Tourist sign
A tourist sign, often referred to as a brown sign, is a traffic sign whose purpose is to direct visitors to tourist destinations,[1] such as historic sites, tourist regions, caravan or camp sites, picnic areas, sporting facilities or museums. By international convention brown signs with white lettering and white pictograms are often used for this purpose.
In the mid-1970s tourist signs were introduced in France.[2] Since that time the idea of directing tourists to sights and attractions using a uniform type of signage has spread around the world. In Germany these tourist signs were first used in 1983. A sign promoting Burg Teck was erected first, followed by signs for other tourist destinations in the governmental region of Stuttgart.
Usage
Tourist signs have three main applications:
- as information signs and signposts that point to important tourist destinations or places of interest in a specific area, such as within a village or a town;
- as standard signs used to mark tourist or holiday routes with special themes; or
- to herald the presence of nearby landscapes, towns and regions, usually on long-distance routes such as motorways.
Design
In many countries the design and use of tourist signs is laid down in order to ensure a uniform appearance. In addition to their typically brown and white colours, they use sans serif fonts that are easy to read. In order to improve their usefulness for tourists dual languages may be used. The pictograms employed are designed to be simple and meaningful, and are not multi-coloured. In some countries, such as the UK, the pictograms are standardised; though there are still signs which employ the use of non-standard pictograms, such as for the National Space Centre.[3]
Criticism and reception
Critics complain that tourist signs contain too much information and distract motorists from concentrating on the road. The number of tourist signs continues to grow and less significant destinations are increasingly being signed.[4] A study carried out at Harz University of Applied Sciences in 2019 found that one in six motorists on German freeways had already spontaneously visited a destination advertised on a tourist information board.[5] Around two thirds could also recall specific contents of individual information boards.[6]
References
- ↑ "Apply for brown tourist signs on roads that Highways England manage". GOV.UK. 2018-06-05. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
- ↑ "Touri-Tafeln an der Autobahn: Oh, wie schön ist Pinneberg!". Der Spiegel (in German). 2009-05-27. ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
- ↑ "Road traffic - The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-11-11.
- ↑ Kritik ("Criticism") at Kulturfahrt-Deutschland.de
- ↑ "Touristische Hinweisschilder an Autobahnen zeigen Wirkung - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). Retrieved 2026-08-16.
- ↑ Thieme, Thomas (2020-02-27). "Tourismusmarketing: Spontane Abstecher von der Autobahn". absatzwirtschaft (in German). Retrieved 2026-08-16.
External links
- Touristic signage on German Autobahns: Perception and reception of touristic roadside signage. Study published by Harz University in 2020 (in English)
- Zeichen 386 Touristischer Hinweis ("Sign 386 - Tourist Information") - Tourist signs in the German Road Traffic Act) (in German)
- Die braun-weißen Hinweisschilder an der Autobahn kennt jeder - ihre Schöpfer nicht ("Everyone Knows The Brown and White Signs on the Autobahn...") at www.leo.tu-chemnitz.de (in German)
- Tourist Signs in Great Britain (in English)
- Chapter 2M: Recreational and Cultural Interest Area Signs, United States Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (11th edition)