Investigating Travel and Tourism

• An example of this is one I have found if you want to visit Barbados. It shows a range of hotels and gives information on Barbados and flights to car hire.

I got these screen prints from British Airways web sites.

Ecotourism.

• Ecotourism is related to nature tourism. These are among the most popular forms of alternative tourism. These areas of tourism are for people to understand the cultural and natural history of the environment, taking care not to alter the environment, while also providing economic opportunities that encourage local communities to conserve the natural resources. Sustainable tourism is less destructive to the environment.

• Ecotourism claims to be `environmentally friendly`. It offers more than just enjoyment but also an understanding and education. The attractive resources are the natural and semi-natural ecosystems such as rainforests, especially when they are threatened with extinction. These include the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. There would be no tourism if there were no gorillas.

• An example of ecotourism is in Belize. The two problems in which sustainable tourism faces are: carrying capacity and numbers. The tourists who seeks the `authentic experience` tend to not like big crowds and not mass tourism. Also the appealing resources are often fragile such as the coral reefs. The way to control the visitor numbers and impacts, and therefore sustain the quality of both the resource and the experience, is through remoteness and inaccessibility. This means you have to travel a long way and it’s expensive in both money and time.

• Belize ecotourism's goal is to practice adventure tourism, nature & cultural study, and outdoor based vacations in a sustainable manner while contributing to the conservation of natural and cultural resources.

Belize is a world leader in eco-tourism and its participants hope to set a model for both developing and developed countries. Success will only be achieved if all the players accept this goal as well as co-operate in abiding by the necessary guidelines and regulations. The clear defining of our tourism as being "ecotourism" by the Belize Ministry of Tourism goes a long way towards that goal.

Maya Mountain Lodge & Tours of San Ignacio, Cayo, Belize has remained a leader in Belize ecotourism from its inception.

• The idea of `leave only foot prints, take away only pictures` means that we don’t destroy the environment by either taking parts of the natural surrounding like coral of leaving rubbish at the place we visit. We must have respect for the environment and therefore sustain a quality and a positive impact on the natural wildlife.

4. Changing consumer needs, Expectations and Fashions.

Product Life Cycle.

I got this diagram of the product life cycle from: http://www.quickmba.com/marketing/product/lifecycle/

 

Introduction/ launch

• Here, there is a high initial cash outlay with a high amount of promotional spending. The innovative stage is also the takeoff period where the product could boom or go bust.

 

Growth

• Once your product/service has become established in the market, you can expect the number of sales to increase rapidly and marketing expenditure may now be used for brand building. This is the stage where you will benefit from high profits but this is also the stage where your profits will peak. Services over products will generally have far longer periods of growth (usually years) where products, particularly those that are new, will soon attract the attention of competitors. Once competitors join the bandwagon, the sales will gradually slow down and force you into marketing new prices: consequently resulting in fewer profits.

Maturity

• The stage of maturity begins when the product/service sales peak and become stable mainly due to the introduction of competitors during the end of the growth stage. As pricing becomes more competitive (resulting in even less profits), many businesses, commonly the smaller businesses, cannot compete and consequently withdraw their product/service from the market.

• Maturity does not only result from increased competition, but also by new alternative products/services in the market becoming more popular. Quite often, services in particular are withdrawn because they are no longer needed, unfavourable or out of fashion.

Saturation point

• At this point, the product/service has no future for profits because there are too many competitors or the product/service is no longer popular. This seen as the first point of decline and you can’t develop the product anymore.

Decline

• The product/service moves into the decline stage when sales start to drop continuously and will be a result of the issues that moved the product through maturity and saturation (competition, low demand, unfashionable, etc).

• In the small business world, when your products/services move into decline, it is a good idea to either improve your product or remove it completely to avoid damaging your image.

• This theory can be used to explain the rise and decline in tourist destinations. An example of an emergent destination is Alaska. While cruises to Alaska are well established the tourism potential of the wild, remote resources of the state are emerging. The public and the private sector tour operators such as the National parks are opening wetlands and forests.

• An example of growth is North Queensland. The tourism industry has realised what the area has to offer, such as sun, sea, sand, rainforests and coral reefs. All of these natural wonders are unspoilt and uncrowded, but are experiencing an increase of mass tourism. Both the aircraft and buildings to accommodate the tourists are developing to hold the vast amount of people.

• Saturation can be shown at Southern California and Florida. They both remain as magnets for American and international tourists who want the snow and harsh winter conditions. But the area is vastly populated and you can drive the 300km from the north of Los Angeles to the Mexican border south of San Diego, and the only open stretches of coast are military bases and Sate Parks and reserves.

• An example of decline is the Spanish coasts. Between 1990 and 1993, bookings by British tourists to the Spanish coasts declined by 20%. The positive image of cheap and guaranteed sun, sea, sand, sangria and sex is being replaced by the negative images of pollution, crowding, crime, poor accommodation and over-packaging. Resorts are trying to upgrade the natural and built environment in order to restore the positive image.

• Butlins is a good example of the rise and decline of holiday camps. In 1880, Butlins took off and this was the launch of the holiday camp. It was a booming success as it attracted both the families and single people looking for fun. At the time it didn’t seem tacky. The camp was aimed at the working class which now isn’t the prime market. In 1940, pre war, reached saturation point. The site couldn’t develop anymore. However, gradually Butlins started to decline in popularity and today they are trying to re-launch it by re-branding and re-imaging Butlins camps. New holiday camps aimed at the middle class such as Centre Parcs have reached maturity as they are continuing to get popular are forcing places such as Butlins out of the market. Whereas Blackpool pleasure beach in the early 1980`s had an halted decline. It remains stable as people still visit the pleasure beach and the attractions.

Conclusion.

 

The product life cycle corresponds with the rise and decline in tourist destinations and the position of holiday camps. The market for products and holidays is always changing as peoples needs and expectations get higher or expect something new. The tourism industry has to cater for this as they deliver what the consumer wants. Leading holiday destinations and camps will have to offer something more impressive and rare than the last top holiday.

The impact of fashion.

Status, image and prestige are powerful motivations for travel to specific destinations. For example, getting a tan is important but it’s most important where you got the tan from. But in ten years maybe sun tans will be `out`, as skin cancer scares take hold. Fashion trends influence not only choice of destinations but also expectations, experiences and the activities etc. British tourism shows a decline in package-holidays as fashions shifts to the superior independence of travel.

• Traditionally, ocean cruises show the high cost sector of the tourism market. In the early 1980`s, cruises seemed in decline due to the jet engine which gave available access to new, high fashion destinations worldwide. However, during the 1990s cruise holidays became one of the fastest growing and profitable sectors of the tourist industry. This shows how dynamic and ever changing people’s needs of holidays.

 Changing expectations and needs.

• In the time when my Grand parents went on holiday their expectations and interests differed greatly to mine and my generation today. They were happy to go the beach and if they were lucky stay in a caravan for the weekend. They hardly went on holiday and were lucky to go away for the weekend each year. They also didn’t expect to go on holiday and when my grandparents were young they never went abroad. This was similar for my parents. They never went abroad when they were little. The UK beaches were good enough back then. Now-a-days, our generation thinks it’s odd if we don’t go abroad for the predictable sun and sand.

• If, for example, my friends and I decided to go to Ibiza we would expect a high standard of services from the tour operators and to have a good standard of food and catering services. We would expect our room to be clean and a wide range of entertainment. My friends and I would want a fun packed holiday and a lot of independence. I asked my parents and their expectations were similar to mine. They wanted a tour operator that would be able to answer questions. Also they wanted a lot of entertainment but also somewhere they can just relax. Another issue was good catering facilities as quality food is important to them. This was similar to my expectations.

Conclusion.

The changing expectations and needs have become needier over the years. Today many people have higher expectations and so the travel and tourism industry has to cater for this if they want to be achieving better results and gain more money. This is because if people aren’t happy with the service they will go else where. The travel and tourism industry is dependant on the public and so therefore they have to cater for them if they want to excel.

The scale of the UK Travel and Tourism Industry.

1. Value of Travel and Tourism to the UK economy.

• Travel and tourism is a major industry in this country and is at the top of the league of invisible earners of foreign currency. Tourism is one of the largest industries in the UK, worth approximately £75.9 billion.

• GDP is defined as the total value of all goods and services produced within that territory during a specified period (most commonly, per year). A common equation for GDP is:  

GDP = consumption + investment + government expenditures + exports – imports.

I got this table from: 

• This table shows how tourism both domestic and overseas contributes to GDP.

• It is estimated that tourism directly employs about 8 million people in the European Union, representing roughly 5% of total employment and of GDP, and 30% of total external trade in services. Together with employment and GDP indicated in other sectors, such as transport or distributive trade, these figures rise up 20 million jobs and to roughly 12% of GDP.

In the UK, residents made more than five times as many holiday visits abroad than overseas residents made to the UK.  The graph shows the number of visits and spending of overseas residents to the UK by region of residence and of UK residents abroad by their region of visit. It shows we spend more money abroad than overseas resident’s do here, suggesting we are in debt hugely.  

I got this graph from: 

• Tourism is called an invisible export and import.  An example of invisible export is if a resident of the USA decides to come to Britain on holiday, he changes his dollars into sterling in order to spend money here on hotel accommodation or entertainment, etc. If he travels from New York to London by British Airways, as far as our economy is concerned, Britain is exporting. In other words, the visitor is putting US dollars into the British economy. This is credit. The visitor is not receiving tangible goods in exchange – is in fact, receiving services and, of course, travel and tourism is a service industry. An example of invisible import is when we travel abroad and spend money on services: this is a debt to the UK economy. To pay for the holiday and facilities we pay with the £s earned here, to another country. This is the import as we are sending money abroad. This means we are in debt.

In 2002, UK residents made more than five times as many holiday visits abroad than overseas residents made to the UK. 

