial
coverage, and formality. The following figure illustrates the proposed classification adopted in
this report.
Figure 8: Classification of Tourism Corridors
Source: DinarStandard Analysis
From a thematic perspective, corridors can be classified into cultural or natural heritage
corridors. Cultural corridors are based on historical, cultural, spiritual, and economic ties that
are part of the “collective memory” of society. 40 They may combine various elements, including
religion, cultural traditions, gastronomy, art, and architecture, such as the Camino de Santiago,
or may focus on a single element such as the cave art route focusing on prehistoric art. 41
Cultural corridors can be formed on the basis of religious heritage such as Santiago de
Compostela Route, arts and architecture such as the Transromanica Route, famous
personalities’ lives, and activities such as Destination Napoleon and the Mozart Ways, and the
movement of people such as the Phoenicians’ Route. 42
Natural corridors are based on natural resources, such as landscapes, plants, and wildlife,
which are underdeveloped to a certain extent. Natural corridors can combine various elements,
including experiencing adventure, natural landscape and wildlife, and educational and
conservation nature-related tourism activities.43 An example of nature-based corridors is the
Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, the largest conservation area in Africa, consisting of
Limpopo National Park of Mozambique, Kruger National Park of South Africa, and Gonarezhou
39 Prideaux, B and Cooper, C. 2002. Marketing and destination growth: A symbiotic relationship or simple coincidence?
Journal of Vacation Marketing 9(1): 35-51.
40 Valkova Shishmanova, Maria. 2015. Cultural Tourism in Cultural Corridors, Itineraries, Areas and Cores Networked.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 188: 246 – 254.
41 UNWTO Global Report on Public-Private Partnerships: Tourism Development
42 ROUTES4U. 2018. Feasibility Study: The Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR).
43 Hamzah, A. and Ismail, H. N. 2008. A design of Nature-Culture Based Tourism Corridor; A Pilot Project at Kelantan Darul
Naim. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.