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26-569: Weeki Wachee Springs is a natural tourist attraction located in Weeki Wachee, Florida , where underwater performances by " mermaids ," women wearing fish tails as well as other fanciful outfits, can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River . A waterpark , Buccaneer Bay , river boat rides, kayak and paddleboard rental are some of the other activities offered at Weeki Wachee Springs. The spring

52-432: A 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 8 reviews. On Metacritic it holds a score of 68, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Joel Keller of Decider recommended streaming the miniseries, noting that the show had "magic and whimsy" with "doses of reality". However, CNN 's Brian Lowry felt "there's just not enough here to merit making MerPeople part of your world." Lucy Mangan of The Guardian gave

78-562: A maximum depth of 407 ffw. The 407 ffw depth makes the cave system under Weeki Wachee springs the deepest known freshwater cave system in the United States. Scenes from Kelly Clarkson's video "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" include the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs. Key scenes from Amy Seimetz 's directorial debut Sun Don't Shine take place at the Springs and include the mermaids. The 2017 documentary Mermaids featured

104-487: A reasonable admission charge or even for free, others may be of low quality and overprice their goods and services (such as admission, food, and souvenirs) in order to profit excessively from tourists. Such places are commonly known as tourist traps . Within cities, rides on boats and sightseeing buses are sometimes popular. Novelty attractions are oddities such as the " biggest ball of twine " in Cawker City, Kansas ,

130-759: A supposed UFO crash site near Roswell, New Mexico and the alleged Loch Ness monster sightings in Scotland . Ethnic communities may become tourist attractions, such as Chinatowns in the United States and the black British neighborhood of Brixton in London , England. Tourists also look for special local culinary experiences such as street kitchens in Asian metropolises or the coffeehouse culture in Central Europe . In particular, cultural property and

156-750: A white sand beach for visitors to enjoy alongside the theater with the mermaid shows. Guests to the park have included Elvis Presley , Don Knotts , Esther Williams , Arthur Godfrey , Kevin Smith , and Larry the Cable Guy . Hollywood has occasionally used the attraction and its mermaids in the filming of movies such as Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), Neptune's Daughter (1949), and Sunshine State (2002), and many television shows like Route 66 (1963, #25, "The Cruelest Sea of All") and Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters (2018). At one point,

182-686: Is a good example of a region marketed and branded as a place for tourists to visit, mainly known for its Châteaux of the Loire valley . A tropical island resort is an island or archipelago that depends on tourism as its source of revenue. The Bahamas in the Caribbean , Bali in Indonesia , Phuket in Thailand , Hawaii in the United States , Fiji in the Pacific, and Santorini and Ibiza in

208-620: Is marketed or markets itself as a place for tourists to visit". It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps". Fátima town, for example, is a popular tourist destination in Portugal . Siem Reap town is a popular tourist destination in Cambodia , mainly owing to its proximity to the Angkor temples. The Loire valley , the third tourist destination in France ,

234-532: Is not enough to prevent destruction, robbery and looting. The founding president of Blue Shield International Karl von Habsburg summed it up with the words: “Without the local community and without the local participants, that would be completely impossible”. MerPeople MerPeople is a documentary miniseries that premiered May 23, 2023, on Netflix . It explores the subculture and performing art of " mermaiding ". MerPeople has received mostly positive reviews from critics. As of June 2023, has

260-658: The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota , or Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska , where old cars serve in the place of stones in a replica of Stonehenge . Novelty attractions are not limited to the American Midwest, but are part of Midwestern culture . A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is significantly dependent on revenues from tourism, or "a country, state, region, city, or town which

286-473: The Mediterranean are examples of popular island resorts. France , the United States , and Spain were the three most popular international destinations in 2017. The total number of international travelers arriving in those countries was about 234 million, contributing 8.9%, 7.7%, and 14.9%, respectively, to the total GDP of those countries. Although some years back, Africa was lean on tourism,

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312-451: The Springs. They filmed a short documentary about the spring, as well as playing at a local bar and swimming with the mermaids. An NBC television special featuring Penn & Teller and filmed at the Springs was released later that year. In summer of 2006, stand-up comedian Thomas J. Kelly became the park's first ever male mermaid. His adventures were chronicled in a Web television series called "The Little Merman". On November 1, 2008,

338-416: The United States, owners and marketers of attractions advertise tourist attractions on billboards along the sides of highways and roadways, especially in remote areas. Tourist attractions often distribute free promotional brochures to be displayed in rest areas , information centers, fast food restaurants, and motel rooms or lobbies. While some tourist attractions provide visitors a memorable experience for