I got this graph from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk

• Both exports and imports of travel have increased relative to money GDP since 1970. The growth in imports of travel reflects UK residents' increased want for holidays abroad, as first package holidays and then independent travel have become more popular. It has continued with little sign of slowing despite the recession in the early 1990's, and may be explicable in terms of higher living standards and disposable incomes, or changes in tastes and greater accessibility as travel costs have come down. The number of overseas visitors to the UK has also risen, but less sharply.

Conclusion.

• From the information i have collected, it suggest our country is in debt because we spend vast amounts of money compared to what overseas residents do when they visit Britain. This means our economy is suffering due to the tourism industry in the UK. There are many reasons why people don’t spend as much in the UK as we cant offer as much as other countries can such as great sun and sandy beaches.

2. The number of people employed in the industry and the types of jobs.

• There are an estimated 2.1 million jobs in tourism in the UK, some 7.4% of all people in employment in Great Britain. There are more jobs in tourism than in construction or transport.
• Approximately 163,000 of these jobs are in self-employment.
• In 2002 there were around 129,500 VAT-based enterprises in tourism-related industries in the UK of which 77% are small firms with a turnover of less than £250,000.

I got this information from:

• Since 1985, tourism-related employment has increased by nearly 70%. Over the last five years tourism related employment has grown by 9% across Great Britain. The regional growth from 1998 to 2003 for tourism-related employment (excludes self-employed) was London 18%, South East 17%, West Midlands 17%, East Anglia 15%, South West 13%, North West 9%, Yorkshire and Humberside 8%, East Midlands 6%, Wales 2%, Scotland 2% and North 0%. Tourism-related employment has therefore risen in every region but one and has not fallen in any.

 I collected this data from:

I got the information for this pie chart from: http://www.culture.gov.uk

• This pie chart shows how most people are employed in restaurants, cafes, and other food facilities. This could be because this is the neediest service the public needs. Whereas the least people employed is libraries and museums. This could be because these are the least popular services to the public.

I got this information for the graph from:

• This graph shows the percentage growth in regions. The biggest increase in growth is London. Reasons for this include, as it’s our capital it offers the most interest to both people living in the UK and people coming from other countries. This is why it needs to increase its services, as they want to increase the tourists coming and so therefore increase the money brought in.

• This graph shows that people employed in hotels and other tourist accommodation is seasonal. In Great Britain, June and September shows where employment peaks. This makes sense because most people go on holiday to enjoy the sun and when children have their summer holidays, and so therefore more people need to be employed.

3. The number of tourists coming to the UK (inbound).

• The UK is seventh in the international tourism earnings league behind USA, Spain, France, Italy, China and Germany.

• In 2003, the 24.7 million overseas visitors who came to the UK spent £11.9 billion.

• The graph shows that the USA visits the UK the most. This is because the USA is a very wealthy country and also we are their ally so they would feel very safe in the UK. France and Germany are very close to use and so it is very accessible to come here. This is similar to the Netherlands, as they are a neighbour of the UK.

• This table shows the top five overseas markets for the UK. The USA spends the most, as they are a very wealthy country. However Australia has made into the top ten for spend but not in visits as people from there tend to come to the UK for a long period of time and therefore spend a lot of money.

I got these 2 tables from:  

• This table shows the average expenditure by overseas residents in the UK. It shows that the average spend per visit is decreasing over the years but however the amount spent is irregular but does seem to be increasing. However if compared with how much we spend in the UK by UK residents, I can see the amount spent per trip and night is increasing. Although overseas residents are spending more money than UK residents do. This is normally the case when you go abroad you spend more money than you would do in your own country.

I got the information for these graphs from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk

• This graph shows that the number of people visiting the UK has had a peak in 1999. This could be due to people found the UK to offer a new variety of activities and holidays whereas now people ant something bigger and better.

This graph shows the number of overseas residents coming to the UK on holiday. Compared to all tourism visits the pattern is similar. There has been a decline in numbers of inbound tourists since 1996. This is because the £ is very strong making us an expensive destination. Also the factor of terrorists especially in 2001 with the 9/11 tragedy, as we are allied with the USA.

This graph shows that Business purpose visits to the UK have slowly increased since 1995. Compared to all purpose visits it doesn’t show as much of a drop in numbers through the years.

This graph shows a steady increase without any decline which is dissimilar to the all tourism visits graph. This is because people always want to visit friends or relatives and over the years it has become easier to do so and so more people now can visit friends and relatives as it is cheaper and more accessible.

Overseas residents` visits to the UK by purpose of visit.

I got this graph from:

• Over the last 20 years the number of holiday visits by overseas residents to the UK increased from 5.3 million visits in 1982 to 11.0 million in 1996 before falling each year to 7.6 million in 2001. In 2002 there was a small increase of 2.0% to 7.7 million. However, the numbers of business trips and visits to friends or relatives have, in general, gradually increased throughout the 20 years, both trebling since 1982. In 2002, these both reached a similar level to the number of holiday visits to the UK. Overall, in 1982 holiday visits made up 45% of all overseas residents` visits to the UK. In 2002 this had fallen to 32%. The increase of general visits to the UK could be due to people buying property in Europe.

4. The number of UK Tourists going abroad - Outbound.

This graph came from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk

The graph shows the total number of visits made by overseas residents to the UK and by UK residents abroad. There has been an increase in almost every year in the number of visits overseas by UK residents, almost tripling from 20.6 million in 1982 to 59.4 million in 2002. This increase could be due to many factors including people have more disposable income and the fact that it is more popular to go abroad for the predictable sun.

 I got this table from: http://www.nationalstatistics.gov.uk

• The graph shows that Spain was the most popular holiday destination abroad for UK residents in 1998. The number of visits to France and the United States were higher in 1998 than in 1971. Europe remains more popular with British holidaymakers than other parts of the world.

This graph is from: 

• The graph shows the UK residents visits abroad by purpose of visit. From the graph i can see that since 1982 the number of holidays has increased steadily from roughly 14 million to 40 million. Also the numbers of business trips and visits to friends or relatives have, in general, steadily increased throughout the twenty years, both trebling since 1982. This relates clearly to the travel and tourism industry as the number of holidays has increased this means the tourism industry also has increased.
• UK residents in 2002, spent £27.0 billion abroad, this is a staggering amount of money, which would suggest we are leaving our country in debt. I got this from key tourism facts, .

5. Domestic tourism – UK residents taking holidays in the UK

 

I got this table from:  

• The graph shows that since 1995 there has been a steady increase of domestic trips made. However, the amount peaked in 2000. This could be because there were more places of interest and the weather could have been nicer. The decline in domestic trips could be down to that more people want enjoy predictable sun in overseas destinations.

I got this table from:

• This table shows that there has been an increase in the amount we spend in the UK. This means that the tourism industry in the UK is becoming a bigger industry and more beneficial to the economy.

I got this table from:

• The table shows that the most visited region is Yorkshire and the Humber. This could be because the physical attractions of the countryside are magnificent. The least visited area is the North East. This could be because there is not anything to offer people. This relates to the amount spent as in Yorkshire 4,263 million was spent as the most UK residents visit there. 

• The top 10 paid admission attractions are:

1. British Airways London Eye-4,090,000 visitors
2. Tower of London-1,940,856 visitors
3. Eden Project-1,832,482E visitors 
4. Legoland Windsor-1,453,000 visitors
5. Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo-1,453,000 visitors
6. Windermere Lake Cruises-1,266,027 visitors
7. Drayton Manor Family Theme Park-1,200,000E visitors
8. Edinburgh Castle-1,153,317 visitors
9. Chester Zoo-1,134,949 visitors
10. Canterbury Cathedral-1,110,529E visitors

The top 10 free admission attractions are:

1. Blackpool Pleasure Beach- 6,200,000 visitors
2. Tate Modern-4,618,632 visitors
3. British Museum- 4,607,311  visitors
4. National Gallery- 4,130,973E  visitors
5. Natural History Museum-2,957,501  visitors
6. Victoria & Albert Museum-2,661,338  visitors
7. Science Museum-2,628,374  visitors
8. Pleasureland Theme Park- 2,000,000E  visitors
9. Eastbourne Pier-1,900,000E   visitors
10. York Minster- 1,570,500E  visitors

• The top tourist attractions generally are situated in London, the capital, as this is the main attraction for both UK and Overseas residents. The travel and tourism industry is situated everywhere in the UK, every region has something to offer, but the numbers of people who visit depends on the facilities and attractions available.

The Structure of the Travel and Tourism Industry.

The key features of the travel and tourism industry can be classified into three categories: public, private and voluntary sectors.

The Private Sector

The tourism industry is predominantly led by the private sector business. This means that the business exists to provide a product or service with the aim of making a profit.

Tourist Attractions.

• The English Tourism Council states that a tourist attraction is:

A permanently established excursion destination, a primary purpose of which is to allow public access for entertainment, interest or education, rather than being a primary retail outlet or venue for sporting, theatrical or film performances. It must be open to the public, without prior booking, for published periods each year, and should be capable of attracting day visitors or tourists as local residents.

• There are many different categories of tourist attractions in the UK. The main categories of attraction and the leading attraction in each category is as follows:

 

(Leading attraction in each field, 1998)

• The top 10 paid admission attractions are:

1. British Airways London Eye-4,090,000 visitors
2. Tower of London-1,940,856 visitors
3. Eden Project-1,832,482E visitors 
4. Legoland Windsor-1,453,000 visitors
5. Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo-1,453,000 visitors
6. Windermere Lake Cruises-1,266,027 visitors
7. Drayton Manor Family Theme Park-1,200,000E visitors
8. Edinburgh Castle-1,153,317 visitors
9. Chester Zoo-1,134,949 visitors
10. Canterbury Cathedral-1,110,529E visitors

The top 10 free admission attractions are:

11. Blackpool Pleasure Beach- 6,200,000 visitors
12. Tate Modern-4,618,632 visitors
13. British Museum- 4,607,311  visitors
14. National Gallery- 4,130,973E  visitors
15. Natural History Museum-2,957,501  visitors
16. Victoria & Albert Museum-2,661,338  visitors
17. Science Museum-2,628,374  visitors
18. Pleasureland Theme Park- 2,000,000E  visitors
19. Eastbourne Pier-1,900,000E   visitors
20. York Minster- 1,570,500E  visitors

• The attractions can be classed either as a site attraction (e.g. a country, region, city or resort or a specific building or place) or an event attraction such as a festival, sports event or conference. Site attractions concern natural or built/human made.
• I have looked more closely at the National Trust in the Non Commercial Organisations.

