All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
The Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence has stipulated certain conditions for applying travel concessions. One of these conditions is that the travel must be for a legitimate purpose. Therefore, someone who travels without a valid purpose, such as traveling merely for sightseeing or tourism, cannot shorten their prayers. However, if his travel is for a legitimate purpose, such as for trade, or even for leisure, then he is permitted to shorten his prayers.
It is stated: "If one had two routes to their destination, a long one (requiring two stages) and a shorter one, and they chose the longer route for a reason such as ease, safety, or additional benefits, even if they intended to shorten their prayers, and similarly for mere sightseeing for various reasons, this is permissible; because it is a valid purpose, as it alleviates psychological distress by engaging the mind with something pleasant. Thus, if one traveled for this purpose, they may shorten their prayers as well. However, this does not apply to merely seeing the land for the first time or upon changing one's mind, as this is a corrupt purpose." [Tuḥfat Al-Muḥtāj/Vol.2/P.382].
The difference between sightseeing and traveling to see lands is "That the intention in the latter (i.e., seeing lands) is not fixed on a known purpose; for the person intending it is like one who wanders aimlessly, unlike in sightseeing." [Asna Al-Matālib/Vol.1/P.238]. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.