364-990: The attraction as well as a number of former and serving mermaids. The 2023 Netflix documentary series MerPeople features the mermaids and history of Weeki Wachee Springs. [REDACTED] Tourist attraction Places of natural beauty such as beaches , tropical island resorts , national parks , mountains , deserts and forests , are examples of traditional tourist attractions which people may visit. Cultural tourist attractions can include historical places, sites of significant historic event , monuments , ancient temples , zoos , aquaria , museums and art galleries , botanical gardens , buildings and structures (such as forts , castles , libraries , former prisons , skyscrapers , bridges ), theme parks and carnivals , living history museums , public art ( sculptures , statues , murals ), ethnic enclave communities, historic trains and cultural events. Factory tours, industrial heritage, creative art and crafts workshops are

390-718: The attraction was owned by broadcast network ABC , and this led to an increase in publicity for the attraction. Currently, the park is owned by the State of Florida and operated by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection , and is a member of the Florida State Park System. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. In 2005, English rock band Supergrass filmed their video for their song "Low C" at

416-421: The author's personal assessments. Sometimes it is particularly emphasized that this particular tourist attraction has not yet been in the focus of the international tourism industry. Some of the sights are internationally known or target the national or local market. Some attractions are reserved for the local population or are rarely advertised because the main traffic routes and main airports are too far away. In

442-488: The continent is currently regarded as the second fastest growing tourism region with over 67 million tourists visits to Africa in 2018. Ethiopia , with a growth rate of 48.6% in 2018, is at the top of the list of African tourist centers. Other tourist locations in Africa include Cape Town, South Africa , Giza Necropolis , Egypt , The Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya , Victoria Falls , Zimbabwe and Zambia . From

468-466: The destination and contribute to the overall experience of the trip. The ultimate primary purpose of attractions is to attract the customer's attention so that they can come to a specific location and explore the various attractions on vacation. In the travel and tourism industry, attractions therefore play a particularly important role as this attracts tourists from all over the world. Tourist attractions are also created to capitalize on legends such as

494-570: The event of war, many tourist attractions are a special goal in order to cause lasting damage to the enemy or to finance the war. International attempts are therefore made to protect and preserve these economic and cultural foundations of a community, city or country. There is intensive cooperation between the United Nations , UNESCO and Blue Shield International on the protection of cultural goods and UNESCO World Heritage Sites. However, cooperation between organizations and state authorities

520-672: The individual places of the UNESCO World Heritage Site have developed into tourist attractions. If too many tourists frequent individual places, this can lead to environmental pollution and resistance from the local population, such as in Barcelona or Venice. With regard to this whole subject, there are already lists of destinations that are not recommended to tourists. There are innumerable lists and reviews of tourist attractions. Visitor statistics, cultural significance, beauty or age are used and these always reflect

546-461: The object of cultural niches like industrial tourism and creative tourism. Many tourist attractions are also landmarks . But sports events such as a soccer game, Formula 1 race or sailing regatta can also attract tourists. Tourists' expectations when visiting a particular place are related to several features of the chosen destination: culture, architecture, gastronomy, infrastructure, landscape, events, shopping, etc. These features attract people to

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572-527: The primary motivations for a region to promote itself as a tourism destination is the expected economic benefit. According to the World Tourism Organization , 698 million people travelled to a foreign country in 2000, spending more than US$ 478 billion. International tourism receipts combined with passenger transport currently total more than US$ 575 billion – making tourism the world's number one export earner. Tourist attractions can: In

598-488: The state of Florida took over Weeki Wachee Springs as a state park. From May 22 until August 30, 2007, the discharge level at Weeki Wachee spring dropped to a level that allowed for cave divers to gain effective entry into the cave system at the spring. The Karst Underwater Research team successfully executed exploration dives and the necessary in-water decompression to explore approximately 6,700 feet in multiple passages at an average depth of 265 feet fresh water (ffw) with

624-498: The surface of the water, to allow visitors to watch the mermaids perform in the spring. The Incredible Mr. Limpet , an American live-action/animated comedy film produced by Warner Bros. had its premiere on January 20, 1964, at the Weeki Wachee Springs Underwater Theater. It was the world's first underwater movie premiere. In 1982, Buccaneer Bay was opened with water slides, a lazy river, and

650-401: The tourism industry supply perspective, a destination is usually defined by a geo-political boundary, and destination marketing is most commonly funded by governments. From the traveler perspective, a destination might be perceived quite differently. Tourism generates substantial economic benefits for both host countries and tourists' home countries. Especially in developing countries, one of

676-408: Was named "Weeki Wachee" by Seminoles , which means "Little Spring" or "Winding River" in their language. The attraction was created in 1947 by stunt swimmer and attraction promoter Newt Perry , who based the show on underwater air hose breathing techniques. First an 18-seat theater, then later a newer theater with a capacity of 50, were embedded in the lime rock of the spring with viewing windows below

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