Human made (or built).

Stately homes.

• In the UK, there are many stately homes which have been either preserved for the nation as visitor attractions, many are owned and managed by the national trust. The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three Victorian philanthropists - Miss Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley. Concerned about the impact of uncontrolled development and industrialisation, they set up the Trust to act as a guardian for the nation in the protection of threatened coastline, countryside and buildings.

• There are also a range of stately homes which whilst open to the public also continue to have people living in them e.g. Buckingham Palace. Other stately homes include Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace.

• Buckingham Palace was built in 1803 for the Duke of Buckingham and has been the royal family's London home since 1837. Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837. It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Dukes of Buckingham. Today it is The Queen's official residence. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The Queen, areas of Buckingham Palace are opened to visitors on a regular basis.
• The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening in August and September. They are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection - paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer, Poussin, Canaletto and Claude; sculpture by Canova and Chantrey; exquisite examples of Sèvres porcelain; and some of the finest English and French furniture in the world. 
   
  Visits to Buckingham Palace can be combined with visits to The Queen's Gallery, which reopened in May 2002.

Cathedrals and abbeys.

• The cathedrals of Britain span the millennium - from the cathedrals dating from the 1100s to the modern cathedrals found in Liverpool and Coventry. They display a wide array of architectural styles from Early English Gothic, to the majesty of the Renaissance at St Paul's and the sixties modernism of Liverpool's Roman Catholic Cathedral. In the Middle Ages and up to the Reformation in the 1500s, the Church enjoyed enormous power and wealth, and cathedrals are eloquent symbols of its dominant place in British society.

• Westminster Abbey is a magnificent example of gothic architecture, a church dedicated to regular worship, the setting for every Coronation since 1066, and ultimately, where the Royal and famous finally come to rest.

• Both of these offer appealing attractions for tourists interested in history.

Ancient monuments.

• The UK has seen continuous human population since before the Stone Age. There are many relics which still exist today that illustrate Britain’s history over the last 5,000 years. E.g. there are barrows, ancient track ways, Stonehenge. Other monuments may not be classed as ancient but historic. Such as castles, e.g. Ludlow, Harlech, historic houses such as Hampton Court Palace, bridges such as Iron Bridge, Tower Bridge etc.

This is Stonehenge which I got from Google search in images.

Theme Parks.

• A theme park is a visitor attraction offering permanent rides and entertainment in a themed setting, providing something for everyone. Since the first UK theme park opened at the Thorpe Park in 1979, there has been a big increase in the amount of attractions and in the volume of visitors. There are a number of similar characteristics in which theme parks such as:

1. Most parks operate on a seasonal basis between Easter and the end of October.
2. Parks are normally close to the motorway network, trying to make sure there is a big catchment area.
3. Parks offer a range of facilities and activities such as gardens, events, children’s play areas, retail and catering.

• Examples of theme parks are Alton towers and Drayton Manor. Both have a wide catchment area and offer a lot of facilities to the public to attract them.

Entertainments.

• Facilities such as nightclubs, discos, concert halls, theatres, arenas, and open houses all provide entertainment opportunities for visitors to an area. Arenas such as NIA (National Indoor Arena) is one of the most sought after, and therefore busiest, large scale indoor sporting and entertainment venues in Europe. Since opening in 1991, over 4 million visitors have enjoyed over 30 different sports and an extensive variety of entertainment and music. Part of the attraction of UK resorts is the range of entertainment facilities they can offer the visitor. Sea side resorts such as Blackpool, Brighton and Scarborough, offer live shows, concert halls and a range of night life opportunities. Smaller towns and cities attract local people to enjoy facilities such as cinemas, theatres and nightclubs.

Museums.

• Museums such as the National History Museum offer an attraction as they maintain and develop the  and use them to promote discovery, understanding, responsible use and enjoyment of the natural world. It is the UK`s national museum of nature, and a centre of `scientific excellence`. Centred in London this means its location is appealing to many people in the UK and from other countries as it is the capital.

Industrial heritage sites.

• Industrial heritage sites are sites in which have been preserved from the industrial revolution period. An example of this is Ironbridge Gorge. The Ironbridge Gorge is a very special place. Its world significance was recognised by UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation) in 1986 through the area's inscription as a World Heritage Site, one of only twenty-four within the UK. The historic significance of the Ironbridge Gorge is that it was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. However, as well as containing many buildings, monuments, artefacts and landscapes of great historic importance, the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site is also a living community. Today's visitors enjoying the peace and beauty of the Ironbridge Gorge may find it impossible to picture the same scene at the peak of the Industrial Revolution.

Holiday centres.

(See notes on pages    )

Natural sites.

National Parks.

• National Parks are reserves of land, usually owned by national governments that are protected from most human development and pollution. National parks are usually located in places which have been largely undeveloped, and often feature areas with exceptional native animals, plants and .
• Snowdonia National Park was established in  as the third  in  and . It covers 2,142 km² (840 mile²) of the  region of northwest Wales. The park is governed by the Snowdonia National Park Authority, which is made up of local government and Welsh national representatives. Unlike national parks in other countries, Snowdonia (and other such parks in England and Wales) are made up of both public and private lands under central planning authority.
• More than 26,000 people live within the park, and it attracts millions of visitors each year, as the third most visited national park in England and Wales. While most of the land is either open or mountainous land, there is a significant amount of agricultural activity within the Park.

I got this map of National Parks in the UK from Google search on images.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

• The Shropshire hills is a distinctive area of the Anglo-Welsh borders where remote upland merges into pastoral lowland. The AONB's parallel hills and valleys run southwest, northeast with the strike of the rocks forming the Long Mynd and Stiperstones, Clun Forest, the Clee Hills, Stretton Hills and The Wrekin, five distinctive upland areas each with their own landscape character.

 I got this picture from: http://www.countryside.gov.uk

• The Shropshire Hills are an important recreational area for the towns of the Welsh border, and for visitors from the West Midlands, and the ridge footpaths are traditionally popular walking country. Although not a well-known tourist region, tourism is a planned growth area in the rural economy.   

Beaches.

• Beaches offer a lot of activities for families or single people. The sun is also a crucial factor to attract tourists. An area of popular beaches is in Cornwall. Here in the summer, the beaches are packed because they offer an affordable holiday in the UK with predictable sun that is similar to a holiday abroad. This map shows beaches in Cornwall.

I got this from Google search on images.

Forests.

•  Sherwood Forest is probably the most famous Forest in the world Sherwood Forest is an area 20 miles long by 6 miles wide. Within this area lies a tapestry of woodland, farmland and ancient heath. The Forestry Commission manages numerous woods in Sherwood Forest and many of these are open to the public. Sherwood Forest, at the heart of Nottinghamshire, has fascinated visitors since Victorian times.

Lakes.

Covering 880 square miles, the Lake District National Park is the largest, most spectacular and most visited of Britain's National Parks.

Established by Parliament in 1951, the purposes are:

• To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the National Park.
• To promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the National Park by the public.

• A lake which is in Shropshire is Ellesmere Lake. The Mere is the largest and busiest of the lakes that make up Shropshire's Lake District around the town of Ellesmere. People go there especially in the summer to feed the birds, go to the park or just to walk the paths that surround the lake. It attracts mainly families.

Wildlife reserves.

The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and wildlife. They also do work with farmers, journalists and school children to get them to discovery the nature around them. The charity does its best to get the soundest science as so their actions benefit the birds and other wildlife.

The RSPB need the money from the public to support them. In return they offer a lot of conservations where you can look at the wildlife and buy souvenirs. There are over 150 RSPB nature reserves to visit throughout the UK, covering more than 240,000 acres.

• An example of a reserve is Minsmere. Set on the beautiful Suffolk coast, Minsmere offers both families and birdwatchers an enjoyable day out. Nature trails take you through a variety of habitats to the bird watching hides.

Accommodation and Catering.

• Accommodation can be divided into serviced and self-catering accommodation.

Serviced Accommodation.

• Serviced accommodation will often include a meal, either bed and breakfast, half board which is dinner, bed and breakfast, full board ( bed, breakfast, lunch and dinner) or all inclusive (all meals, snacks and drinks). E.g.  

• Hotels
• Lodges
• Inns
• Pubs
• Guesthouses
• Resorts and clubs

Hotels.

• Hotels can be divided into groups called national chains or private chains.
• The Hilton hotels are an example of a chain of hotels.
• This map shows where Hilton hotels are situated in the heart of England. I have clicked on Birmingham to show a selection of the hotels in the area:

I got this map and information from: http://www.hilton.co.uk/

• Hilton is more than just a great place to stay. It's also a great place to eat, drink and have fun. They offer a range of different style of restaurants with outstanding service. The rooms are high standard and there are also leisure packages and current deals available.
• An example of a private hotel is the Lord Hill in Shrewsbury.

It is a well positioned hotel to give people access to the town of Shrewsbury and the Shropshire countryside, also within easy reach of all the major road links.                        

The Lord Hill Hotel has twelve individually styled bedrooms. All rooms have en-suite facilities and offer guests every comfort.

• Bed and Breakfast hotels are another example of a type of hotel accommodation. An example of a local bed and breakfast in Shrewsbury is the Albright Hussey. It is a privately owned manor house with a restaurant.

