A long, steep walk - Namsan Tower in Seoul
Namsan Tower is one of the major tourist attractions in Seoul, South Korea. To reach it, one has to take a tour, a taxi or one of the few commuter buses that stop in the area.
Located on top of a mountain, the tower provides an ever-imposing structure that can be clearly seen from many parts of Seoul.
Thousands of tourists visit the attraction every day, even in the cold days of winter.
Aside from the tower and the impressive view of the city, one can also see (and be part of!) the lovelock culture wherein couples bring or buy a padlock and put it on an available spot in the viewdeck railing, as a symbol of their everlasting love. Yeah…. a bit corny… but the gimmick works!
Regular cultural shows are also held at intervals in the open area by the base of the tower.
But if you really want to learn something about the development of this place and putting the quality of the site over the usual demands of the tourists, you have to look at the steep road that serves as the access for thousands of tourists who have to alight at the parking lot and walk the more than 150 meters of the steep road.
This has proven to be an effective way to minimize congestion in the tower and tower base by denying vehicles to gain access and park in the tower base, thereby making the tourists fully enjoy the site.
Below is a short video of the steep access road, going down from the tower towards the parking area.
Do you have any particular attraction in your area where this access strategy can be implemented?