Analysis
From my survey of street appearance and quality of shops, I have found that the streets are very well maintained especially near to the sea front. They are very clean with no litter and there are lots of flowers and trees with welcoming benches. There are pedestrian crossings at regular intervals and well-maintained lighting. The shops sell better quality goods, which are well made, attractive and robust. There is a wide variety of arts, crafts and sculpture usually handmade locally. There are also different styles and brands of goods. Shops at the seafront tend to be more enticing, they are well maintained, neat and the window displays much more attractive. To me this suggests better-trained staff and good management due to the higher profits made by these businesses. The map shows that there are more hotels situated near the sea front with more tourist facilities.
As we move further away from the coast i.e. not within view of the sea, the cleanliness of streets is poorer. There is more litter and the fabric of the streets is not well maintained. They lack in greenery, benches and pedestrian crossings. The shops are of poorer quality with lower priced goods. There is little choice of products and those, which are sold, are usually foreign imports. The appearance of these shops is lacking in imagination with drab displays and dusty looking goods.
My graph shows hotels on the coast are large, clean, well maintained and welcoming. Further, away from the coast little money has been spent on improvements to hotel facilities, resulting in hotels, which are small, in need of repair and dirty-looking.
Conclusion
My findings on the map show that there a lot of hotels and tourist attractions near the coast but the further away from the coast the symbols stating the amount of hotels and tourist attractions gradually decrease. In addition, from the chart, which shows the quality of shops and street appearance on, it shows that the street cleanliness and appearance along with shops and quality of goods and souvenirs sold decrease. The window displays in shops near the coast were set out with imagination and flair, whereas the shops further away had put less effort into displaying their goods and many had simply piled things on a shelf. Shops near the coast sold good quality souvenirs and artwork whilst the ones further away sold cheaper, mass produced articles, many of these were foreign produced artefacts rather than handcrafted locally, as in the shops near the coast.
I have learnt from my results that the further away you go from the coast the facilities in hotels grow poorer and tourist attractions decrease. My hypothesis was correct and so was my prediction. I found that nearer to the coastline hotels were much more impressive and attractive. Most had double-glazing, smart paintwork and neat gardens. They looked welcoming and clean. Hotels further away often had peeling paintwork, rotten woodwork and looked dirty and uninviting. They also had fewer facilities compared with the ones near the coast – swimming pools, bar areas, entertainment, and quality of restaurant facilities. Hotels at the coast are more expensive because tourists prefer to stay there and so prices are usually increased because of the high demand. Tourists do not like to walk for long distances when on holiday, instead they want step out side their hotel and be there staight away able to get on with enjoying the beaches and shops located near to the sea front. The location of a hotel is also important because of the views available from its windows. People will usually pay more for a room with a pleasant view, so hotels near the coast are able to charge more for a ‘sea view’. The more tourists want to stay in the hotels near to the sea front the more expensive and grand these hotels will become because they make a profit and can expand their facilities. Therefore, they are able to put the cost up of their rooms.
I found out, something which I did not know before, from my results that the further into the centre of a resort you are the better the transport terminals become as well, this is because tourists want to travel to places without the hassle of walking miles, they want the transport terminals to be near by their hotels so they can get out and enjoy their day. The same with day visitors, the transport terminals are situated so that tourists do not have far to walk to the beaches. The further away from the recreational and business district you go the lower the value of land becomes and at the urban-rural fringe are often found areas of open space, this is often used up with something like a zoo or a golf course.
Evaluation and Limitations
My results are accurate; I can clearly see that the further away from the coast you go the quality of the hotels and tourist attractions decreases. If I were to perform this project again I would make a few changes to improve it. I would make more detailed notes of the physical appearance of buildings. I could include a rating scale of attributes, for example cleanliness – 1 being very dirty and 5 being very clean.
Further Study
To prove my hypothesis I have researched some information on another seaside resort - Blackpool.
Blackpool’s Recreational Business District includes piers, shops and the main tourist attraction – Blackpool Tower, along with the pleasure beach and funfair. Behind this area is the Central Business District, which has the main shops and banks for both tourists and local residents. Most of the shops catering for tourists are at the sea front. The transport terminals are located nearby for easy access.