• Hotels can be graded to what standard they are. They range from 1 star hotel to top of the range 5 star hotels. An example of a 5 star hotel is the Ritz hotel in London. The facilities range from gyms to spas. The rooms are top quality and the restaurants offer amazing service and food.

Lodges.

• The purpose of a lodge is to provide people with a place to stay maybe only for a couple of nights and a meal which i optional. An example of a lodge is the Travel lodge in Shrewsbury. Located near the A5/A49 roundabout just 4 miles south of Shrewsbury, this Travelodge provides contemporary quality accommodation. Spacious en-suite rooms, television in every room, tea and coffee making facilities, free parking, plus on site catering make Travelodge’s good value.

Inns

• Inns generally provide food, refreshments and accommodation. Sometimes a pub will be called an inn but does not provide accommodation. This can lead to a confusion of definition. The lion hotel in Shrewsbury is an example of an inn. A renowned 17th century Coach Inn in the heart of Shrewsbury with a reputation for friendly hospitality. The hotel has comfortable bedrooms and lounge areas. This historic inn is ideally located to visit the many attractions of the region.

Pubs

• `The Beaten Track` pub located in Shrewsbury is an ideal family pub with a wacky warehouse for children. It serves good food for both adults and children such as Sunday roasts and all day breakfast.

Guesthouses

• The Abbey Court Guest House is conveniently located just outside the town centre for easy access from major road routes into town, 20 minutes walking from the railway and bus stations. Abbey Court is a grade 2 listed building with many interesting features such as a friendly ghost. Opposite is an important visitor attraction linked with Brother Cadfael, Shrewsbury Abbey. It is only a ten minute walk from the town centre. There is also a bus stop outside the front door. Traditional English or continental style breakfasts are served. 

Resorts and clubs.

See notes on page

• Self-catering accommodation.

This type of accommodation can vary from a cottage to apartments; it may even include a static caravan. A range of self catering accommodation is:

• Cottages
• Apartments and studios
• Chalets
• Boats
• Camping
• Caravans
• Youth hostels

• The popularity of this type of accommodation is that people can be flexible when and what they eat and can please themselves what they do in and around the accommodation during the day and night. This type of accommodation is popular for families with young children. There are many benefits for a family such as it is cheaper because you don’t have to book several rooms as you get everyone in one apartment. The second reason is that most hotels don’t cater for children’s food, whereas self catering means you can cook food they will eat.
• Self catering accommodation has increased in popularity recently, especially in places such as Greece and Turkey where it is not expensive to eat out in restaurants

• Self catering is an important part of the overall hospitality industry, especially the opportunities it gives to locally owned cafes, bars and restaurants to benefit from the visitors custom.

Cottages.

• Cottages offer a country experience and a peaceful break. An example is Newtown Meadows holiday cottages. It is only a 10 minute drive from north of Shrewsbury. There are 3 spacious adjoining cottages. It is a winner of the best self catering NST Awards 2003. It is set in a rural location and is a 4star cottage with short breaks available.

Apartments and studios.

• Apartments and studios are popular self catering accommodation in resorts such as Brighton, Torquay and also in holiday `camps` such as centre parks, Haven holidays etc. examples include Plymouth Hoe Holiday Apartments. This screen print is an example of apartments from Haven holidays. They are ideal for families with young children as the apartments are single storey.

I got this screen print from: http://online.haven-holidays.co.uk

Chalets

Chalets are wooden based buildings, which are different to cottages, which are set in areas of natural beauty. The concept of chalet started in Switzerland for people who wish to ski. An example of a chalet is the chain of chalets in Snowdonia Chalet Homes in Wales. The timber built chalets are very spacious and comfortable. Each chalet has a well equipped kitchen including a full size Calor Gas cooker, refrigerator, microwave, toaster and kettle. Large lounge with 3 piece suite, dining suite, coffee table and Colour TV. The bathrooms are fitted with bath, wash basin, toilet, shaver point and immersion heater. The chalets are situated at the Wernol Caravan and Chalet Park. It offers guests all the comforts of home in peaceful and relaxed surroundings. The park is situated 1 mile outside the village of Chwilog which has a post office and a general shop, a butchers and a country inn. As well as being an excellent centre from which to explore North Wales.

Wernol North Wales Caravan Park is an ideal site for a relaxing holiday. Pleasantly elevated in unspoilt countryside the family run site commands panoramic views of Cardigan Bay and Snowdonia and is meticulously maintained by the owners, who also work the adjoining farm.  The high standard achieved has merited the Park a prestigious Welsh Tourist Board Award.

I got this picture from: http://www.wernol.com/

Boats

There are different types of boat holidays. There are self-drive hire cruisers to the traditional narrow boats.  The network of rivers and canals lets you see the countryside in a peace, away from the noise and traffic of towns and cities.

• An example of a holiday on a canal boat of your choice is the hoseasons company, boating holidays in Britain. You’ll have the freedom of long, lazy days cruising through an ever-changing tapestry of unspoilt countryside, abundant wildlife and historic towns and cities in England and Wales. You could be moving slowly through the reeds and flat grazing marshes of the Norfolk Broads, passing riverside cottages and stopping at welcoming inns. Imagine cruising past buttercup-filled meadows on the River Thames. Or navigating up a Scottish Loch, cutting a wake through its dark waters as you head for the friendly shelter of your chosen mooring.
• In recent years millions of pounds have been spent restoring hundreds of miles of canals and their locks, once busy with commercial barge traffic. As a result it is possible today, on your Hoseasons self-drive boat rental, to explore the narrow arterial channels of Britain’s great industrial heritage. Your vacations may take in meticulously restored mills, forges and foundries, an eloquent testament to Britain’s role as founders of the Industrial revolution.

I got this picture from: http://www.hoseasons.co.uk

Camping

• Camping is a very popular activity for families or partners. It means you can be in the heart of the country and down to the basics although you have facilities such as toilets and showers to make the holiday enjoyable.
•  An example of a camp site in Shropshire is Cartref Caravan and Camping Site in Shrewsbury. Small level site set in peaceful countryside. Facilities include toilets, showers, laundry room and telephone with 14 electric hook-ups. Dogs on leads are welcome. The park is situated 5 miles from the historic town of Shrewsbury and 18 miles from Ironbridge with Ludlow and Welshpool within easy reach. There are many good public houses in the area.            
•  I got this picture from:

Caravans

• Caravanning is a great experience and is especially good if you like to travel with your own accommodation. It provides you to enter any campsite with your caravan and enjoy the countryside.

• The Caravan Club offers a superb choice of quality sites throughout the British Isles. With all types of caravan sites on offer, there is something to suit all needs - from short breaks and weekends away to longer holidays. Situated in carefully selected, attractive locations, around 200 quality Sites offer an unrivalled choice - for families and the young at heart. 

• Caravan Club Members enjoy access to the largest private network of sites in the British Isles. However non-members are welcome on many Club Sites.

An example of a site in Shropshire is The Warden,
Presthope Caravan Club Site. An interesting site for the naturalist with abundant wildlife on site, it's long and narrow and is set on the southern slope of Wenlock Edge, 2½ miles from the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock. Beautiful countryside surrounds the site and it's a real find for the walker - exploring the Long Mynd and the Cardingmill Valley will be a revelation if this is your first visit; also the Shropshire Way long distance path runs ½ mile from the site. The World Heritage Site at Ironbridge is a must, with the Gorge, Museums and Bridge - you can even sail underneath in a canal narrowboat for that special view. To continue the transport theme, there are steam trains at Bridgnorth and World War II aircraft at the RAF Cosford Collection. There are a number of National Trust properties in the area and the towns of Shrewsbury, Telford and Bridgnorth are all well worth visiting. 

Here are the prices for members for the site in Much Wenlock.

I got this chart from: http://www.caravanclub.co.uk

Youth hostels

• Hostels offer great value for everyone whether you're a globetrotting backpacker, a family holidaying on a budget or group of friends looking for a short break.

• The Youth Hostels Association (England and Wales) is the UK's leading budget accommodation provider with over 220 Youth Hostels. An YHA membership card is also a passport to safe, comfortable hostelling worldwide.
• The YHA in Ironbridge is a dual site. Three miles apart, both buildings offer excellent accommodation in the 19th century Literary and Scientific Institute (Coalbrookdale) and the old China Factory (Coalport) - the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and nine museums including the Blists Hill Victorian village. For further information on the museums go to . There is also bus and train access.

This map shows how to get to the youth hostels. This shows that there are main network roads to give good access to the youth hostels.

I got this map from: http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/

Tourist Development &Promotion

Public Sector

The public sector provides services for the public and is collectively paid for by the government.

Public sector provision can be at one of two levels:

• National Government
• Local Government

• The 1950`s and 1960`s saw a rapid growth in tourism within the UK, and the governments of the day recognised the need to set up a framework to regulate this growth. This framework was established through the Development of Tourism Act 1969. This act had three parts:

1. The setting up of a structure to promote the tourism industry, including the four national tourist boards and the British Tourist Authority which merged with the English Tourism Council and come under the name VisitBritain.
2. Providing financial assistance for hotel development through grants and loans. This allowed for the construction and improvements to improve the quality of the hotel. This part of the Act was a short-term project that ended in 1973.
3. The compulsory registration of tourist accommodation. This part of the Act was never fully accomplished and therefore instead, a voluntary system of grading and classifying accommodation was introduced.

• VisitBritain is the overall organisation with the responsibility for promoting tourism in Britain. It operates overseas with the main objective of increasing number of visitors to the UK and of encouraging them to spend more money while they are here. While promoting the capital of the UK, London, VisitBritain is involved in promoting and persuading visitors to explore less well-known areas of the UK. In addition, an aim is to encourage people to come all year round, as the UK is perceived as being a seasonal destination.

The tourist councils and tourist boards.

