What follows, therefore, is an analysis of waterfalls as resources for recreation and
tourism, particularly their roles as attractions. No attempt is made to analyse in detail
the aesthetic pleasures that we derive from waterfalls, this particular experience of
landscape being the subject of another paper now in preparation. Here it suffices to
recognise that for a long time and in widely different geographical and cultural
contexts, waterfalls have been regarded as beautiful, sometimes sublime, sometimes
picturesque, and have often been chosen as subjects for paintings and poetry. They
have inspired writers and painters from the early Sung dynasty in China to Romantic
Europe and North America; and in non-literate societies waterfalls commonly feature in
2
myth and legend (Rashleigh 1935). Sightseers have long been attracted to the spectacle
of tumbling rivers and streams and according to Shepard (1967:254) falls "have been
primary tourist attractions for a thousand years". Indeed, Eadington and Smith
(1994:4) remind us that Tivoli, noted for its gardens and waterfalls, became a popular
Roman holiday centre some two thousand years ago.This landscape taste has
contributed to the development of many tourist destinations, including Niagara, Victoria
and Iguassu Falls where waterfalls are the major attraction, and Yosemite and
Yellowstone National Parks, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and New Zealand, where
they are important aspects of the scenic attractions.