Walking, although one of the most common tourist activities, often remains underrepresented in tourism research despite its dual role as both active transport and leisure experience. Urban tourism studies distinguish between utilitarian walking—movement with a functional purpose, such as reaching an attraction—and recreational walking, where the walk itself forms the core experience. Data from destinations like London and Munich reveal that a majority of tourists integrate walking into their mobility patterns, often more so than local residents. Key determinants of tourist walkability include accessibility, connectivity, comfort, safety, and attractiveness, with studies in Kuala Lumpur showing these factors strongly shape satisfaction. Unlike residents, tourists face time and knowledge constraints, making their walking behaviour more dependent on maps, mobile platforms, and recommendations, and blending physical activity, leisure, and purposeful walking into a single experiential process. Urban planners are thus challenged to design walkable spaces that integrate tourist needs—such as toilet access, Wi-Fi availability, and clear signage—while balancing crowd management and avoiding congestion at single attractions. Walkability also intersects with urban regeneration, real estate value, and the broader discourse on sustainable tourism, particularly in the context of climate change and rising urban temperatures. Research shows that walkable environments foster livability, encourage public transport use, and can be a strategic tool for managing overtourism. Therefore, urban tourism policy should address walkability as both a top–down planning priority and a bottom–up visitor-driven dynamic, ensuring that urban mobility networks enhance not just movement but the sensory and social dimensions of place experience.