• Tourism promotion within the UK is divided into the English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland areas, with each being funded separately and holding responsibility for setting up tourist boards and information centres.
• VisitBritain is legally constituted as the British Tourist Authority under the Development of Tourism Act 1969. VisitBritain is a new organisation created on 1st April to market Britain to the rest of the world and England to the British. Formed by the merger of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council, its mission is to build the value of tourism by creating excellent destination brands and marketing campaigns. It will also build partnerships with - and provide insights to - other organisations, which have a stake in British and English tourism.

Tourism Information Centres

• Tourism information centres (TICs) are located throughout the UK in places such as town centres, railway stations, airports, ports, town halls, libraries and major tourist destinations. They provide information that covers up to a 50-mile radius of the centre. Most of the TICs are funded by local borough council’s ant they receive support from the tourism councils in the form of signs, literature, books and staff uniforms. TICs make money in three different ways:

1. A bed booking service. The TICs make 10% commission through selling accommodation either locally or through `Book a bed ahead` service, which allows people to book accommodation at other locations.
2. Through the sale of goods and services within the TIC, this will include maps, books and souvenirs. Many TICs also sightseeing excursions and tickets for events, including concerts and plays.
3. Promoting guided tours and walks, some of which are free of charge but many of which are sold on commission basis by the TIC staff.

• Staff within TICs tends to speak more than one language due to the job they have to do. Many TICs also offer guiding services, and these are often provided by volunteers who have an interest in the local areas architecture.

Tourism Development Overseas.

• The type of tourism development found in different countries will depend on the system of the government in the country, and how much they depend on tourism as an industry.
• In the USA, tourism development tends to be privately funded by the major tourism companies. This means sectors of tourism such as accommodation or transport; fund the promotion of tourism to a particular area. In some areas, promotion is centred on a small part of a country, as the stakeholders prefer to promote tourism to their own region rather than to the whole of the USA.
• However, this is different in some cases such as in Russia. The state has more control, as the government has more say over the policy-making and planning. So many of the tourism facilities such as hotels or transport will be state run.
• A country such as Spain is very dependant on Tourism, and so has a Minister of State responsible for tourism to make sure tourism issues are discussed properly at parliamentary level.

Private Sector.

• The Tourism Industry is predominantly led by the private sector businesses. This means that the business exists to provide a product or service with the aim of making a profit. The following categories are in the private sector.

Transportation in the Travel and Tourism Industry.

• Transportation plays a very important part in the Travel and Tourism Industry. This is because without being able to get to a destination easily, there would be a limited opportunity for travel and tourism, as an activity, to happen. When looking at transport it is important to consider the following points:

• Transport provides a way to get to a destination and then back again, which is usually at the beginning and end of a holiday or trip.
• Transport can be they way of travelling around the destination, either on an organised trip or through the traveller finding his or her own way around the area.
• However, it could be the main feature of the trip, e.g. a cruise ship or a coach tour.

• Travel can be split into the following different modes of transport, which I have considered in the post-war development in the Travel and Tourism Industry. It saw the development of the jet engine. These modes of transport are:

• Air
• Sea and river
• Rail
• Road

Air Travel

• Air travel can be divided into scheduled or charted flights.

• Scheduled flights operate to a published timetable, and the fares that are quoted by scheduled air companies will have been agreed with the IATA (International Air Transport Association). The scheduled airlines are known as the `flag carrier` for a particular country, e.g. in the UK, there is British Airways. They will offer more than one class of travel to accommodate business and leisure travellers and will include meals and drinks within the cost of the fare. More recently, several low-cost airlines, such as Easyjet, have set themselves up as offering a `no frills` service that is still schedules but that cuts the fares charged by the traditional airlines. These companies normally fly out of less popular airports such as Luton or Stansted. In addition, they have one class of travel and charge for such services such as food and drink.

• Chartered travel does not operate to a published timetable and the flight might operate once a week and for certain weeks of the year only. A company offers chartered flights that either owns the aircraft or that makes a block booking of seats on a plane, usually through a tour operator. The tour operator might publish a price but his could be affected as it could be reduced nearer the date of departure if there were many unsold seats.
• Examples of charter companies are Britannia and Monarch. Some of these charter companies have attempted to offer a scheduled service alongside the charter product, but this has not been successful. Charter companies usually offer one class of travel and the meal is normally included in the price, drinks will be extra.

• I have also looked at air travel and how it developed in close detail in the post-war development of the Travel and Tourism Industry.

Sea and River Travel

• Sea and river travel includes ferry journeys, mainline voyages and cruises. Ferry travel has become more popular due to the fact that car ownership has increased, and so therefore, people can have their car on holiday, giving more flexibility. I have looked at this factor more closely in post-war developments.
• Newer forms of sea travel such as the hovercraft, hydrofoils and high-speed catamarans, have reduced travel time on some routes, and faster loading and unloading systems have cut down waiting time for car travellers, making it more appealing.
• However, ferry companies have had to increase ticket prices due to the loss of duty-free revenue. Examples of ferry companies include P&Q Stena Line, Hoverspeed, Seafrance and Britanny Ferries.
• Mainline voyages on ocean liners have declined over the last fifty years, due to the competition and cheaper air travel. However, still in operation is the QE2 between Southampton and New York.
• There are 3 types of cruise:

• Ex-UK cruises
• Fly cruises
• River cruises

• Ex-UK cruises will visit such areas as Scandinavia, the Atlantic regions of the Canary Islands, Africa and Portugal or the Mediterranean.
• Fly cruises are either flying to and from the point at which the cruise starts, flying one way, either outbound or return and cruising the other way.  Places in which fly cruises have become popular are the Caribbean and Mediterranean.
• River cruises also involve air, road or rail travel. The two most popular rivers to cruise on are the Rhine and the Nile.
• Cruising has seen many changes since the mid-1970s and is now the fastest growing sector of the travel industry. The cruise market in the UK between 1990 and 1995 grew by 88% to 352,179 passengers. However, since 1995, changes have become even more considerable as Thompson and Airtours launching their own cruise programmes.
• Cruises have become more accessible to the mass market through price, the layout of the brochure and the way in which the product is sold.
• There has also been a positive impact on the traditional cruise companies as, once people have taken a cruise, people tend to repeat the same type of holiday if the experience was pleasant. However, many move up to the next category of ship and price range than travelling on the same ship. Some examples of the large cruise companies include P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Festival.
• An example of a cruise ferry is P&O Cruises. There are cruise holidays to suit every budget, from the cost-conscious to the most luxurious. Even more important, a cruise offers the best travel value for your money. The fare includes all meals, your cabin, onboard daytime activities, night time parties and entertainment. So, you'll know what your holiday will end up costing you before you go. Cruises visit practically any destination accessible by water.

Rail Travel

• Rail travel was at its peak in the first half of the 20th century because there were very few cars and rail services were quick and frequent. Generally, most European travel took place by rail, and ski resorts and tourist cities were serviced by a good train network. The UK nationalised its rail service in 1947 and, the 1950`s, train services have been reduced considerably with many branch lines to villages having been closed down. Also train stations have become increasingly unreliable and therefore unpopular with most people.
• There are now many privately owned rail companies within the UK, including Virgin, GNER and Thames Trains. Within this category of transport, it includes the Eurostar and the Shuttle. I have looked at these more closely in the post war development of the Travel and Tourism Industry. However, these channel tunnel services take passengers and vehicles under the English Channel in approximately 30 minutes.

I got this logo for Eurostar from Google search on images.

Coach Travel

• Coach travel within the UK was once a nationalised industry with one main company, the National Bus Company, dominating the main routes and local bus companies controlling services within our towns and cities. However, all that changes with the Transport Acts 1980 and 1985, which brought about deregulation to the coach and bus industry. Following degradation, regional companies formed British Coach ways to compete with National, and lows prices were introduced as a result of increased competition. New companies were formed and wider range of services was offered.
• The coach market is still important for incoming tourists to the UK who want a reasonably priced touring or tour and stay holiday, and also for UK tourists who want low-cost holidays to France, Spain and Northern Italy. Coach travellers can be broken down by age. Half of the travellers would be in the under 35 years of age, category and the other half would be made up of 55 years of age or older. This is because older citizens enjoy coach travel is because of low prices, door-to-door travel when touring, no baggage or transfer problems and the couriers, who provide a service throughout the holiday.
• An example of a coach travel company is The Birmingham Coach Company. The Birmingham Coach Company is the regions largest privately owned independent luxury coach and bus operator, with a fleet of 100 vehicles including executive coaches. The Birmingham Coach Company takes pride in providing a friendly & efficient service to you the customer whether you are on a relaxing tour or on business.

I got this picture from: http://www.birmingham-coach.co.uk/

Travel Agents

• The travel agency is the retail part of the industry. All travel agencies in the UK are within the private sector. Travel agents have three main responsibilities:

1. Selling travel products to the consumer.
2. Providing advice about a range of products, destinations and modes of travel.
3. Promoting products through brochure racking, lat offers and advertising.

• Travel agents differ from tour operators in that they don’t usually package the different travel products together.  Although a package tour brochure will offer a price for a holiday, it is now customary for travel agents to discount these prices by offering either a percentage reduction, free insurance or additional benefits, such as a taxi to the airport.
• There are 4 different types of travel agency:

1. Multinationals – travel agencies that are represented in many different countries. They will usually have offices worldwide and, for the staff, this can offer the chance to work overseas. Examples of multinational organisations such as American Express and Thomas Cook.
2. Multiples – these are national companies that have branches throughout the UK. They are very often part of much larger organisation that might not be a travel company. Examples of multiples are LunnPoly and Going Places.
3. Miniples – these are agencies that normally have more than six branches but that are still small enterprises. They are very often based in a particular region and, therefore, are vulnerable to takeover by larger companies that want to have outlets in that area.
4. Independent travel agencies – these are often a single retail unit but could be a small organisation with up to 6 agencies. These types of agencies often specialise in destinations or products. The independents often found in suburbs or villages.

