A tourist district in Cities: Skylines takes five steps: prepare the roads, zone a new district, choose the tourist specialisation, add commercial zones inside it and let it grow. Place it where visitors arrive and want to stay, connect it to transport hubs and give it amenities nearby.
Tourist districts are the fastest way to attract hotels to your Cities: Skylines city. This 2023 video is the short version of the After Dark hotel tutorial: five steps, under four minutes. This page adds the planning around it, because where you put the district matters more than the clicks.
Five steps
- Prepare the roads (0:14). Give the district a simple layout with good access from the main road, and keep through-traffic out of it.
- Zone a new district (0:31) with the district tool.
- Choose the tourist specialisation (0:42) in the district panel.
- Add commercial zones inside the district (0:58). Existing commercial buildings convert as they rebuild; new zones grow as tourism businesses straight away.
- Speed up growth (2:50) and watch the hotels appear.
The tourist specialisation comes with the After Dark expansion.
Where to put it
Beachfronts. Hotels along a beach fill up fastest, and they look right there.
City centres. A tourist district next to your landmarks and the main station gives visitors something to walk to.
Near arrival points. Airport, passenger harbour, intercity station. The shorter the trip from arrival to hotel, the better.
Make it a destination
- Connections. Link the district to stations, the airport and bus lines. Tourists arrive by transport and want to leave by transport.
- Amenities. Parks, plazas, attractions and services nearby make the district more attractive.
- Workers. Tourism businesses need some workers with lower education. If your whole city is highly educated, hotels struggle to find staff.
Common problems
Hotels grow, then close. Not enough customers or not enough workers. Check tourist numbers in the city info and the education of nearby residents.
The district stays generic. The specialisation only applies inside the painted district. Make sure the commercial zones are inside its borders.
Traffic jams around the hotels. Tourist traffic adds up. Give the district a bus line or a tram stop, not just a road.
Related guides
- Hotels with After Dark, the longer 2020 version with more background.
- Commercial and office specialisation, for the other district types.
Video chapters
- 0:00Intro
- 0:14Preparing the roads
- 0:31Zoning a new district
- 0:42Choosing the tourist specialisation
- 0:58Adding commercial zones
- 2:50Speeding up growth
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
Related videos
FAQ
How do I attract hotels in Cities: Skylines?
Create a district, give it the tourist specialisation and zone commercial inside it. The specialisation (from After Dark) turns the commercial buildings into hotels and tourist businesses.
Where is the best place for a tourist district?
Close to stations, the airport, beaches or landmarks — and connected to them by good public transport.
Do I need a DLC for tourist districts?
Yes. The tourist specialisation for commercial districts comes with the After Dark expansion.
How long until hotels appear?
New zones grow as tourism businesses straight away; existing buildings convert as they rebuild. At top speed, give it a few in-game weeks.
