We first looked at the places to go when in Wilmington, and then we saw some of the things to do. But looking at the two articles one thing that comes out clearly is that Wilmington is a diverse history, rich in detail, and spectacularly beautiful as a tourist destination. We have not seen of another place which has a lot to write about like Wilmington. If you want to know whether that place really deserves any accolades, don’t ask the facility managers, go meet those who have been there looking for a memorable experience, or even just a different experience away from home. So if you are reading this article and you have toured Wilmington, your feedback is welcome.

But what makes an attraction attractive? How does it come to earn that name and become a talk of the tourists? We need to look into this issue more critically in relation to Wilmington.

A tourist attraction becomes attractive because of a number of reasons. These reasons could vary because we are differently wired. But looking at all frequented tourist sites you can draw an important lesson as to what attracts tourists and makes an attraction worth your time and energy.

Most of the time tourists are looking for that unique experience. Something that is very different from home. This meets the true essence of tourism. You want to go and feel a kind of rebirth by being in a completely different place from what you are accustomed to. Looking at our experience in Wilmington, do you think it met this purpose? We have not seen a place where the ocean meets a river in such a spectacular scene at that where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic. What of the experience with an elegant dinner aboard a yacht, as the pilot narrates the significant attractions and historical trends and sites as you get closer and closer to each site? And all this happening within a beach environment. It’s breathtaking, isn’t it? We can only conclude that it truly offers a unique experience.

Hospitable locals are a reason for tourists to call a place attractive. Suppose you are in a place where everybody snubs you, calls you names, makes you an attraction of ridicule, are not sincere and want to snatch everything from you?  How would you handle that other than hopping on the next available flight and heading back home?

We looked at Wilmington International Airport  and one of the things we found that make this airport unique is its hospitable team of volunteers, TSA personnel, and customer care staff.

Do you think the people of Wilmington International are hospitable? Share your experience.

Is there an eclectic range of cuisines to sample from? Did you know 80% of people will mention food after a visit to a place, whether they are there for business or leisure? Food forms an integral part of the reason why people fall in love with a place. We tried to tackle various cuisines found here and what we found was really amazing. We travel so that we can be amazed by how different cultures have become creative in their ways of choosing menus. We want to be categorical here that in Wilmington, they have mastered a unique way of preparing seafood, and as long as they continue doing that we will continue going there.

How soon can you exhaust the list of things to do while in Wilmington? My answer is, you might then decide to live there forever because there are plenty of tourist attractions. How long, for example, would it take you to exhaust the 67-acre Airlie Garden with all the activities found there? Things to do and attractions are quite a number and this meets the standards of attractiveness in every measure. Tourists want varieties and that’s what they get here in Wilmington. I am therefore not about to be convinced otherwise, this place is attractive.

Is it true that architecture draws people? We have no doubt that yes, it does. And that’s why all places with historic architectural sites are protected and registered as a tourist attraction. In fact, probably these are the best man-made attractions that are among the most interesting and inspiring. We are able to appreciate past innovations which make present generations wonder how people would be architecturally genius to such an extent. There are plenty of historical architectural buildings here in Wilmington as highlighted in some of the previous articles.

Whatever the angle from which you look, attractions here are, well, attractive! But I would like to hear what you think.

Using your own measures or even the ones highlighted here, does Wilmington’s tourist features pass the attractiveness test?