• An example of a national chain travel agent is LunnPoly. At Lunn Poly they are dedicated to finding the right holiday for the customer. This means they try to meet your needs and your budget, and includes all the things you want to do. It is the country's number one travel retailer which sell a vast range of overseas holidays and are also the leading retailer of UK holidays. LunnPoly offer a wide choice of well priced holidays, guaranteeing quality of service with value for money.

• An example of a privately owned travel agent is Owens Travel Master Holidays in Oswestry, Shropshire. This is an owned business and it is not in a chain of travel agents across the country.

Telesales

• Recently, telesales have seen considerable growth. This is because people often don’t have the time in the time to visit a travel agency. Therefore, by contacting telesales companies in the evening or weekend, they can then make their reservation without having to leave their home or office.
• Telesales companies often offer discounts as many telesales companies are owned by multiple or multinational companies.
• An example of a telesales company is Thomas Cook Direct.

Business Travel Companies

• Business Travel Companies are often a part of a multinational company such as Thomas Cook or American Express. Unlike retail agencies, business travel agencies do not need to have a high profile in the high street; they are usually located in out-of-town locations or in business parks, where rent is lower. When business travel organisations hold large company accounts, they will often set up their own office within a particular company, which is known as an implant. 
• Business travel agents tend to be allocated specific clients so they can develop a link with that company and can offer a service that meets the needs of its business travellers. They also offer the same rang of products as a retail agent but their main business is transport. And accommodation. Many of these products are high value, and there can be a steady floe of business throughout the year, whereas retail agencies are only busy at peak months and seasons.
• Business travel agencies offer a 24-hour service to cater for last-minute travel arrangements.
• An example of a business travel company is Thomas Cook. They offer a range of services from `top holiday deals`; package holidays or you can search for your holiday.

Tour Operators

• A tour operator is a company that creates a holiday by negotiations contracts with airlines, accommodation providers, coach companies and attractions, and then packaging these products together into the holiday. This holiday is then priced and will appear in a brochure. If a customer doesn’t want a holiday from the brochure because they want to stay for longer or want a different flight or hotel, then this can be organised by the tailor-made department, which is within the tour operator. The department will put together an individual package to suit the customer and then quote a price for the holiday. The customer benefits as they have the ease of having someone else making the bookings and calculating the costs.
• Brochures are often produced one to two years in advance and so the information is constantly being changed and updated. The tour operator has the responsibility to inform the travel agents and the customer about these changes.
• The tour operator accepts the reservation from a travel agent on behalf of the customer and will send confirmations and invoices to the travel agent. The tour operator doesn’t usually have contact with the customers until they arrive at their destination.

• Just as there are different types of travel agent, there are also different types of tour operators.

Mass Market Tour Operators

• These are the main tour operators such as Thomson, Airtours and First Choice. These companies carry the majority of the leisure travel market. They are able to compete with each other on price as they can negotiate lower contract rates due to the numbers of people they take to a destination. These companies tend to dictate what happens in the Travel and Tourism Industry.
• They have their own airlines and many have their own cruise ships and accommodation.
• An example of a mass-market tour operator is Airtours. Airtours Holidays is one of the UK's biggest tour operators, serving around 4 million customers a year. It employs over 1,300 people in the UK and over 830 people based in 52 of the worlds' most popular summer and winter holiday destinations. Airtours Holidays has gained a reputation for being at the forefront of opening up new holiday destinations and developing innovative holiday packages in order to meet the changing demands of customers' lifestyles. While the focus is very much on the family, this innovation has resulted in an extensive and varied portfolio of quality products and services at exceptional value for money.

Specialist Tour Operators

• These companies sell products that are very specialist, either in the geographical area they cover, such as holidays to one particular destination, the activities they offer of in their target customers.
• An example is Club 18-30, which specialises for a specific age range. They offer lots of fun and appealing things especially for this age group.

Independent Tour Operators

• This category is becoming increasingly smaller due to mass-market companies taking over. Independents can be either large-scale, such as Cosmos and Kuoni, or smaller such as Travel 2.

Domestic Tour Operators

• These tour operators offer holidays or tours just within the boundaries of their own country. In the UK, this includes coach companies (e.g. Wallace Arnold), holiday centres (e.g. Butlins and Centre Parcs), boat operators   (e.g. Blakes), holiday cottages (e.g. Hoseasons, which I have looked at more closely in accommodation) and short break companies (e.g. Superbreak).
• Normally, there is no transport element to this type of holiday, as people usually use their own cars to get them to and from their destination. Bookings are rarely done through travel agencies, as the customer can contact the company direct.

Incoming Tour Operators

• Incoming tour operators are companies, which specialise in packages for overseas visitors who want to prebook their travel and accommodation within the UK. These operators usually offer coach tours, although rail travel is also available. Accommodation is often prebooked by visitors, especially if they are coming at a popular time.
• Some brochures are priced in US dollars to make it easier for US and Far Eastern customers to calculate the costs.
• An example of an incoming tour operator is Insight International.

Integration between Tour Operators and Travel Agencies

• In the UK, the Travel and Tourism Industry consists of very large organisations that own a number of smaller companies. Over the years, companies have combined with others to form even larger companies. This has led to the integration of the industry. Integration can take either a vertical or horizontal form.

Vertical Integration.

• Vertical integration is where the holiday company owns some or all the links down the buying chain, e.g. airlines, accommodation, tour operators and travel agencies.
• By owning a range of organisations throughout the buying chain, the holiday company can retain a high percentage of the profit made. There are benefits for both the marketing and customer service. A company can ensure its brand name is visible at all stages of the holiday. From a customer service point of view, the company can also set service standards that apply to all aspects of the customer experience, and so have greater control over these aspects.
• An example of a vertically integrated company is Airtours.

 

                                     

• Airtours International is the Airline.
• Airtours, Direct Holidays, Tradewinds and Panorama are the Tour Operators.
• Going Places and Travelworld are the Travel Agencies.

Horizontal Integration

• Horizontal Integration means that they have bought up companies across their own particular sector of the industry.
• This has happened in the travel agency sector where generally, all the companies that have been purchased change their names to the purchasing company’s name.
• More recently, there have been instances where the buying organisation has retained the names of the companies it has bought. For example, when First Choice bought the Bakers Dolphin chain in the south west of England, the original Bakers Dolphin name was retained. This meant a town could have at least 2 travel agencies with each having a different name. This could potentially increase the number of sales made by the 2 agencies, as customers perceive them as being different companies.
• However, most horizontal integration has been in the tour operations sector. In the last few years, many of the smaller tour operators have been bought by larger tour operators who want to build a range of products they offer. By doing this they want to gain a hold on as much of the travelling public as possible by offering a wide range of travel companies and holiday types.
• An example of this is the Thomson model.

• There have been investigations by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission into the types of integrated organisations that now exist within the UK Travel and Tourism Industry. The concerns raised are about consumer awareness of the ownership of the products they are buying, and the way in which travel agencies within a vertically integrated structure promote their own company’s tour operators rather than offering an unbiased service. Because of these investigations, travel agencies that are vertically integrated must now display in a prominent place details of who owns them.

The Range of Commercial and Non-Commercial Organisations in Travel and Tourism.

1. The Public Sector

All these organisations are connected to either the National Government, which is departments or ministries, or to local Government.  

This chart shows the range of commercial and non commercial organisations involved in Travel and Tourism.

Government Organisations

The role of the DCMS

• The government organisation, the DCMS (The Department for Culture Media and Sport. This is one of the many civil service departments which serve the elected government of the day, whatever their political views. These departments do not have any political bias. Other examples are:

• Treasury – doles out all the money the taxpayers money to other departments, e.g. education, defence, DEFRA (Department for the Farming and Rural Affairs), which is the department for the environment.

• The DCMS is responsible for and to oversee :

• Government policy on the arts,
• Sport
• The National Lottery,
• Tourism,
• Libraries,
• Museums and galleries,
• Broadcasting,
• Film,
• The music Industry,
• Press freedom and regulation licensing,
• Gambling
• Historic environment.

• The present secretary of the DCMS is Tessa Jowell.

 Funding of the DCMS

• Funding comes from the taxpayer (income tax)
• In addition, the Treasury decides what share each government department will get.

Stakeholders

• Stakeholders are anyone who has an interest in an organisation. The people who are hold an interest in the DCMS range from:

• Government of the day. This is because DCMS carries out the policies. This relates to Tomorrows Tourism Today, which outlines plans for action and responsibilities for delivery for the DCMS and its key partners in five areas. These are the four joint priorities agreed by the DCMS and the tourism industry; marketing and e-tourism, quality, skills and data, plus a fifth priority for the DCMS – advocacy for tourism across Whitehall and the EU.

Tomorrow’s Tourism Today, which had the working title of the Tourism Prospectus, is the result of consultation by the DCMS with its key partnership organisations; VisitBritain, the England Marketing Advisory Board (EMAB), the Tourism Alliance, the Local Government Association and the Regional Development Agencies. It also reflects comments from over 30 organisations and individuals who responded to a final round of general consultation.

The idea for Tomorrow’s Tourism Today came from the series of Hartwell Conferences between the DCMS and the tourism industry. They were part of the process of tackling the downturn in tourism that followed the Foot and Mouth outbreak and the September 11th attacks in 2001. 

• The public as the taxpayers, as the DCMS is spending our money.
• Customers of tourism in the UK.
• Businesses, which benefit from the work of the DCMS.
• Employees of the DCMS civil servants.
• NGO`s (Non Governmental Organisations), which are not elected and have no political bias.

Non-Governmental Organisations

• These are non-elected organisations, which advise the main government departments or ministries and through them advise the elected Minister of the day.  
• NGO`s:

• Advise the department on policy.
• Do research for example research numbers for such websites as . Here they have interviews and surveys for the public, especially travel and tourism students to look at.
• Co-ordinate activities.
• Produce strategic plans such as Tomorrows Tourism Today.
• Allocate government funds to all organisational and activities connected with tourism.

