Destinations as Products?
A reflection on Butler’s life cycle
Bob McKercher

This paper presents a personal reflection on Prof. Richard Butler’s tourist area evolution model. The model remains as relevant today as it was when first published 25 years ago, and can provide valuable insights into how destinations should be managed as they evolve. The ‘destination-as-product’ analogy coupled with the change of terminology from destination evolution to destination lifecycle and the resultant shift in focus from destination evolution to product lifecycle lead to a number of questions about its interpretation and application. The paper argues that destinations are more akin to living ecosystems that evolve through time rather than products that have a defined lifecycle. Further, it argues that destinations can be conceived more as product classes rather than individual products.