Different types of travel destination. Study of Cardiff and Barcelona as travel destinations.

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Terry Gardner


Business Towns

        People travel to business meetings outside of their general workplace everyday. They may travel through public transport (Bus, Train Plane etc.) or they may travel in their car. In doing the meetings they can contribute to the Tourism economy. Business meeting are generally by the mode of transport that the majority of delegates will be using. There are also exhibitions and trade fairs that usually require the attendees to stay overnight for instance Information Technology Education & Exposition fair in Washington where attendees stay overnight.

Many large business or organisations will hold annual conventions and use a hotel conference room. Large businesses may also use incentive travel as a way to try and make their employees work harder and better. They may also provide hotels meals etc for important customers for example an investor for a football club may receive free tickets and a hotel for that investor. All capital cities can be classed as a business destination because the government and international business men ands women will use it for conferences and meetings. All major business destinations must have a good transport system into the city, good transport within the city. It must also have many centres for accommodation and conferences that can hold thousands of people. It must also have a range of things for the delegates to do when not in conferences.

Paris

        Paris is often said to be 1 of the busiest business destinations in Europe. It i9s a perfect city as it is accessible to all modes of transport and also because it has excellent internal transport with the metro and 15000 taxis.

Costal Areas

Summary

Costal areas are areas near the seaside normally located by sandy beaches. These are popular tourist destinations all over the world. As holidays have become more popular to these destinations the tourists who are visiting have become increasingly demanding. Now as well as finding sandy beaches and hotels you will find theme parks, water parks, a variety of restaurants and bars as well as car hire places swimming pools and much more. In the UK costal resorts have been important tourist destinations since the Victorian times and “Paid Holidays”. At first people liked to go to costal areas because of the numerous health benefits associated with bathing in the sea. Most modern coastal resorts can be seen to have existed in Victorian times. In the Victorian era the costal resorts were for “Day-Visitors” as well as holiday makers. Although many sea-side resorts can be traced back to the Victorian times many such as New Quay in Cornwall and Tenby in south Wales have developed over time. Other than seaside resorts many other places on the British coast have now become more popular with tourists such as the Pembrokeshire coast in South Wales and the North Yorkshire moors. These have become increasingly, popular with hikers because of the costal paths.

In the last 30 years, most costal; destinations in the UK have had a reduction in the amount of visitors, This is due to the fact that many residents are now visiting the Mediterranean coast. Tourists are attracted there because of the sunshine and sandy beaches. They are also more accessible with cheaper flights and accommodation. Salou is a very popular destination in the Costa Daurada. The town is near the coast and has a variety of entertainment for tourists to see and many things to do.

       

                                                                                                           

        

Countryside areas

        Many areas in the countryside have visitors each year. In the UK there are many areas which have a significant number of tourists each year, the main reason is the beauty and the range of natural attractions within these areas. Very often the countryside contains small pretty tons and villages which are complementary to the area. In these areas there is normally a range of attractions such as campsites, small hotels, and B&B’s.  Most tourism destinations in the country side provide a range of attractions. From adventure tourism (Rock climbing and abseiling etc.) to water activities (swimming, sailing etc.) Many visitors to countryside areas travel by car and do not go too far from their cars; this means they require car parks and picnic areas close to the road. This is often referred to as “A view, a brew, and a loo!” Very often this represents day visitors as opposed to overnight visitors. All national parks within Europe are countryside areas and are popular tourist destinations. Although the definition of a national park varies in all countries, all contain special views and have outstanding beauty. In the UK there are 14 national parks, in Italy 22, and in Germany 15; there are similar numbers of national parks in other areas of Europe. National parks are created to promote the well-being of endangered species, but the communities living within the national park often require the tourism to have a livelihood. As well as national parks in the UK there are AONB (areas of outstanding natural beauty). They were established in 1949 as part of the National parks and access to the countryside act. They are similar to national parks but are not subject to the level of planning control as natural parks are. There are almost 50 AONB in the UK. The areas of countryside in the UK and Europe vary in side and with it so do the National parks and the AONB. The national parks are often open and so we cannot determine exactly how many tourists visit each year.