• Examples of NGO`s are:

• VisitBritain
• English Heritage
• Countryside Agency
• Sport England

Case Studies

1.VisitBritain

Who they are

• VisitBritain are the strategic body for tourism in England. They produce plans and policies for the future, which explains Tomorrows Tourism Today policy. VisitBritain markets Britain to the rest of the world and England to the British. Their mission is to “build the value of tourism by creating world class destination brands and marketing campaigns.” VisitBritain also builds partnerships with - and provides insights to - other organisations, which have a stake in British and English tourism.

Funding

• Funding comes from the DCMS. They get £10 million per annum.

Objectives

• “Tourism is a vast and fragmental Industry”- their job is to “draw threads together.”
• To provide a focus
• Standards and quality
• Research on behalf of the Government and Tourism Industry.
• Policy advice (Tomorrows Tourism Today policy)
• Allocate funds to the regional tourist boards.

Stakeholders for VisitBritain

• The Government
• Tourism Industry and their trade associations, for example, ABTA (Association of British Travel Agents).
• 10 regional tourist board which are funded by VisitBritain e.g. Heart of England.
• Local authorities e.g. T.I.C ( Tourist Information Centre). This is funded by local authority (council tax) and VisitBritain.
• Tourists, including domestic and incoming.
• Taxpayers.
• Employees.

2. English Heritage

Who they are

• The English Heritage is the NGO responsible for historic environment e.g. Stone Henge. English Heritage is the Government's statutory adviser on the historic environment. Officially known as the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, English Heritage is an Executive Non-departmental Public Body sponsored by the DCMS. “Our powers and responsibilities are set out in the National Heritage Act (1983, amended 2002) and today we report to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.” English Heritage also work closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which is responsible for planning, housing, transport and the constitutional framework within which most decisions affecting the historic environment are made, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on rural issues.

Objectives

• To protect, conserve and enhance historic environment.
• To promote historic environment by marketing e.g. brochures and leaflets.
• Advise the Government.
• Broaden public interest.
• Educate by increasing people’s knowledge and understanding of the past.
• Look after monuments, archaeology, places of worship, listed buildings, parks and gardens.
• Give grants for ALL conservation/ repairs, which can go to any owner.
• Own 400 properties themselves.
• GENERATE INCOME FROM ITS PROPERTIES.

Funding

• From DCMS
• EARNED income:

• Donations/ gifts from the public and include tax incentives.
• Membership- admission free.
• Secondary spend- retail/ catering at their properties.

• In 2002 this was the income:

• Government grants - £120 million
• Admissions - £8.2 million
• Retail/ food - £6.9 million
• Membership - £3.3 million
• Donations - £5.8 million

• From the graph, I can see that most of the funding significantly comes from Government funding. The other ways in which the NGO gets its money have little value and shows how much it relies on the government grants.

2. The Voluntary Sector

• These organisations have been formed by groups of like-minded people with a common cause.
• They are usually non-profit making or charitable.
• They are often operated by volunteers.
• They may be small local group’s e.g. local conservation, involving little money and few people. For example Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
• Alternatively, they may be huge, national organisations employing a large number of people and with turnovers of millions of pounds e.g. The National Trust.

• Examples include:

• RSPB ( Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). They own many bird reserves, which have now become tourist attractions.

Case Study – The National Trust ( huge property and land owner).

Who they are

The National Trust is:

• A registered charity.
• Independent of Government.
• Was founded in 1985 to preserve places of historic interest or natural beauty permanently for the nation to enjoy.
• Relies on the generosity of its supporters, through membership subscriptions, gifts, legacies and the contribution of many thousands of volunteers.
• Now protects and opens to the public over 200 historic houses and gardens and 49 industrial monuments and mills.
• Owns more than 248,000 hectares (612,000 acres) of the most beautiful countryside and almost 600 miles of outstanding coast for people to enjoy.
• Looks after forests, woods, fens, farmland, downs, moorland, islands, archaeological remains, nature reserves, and villages- forever, for everyone.
• Now owns ¼ of all land in the Lake District National Park.

Funding

Comes from:

• Membership- subscribing members now numbering over 3 million.
• Donations
• Direct property income:

• Primary spend – entrance fees
• Secondary spend – retail-gift shops, food and catering and catalogue sales.

• In 2002 the National Trusts income was £147m. Of this £67m was from membership; £41m from direct property income and £39m from donations. This can be shown more clearly on the graph. As you can see, most of the National Trusts money comes from membership.

Objectives  

• Mission statement: to act as guardian for the nation in the acquisition of threatened coastline, countryside and buildings. The National Trust is against development.
• To protect, repair and conserve the above property and areas.
• To allow public access – Tourism.
• Spend all its income on care and maintenance of the building and land in its protection. – The National Trust is non-profit making.
• To ensure that no land or building valuable to the nation is sold for other developments. ( Respected by us, the public and the Government.)

How does the National Trust do this?

• The National Trust has the unique statutory power (law) to declare land inalienable – such land cannot be voluntarily sold, mortgaged or compulsorily purchased against the Trusts wishes without special parliamentary procedure. This special power means that the protection by the Trust is forever.

Stakeholders

• The public as tourists and consumers of the National Trust land and property.
• Government – (law-alienable-advice).
• VisitBritain will promote National Trust land and properties.
• People who donate and give legacies.
• National Trust members.
• Employees.

3. Private Sector

• The private sector is made up of profit making businesses. It is the most important sector in the Travel and Tourism industry in terms of numbers of organisations, people employed and money generated.
• 2.1 million People are employed in Tourism, which is 7% of working people in the UK. Most of these people work in the private sector.

Types of Organisations

Smallest

• Sole traders.

Business owned by a single person who may have employees. The owner is wholly responsible for the business. There are large numbers of sole traders, e.g. café, ice cream van.

• Partnership.

2-20 individuals who contribute to capital and expertise. The `deed of partnership` means profits are shared and there are rules for electing new partners.

• Limited Companies.

These business organisations have a distinct legal identity. They must be registered by the Companies Act. They can have a minimum of 2 shareholders, but they must not sell shares to the general public.

• PLCs (Public Limited Companies).

These are large multi-national and multi-dimensional companies, e.g. Virgin PLC, tour operators, record producers, trains. They are financed by selling shares to the public. A way of raising money is to `float on stock exchange`. Profits are distributed amongst stakeholders as a `dividend`.

Biggest

• The UK Tourism Industry has 127,000 businesses, most of which have a turnover of under £250,000. Most Travel and Tourism Industries are small and medium sized, although the PLCs tend to dominate the market and trends in Travel and Tourism.

Private Sector Businesses. 

Objectives

• The business size can range from vast to very small; however, profit is made from goods and services.

Stakeholders

• Shareholders if PLC, e.g. expect a financial return on shares – “dividend”.
• Owners
• Customers
• Employees
• Suppliers (other industries which may interact with the Travel and Tourism Industry).

Case Study – My Travel 

• My Travel is a multi-national PLC.
• Its profits come from:

1. Retail

High Street Travel Agents, shops with life style zones. These are specific customer groups so you can find the appropriate holiday. In addition, there is coffee and terminal web, where you can find holidays. It is a bit like an Internet café.

2. E Commerce Company

This consists of a vast range of Internet offers, ranging from leisure travel products, insurance, air travel (charter or schedule), and hotel virtual tours. Pre-range and package holidays are now the past, customized is now the future, so you can mix and match to suit your wants and needs.

3. 49 Aircraft in Europe
4. Cruise ships
5. 118 resort properties
6. Stock exchange to raise capital

NB.

There is no funding from the Government, no voluntary donations, and no membership fees. This differs from the public and voluntary sectors.

Working in the Travel and Tourism Industry and pursuing your own Career Development.

• There are a wide range of employment opportunities available in the Travel and Tourism Industry.

• Hospitality e.g. Hotel Management, Beverages, Restaurants,
• Travel e.g. Airports, Cabin Crew, Ferry Service, Cruises,
• Tourism e.g. Agency, TIC, Resort Manager, Event Manager, Tourist Attractions Manager.

• From examining the range of skills that I already have, my qualifications, the results of my Adult Directions analysis, the employment area I would most enjoy would be a resort representative. I would like to work for a large tour operator such as Thomson or JMC, in particular Club 18-30. I am keen to live abroad and work seasons in both beach resorts and ski resorts.

I would like to meet holidaymakers when they arrive at the airport, port or station, and help with the arrangements and excursions throughout their stay at the resort.

As a resort representative, i would have to know the resort and surrounding are well to provide information and make suggestions to holiday makers for trips, entertainment, shopping and visits to places of interest.

Usually I would have to organise and host welcome parties to provide useful information on the surrounding area, entertainments, eating places, events and what the resort has to offer.

Resort representatives also have to liaise with accommodation managers, restaurants and places of interest in the area. I would sometimes have to accompany organised tours, make additional arrangements or bookings and take part in entertainments specially organised for guests.

As a Holiday Representative i  also would have to deal with paperwork, problems such as lost passports, money etc. also holiday representatives based in a non-English speaking countries need to speak the native language fluently as so they can make bookings efficiently. Resort representatives work both in and out doors, with usually helping guests and making arrangements.

Skills i feel i already have to be a holiday representative:

I feel that i am friendly and have enthusiasm to work with people. I also think i am capable to deal with paperwork and i have knowledge of Spanish and French language. I do feel i am adaptable in making and changing decisions when needed.

Skills i need to develop and improve for being a holiday representative:

Having more confidence in me and therefore then be able to inspire confidence in others. I need to learn to be more independent with work and my organisation skills could be better also.

I have done the adult directions programme in which you answer a series of questions relating to what you would like to work with and the conditions in which you work in. After answering the questions, a list of jobs came up that were suited to me by making conclusions from my answers. These are shown below.