Historical and cultural destinations

        Historical and cultural destinations are areas with cultural/historical importance to a country or an area. The majority of historic or cultural destinations such as London or Paris are classed as business and tourist destinations as well. Most cities have a wide range of historical attractions such as museums and religious buildings; for example has buildings such as the coliseum that date back 2,000 years. One could argue that all capital cities can be classed as a historic destination because they reflect a nationwide history. However a historic town is generally a town that has a wide range of historic buildings and culture. Historic towns will generally also fall under the tourist towns’ category as any people will go and be tourists in that town because of its heritage. If someone wanted to specifically wanted to visit a historical town they could go to the UNESCO webpage which has over 800 historic towns listed as world heritage sites. One such town is Provins in north France. It is situated a 30 minute drive from Disneyland Paris.  It was granted world heritage status because it hosted a great annual trading fair providing links for northern Europe to the Mediterranean. It also has a high degree of medieval architecture. In the UK there are many examples of historical sites for instance Stonehenge. Stonehenge is believed to be around 5,000 years old. The boulders are believed to be from all over Britain some even from south Wales.

Purpose built

        The majority of tourist destinations have developed over time. The only exception is Purpose built destinations which are predominantly second half of the 20th century. They started because European governments and people in the private sector saw a chance to make money. The countries were mainly Spain and France where the governments saw a chance for economic growth and also for increased employment and revenue in a particular area. Most destinations are built either by the sea, in the mountains or just; in land. The coast of the Mediterranean began to get mass tourism in the 1960’s, governments at both local and national level began to see that areas which had not benefited from tourism in the past could now benefit from tourism. One such resort is Alicante in Spain. The French government noticed that many French tourists were heading south so the gave money to developing companies to build resorts and then they could get some of the revenue back and keep tourism money in France. Purpose built resorts in the mountains.

        In the 1970s winter sports became popular and a significant number of ski resorts were built to keep up with the demand of the tourists.  The resorts consist mainly of hotels restaurants and cable cars to take people up to the top of the mountain. One popular ski resort is Morzine. As time went on resorts became modernized and desire for “Doorstep Skiing” led to new resorts being built. Inland purpose built destinations include elf contained developments like centre parks. This is essentially a “Village” which includes accommodation, restaurants. There are indoor and outdoor activities. 

Tourist Towns

        Most towns and cities attract tourists. Even unattractive industrial towns will receive tourists or those who visit friends or family. Tourist towns and cities are recognised as tourism destinations because they receive a significant number of tourists. These are destinations such as Venice and Barcelona. Tourist towns are predominantly used for leisure tourism; they are generally short break destinations or day visits when on a longer holiday. They contain a range of attractions for visitors to do including museums and theme parks, the majority of attractions are cultural like the tower f London or they are purpose built like Oakwood near Carmarthen. A capital city is normally a tourist destination with government buildings and palaces being large attractions. There will be a range of accommodation and also a range of restaurants in which to eat to cater for the needs of the tourists. There will be guide books to tell you where there is to visit and where you can eat. There are generally well established entertainment areas like the west end in London. Places are often associated with specific events such as Glastonbury. There are often attractions just outside of the city which you can visit, for instance Disneyland Paris. Certain towns are associated with shopping for instance New York is a popular shopping destination. As there is a range of activities to be found indoors, the tourism is generally non-weather dependant. Therefore, tourists visit all year round.

        

Cardiff Fact file

        Cardiff is a city in the UK and is the capital of Wales. In this fact file, I will include the following sections:- 

  • The location and its accessibility by the major forms of transport.
  • Climate and climatic characteristics relating to tourists activities.
  • Significant Attractions that are both purpose built and natural.
  • Heritage sites and museums in Cardiff.
  • Sporting facilities, stadiums and events held in Cardiff.                                  
  • Entertainment, the nightlife and the shopping opportunities.
  • The ways of commuting around the city.
  • The culture and cultural events, art, theatres and festivals in Cardiff is
  • Traditional foods and drinks.

Cardiff is Europe’s youngest capital after just 50 years of being the capital of Wales. Much of the focus on the development of Cardiff has been directed at Cardiff bay (right).The bay has got shops, restaurants, cafes and bars.  Despite the developments there is still a lot of green in Cardiff.

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Cardiff is situated in south east Wales. It is a costal city and it is the capital of the country. The city itself covers an area of 2.6sq miles. It has a population of 324,800.  

Accessibility

There are a few ways to get to Cardiff. As you can see on the map the M4 motorway (Blue) goes directly into Cardiff, to use the M4 motorway you have to cross the Severn Bridge. To cross the bridge into Wales you must pay a fee for maintenance. The price of this fee depends on what vehicle ...

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