My chosen job was a holiday representative. From the list below, resort representative has come up to be a good career for me given my answers to the questions.

An example of a company that employs resort representatives is club 18-30. Club 18-3o has been around since 1965 and is a subsidiary of

Tomas Cook, one of the best-known names in travel.

As a club 18-30 resort representative you need to young, confident, enthusiastic, conversational, independent, energetic, conversational, friendly and intelligent. You will need to have a good personality, common sense, stamina and initiative.

Being a resort representative you will gain a broad range of knowledge and skills including customer service, sales and local knowledge. It also offers preparation for a career in management.

A typical week for the overseas staff would include:

• Duty hours (AM and PM)
• Information briefs (AM and PM)
• Airport duties and transfers (AM and PM-often in the early hours of the morning)
• Customer service duties
• Resort paperwork
• Selling
• Entertaining
• Organising trips
• Socialising trips

Initially Club 18-30 representative positions are seasonal, and start dates are from the beginning of April onwards, finishing September or October. Not all staff are required straight way as resorts are quieter during early season. High season (July/August) positions start at the end of June.

Pay for a resort representative in general, range form £204-£233 a week, rising to £339-£411. Higher earners make £480 a week. Travel and accommodation is usually provided.

Being a holiday representative is a very competitive field. There are opportunities for promotion to senior executive posts for successful, experienced employees.

I choose this job because i felt it best matched my personality and skills. Also it was very compatible due to the results from Adult Directions.  My strengths which would suit being a holiday representative include working in a team, I enjoy being physically active on my feet and caring for people. I am also interested in providing a service for people. Skills in which i would need to be more confident and need more training in would be speaking in front of large groups and getting a better knowledge of history.  

Curriculum Vitae

For:                 Becky Goodall                                

Marital Status         Single          

Address        Crabtree Lodge, West Felton, Nr Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 4ER

Telephone                01691610652        

Date of Birth        12/01/88                        Nationality                 British

 Education        

        Secondary school:                From                                To

        The Corbet School                 Sept 1999                        July 2004

GCSE Results:

        

Subject                        Grade                 Subject        Grade

Maths                         B                        Textiles        A

English Language                A                        I.T                A

English Literature                A                        R.E                A

Science Double Award         A                        Art                A

French                        A                        Geography        A

Spanish                        B

Post 16 Education:                                        From                        To

                                                                Sept 2004

        Shrewsbury Sixth Form College

        Priory Road

        Shrewsbury        SY1 1RX

Courses at College

        Subject                                 Level

        Travel and Tourism                 A Level

        Psychology                                AS

        Spanish                                AS

Work Experience

From                        To                        Employer                Duties

June 2002                July 2002                House Of Fraser        Sales

Assistant         

Other Qualifications

        Flute and theory                         Grade 5                2002

Interests

• I like socialising with friends during the weekend, whereas during the week I like to go to the gym or swim, as I am very active.

References

Available on request

Travel and Tourism into the future

Continued Growth

Over the last 20 years there has been a significant growth in:

1. UK residents visiting overseas
2. Overseas residents visiting the UK

1. UK residents visiting overseas

In 1982 there were 20.6 million visits overseas by the UK residents. By the year 2002, the number had tripled to 54.9 million. Even in 2001 when global terrorism had a big impact in world travel, UK residents visits abroad continued to increase at 2.5%. During this 20 year period, the number of nights spent abroad by UK residents, rose from 262 million to 595 million nights. The projection into the next decade, suggests a continued increase in the region of 2-3%. When people travel abroad, people spend money, the increase in travel over the last 20 years has averaged 5.3% each year, over the same time, spending has increased by 10.6%.

2. Overseas visitors to the UK

In 1982, 11.6 million people visited the UK, and by 1988 reached a peak of 25.7 million, however visits to the UK fell in the following years, into 2001, between February and September, foot and mouth disease caused a fall of 9.4% and visitor numbers continued to fall due to terrorist attacks in the USA. By 2002, visitor numbers were still lower than before 9.11. The number of nights, stayed by overseas residents followed the visitor trends, 136 million nights in 1982 rising to 231 million nights in 1998, falling to 190 million in 2001.

Over the last 3 years, the trend has shown an increase of over 5%. The prediction into the future suggests continued to increase at rates around 4%. Spending by overseas visitors has grown at 5% each year, whilst visitors for holidays have increased by 2%.

2. Product Development

The website,  (the Association of British Travel Agency) says that the Hotspot destinations for 2004 are:

New Zealand

New Zealand has fantastic scenery and has become more popular due to the Lord of the Rings being filmed there. Also it has a reputation for having the best wine in the world. New Zealand also attracts thrill-seekers who want to experience activities such as white-water rafting, jet boating and bungee jumping.

Croatia  

Although there were tragic wars in Croatia, more and more British people have rediscovered the country. The country has experienced major visitor growth, as in 2003; there was a 16% from 2002. There are many attractions such as the crystal sea for sailing and because it’s such good value for money the country has had a large steep growth in the numbers of visitors.

Bulgaria

UK bookings in 2003 were 110,000, which makes the UK Bulgaria’s third largest market behind Germany and Greece. Bulgaria offers great value for money, great coastlines, good skiing and lively cities, but there have been many improvements on the infrastructure meaning it is a competing country with other Mediterranean countries.

Tasmania  

Visitor numbers have increased by 30% in 2003; this has doubled over the last 5 years. Tasmania has lot to offer; including trekking through the World Heritage Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair area or night time walks through the ruins of Port Arthur, beautiful beaches, including Wineglass Bay. For animal lovers it also has the Tasmanian devil, an infamous dog-lime creature known from the children’s programme.

Britain’s Favourite Destinations – Top 5.

1. Spain

Spain is the number 1 destination for British holiday makers, with ½ million who have brought properties in Spain, which means there are a steady number of visitors. The most popular areas of Spain visited are Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca. Although, Mallorca and Menorca are known for ideal family destinations. However San Antonio and Ibiza have become the main destinations for younger people. The Canary Islands of Tenerife, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuertaventura are popular during the summer due to the dry and warm climate. However they are also busy through the winter months due to senior citizens wanting to avoid the cold weather in the UK.  

The Costa’s, still have attractions for many beach lovers, after 30 years ago. However places such as Costa de la Luz have become noticed to the British holiday makers.

2. France

France is still the number one place for British day-trippers. It has become more popular due to ferry companies, the Channel Tunnel and Eurostar making sure customers are well looked after with a good service. Research done shows that 1.9 million British visitors to France had the purpose to shop, most of them being day trips.

France is popular as a ski destination, as it has the highest resorts and areas in Europe. The capital, Paris, offers a range of attractions which include Museums, exhibitions and a favourite for children, Disney Land.

The number of airline routes into France had increased dramatically in 2002. But even though many British people have bought second homes in France, non-profitable routes are threatened to be closed.

3. Greece

The top 3 destinations in Greece are Corfu, Crete and Rhodes which are well- established and loved by British holiday makers.  The Cyclades, including the popular islands of Mykonos and Ios, and the Dodecanese, including Rhodes are very popular who wish to travel from island to island.

However, Faliraki in Rhodes got a bad name in 2003 due to a tragic stabbing, unruly behaviour which ended with holiday reps and holiday makers getting arrested. For 2004, UK tour operators and Greek authorities hope that it will still be a lively place but will be safe and properly policed. Other Greek resorts attracting a young holiday makers in 2004 are set to be Malia in Crete, Kavos in Corfu and Kardamena in Kos. 

4. USA

The USA still remains the number 1 long haul destination, but numbers did decrease due to the 9/11 incident but now are rising again. Reasons for such vast numbers visiting the USA include the airfares being such good value.

Many visitors also don’t just visit once as there is so much to take in. Florida attracts British visitors for its sandy beaches, warm waters and major rides for thrill seekers. However for subsequent visits, New York, California and New England are favourite hot spots. New not so popular destinations which are set to increase in popularity are the Southern States which offers excellent cuisine and music.

5. Italy

Rome, Venice, Verona and Florence attract lovers of art, music and architecture as they are the cultural centres of Italy. Other attractions of Italy are its excellent cuisine, beautiful countryside, mountains and lakes.

Holiday makers choose to holiday off the coast on the wonderful islands, Sardinia and Sicily.

The main reason why Italy is so popular is because it is so accessible through the large and reasonably cheap transport system. Also there has been an increase in “no frills” airlines which have joined the scheduled and charter airlines which serve Italy, meaning competition has increased making a wider range of offers and value for customers.

Conclusion

Britain’s top five destinations show a pattern in what we look for. This includes hot climates, great scenery, and a range of activities. Looking into the future, a feel holiday destinations that are popular will remain popular but competition will decrease values. However as these countries become popular problems such as environmental factors and congestion problems could ruin the country for both tourists and the residents. These points are now being considered how we must protect and be cautious when we go on holiday to preserve areas of beauty that we love to visit.

                                                                                        

Environmental Impact of Tourism/Travel

• Pollution by: Aircraft                         

Motor vehicles

Atmospheric pollution by gases such as carbon dioxide, sulphuric dioxide and hydrocarbons.

• Pollution by: waste/litter

Pollution of water bodies and land.

• Pollution by: noise and congestion

Crowded “honey pots”

The issue that growth in travel and tourism will cause the destruction of the environment. E.g.

• Erosion of foot paths
• Destruction of wildlife habitats

Solution: the future of travel and tourism should be sustainable.

• Eco tourism
• Eco tax on visitors to Mallorca

Galapogas

Machu Pichu

Controlling the numbers of visitors as they pay to go.

Product Development

1. New frontiers – Antarctica

      China    

2. Luxury holidays – 5 star hotels, cruises, resorts for the high spending tourists.
3. City breaks and short breaks
4. Specialist holidays – bird watching, whale watching, wine and food tours.

No frills Airlines

• Ryanair
• Easyjet
• BMI
• Berlin Air

These airlines offer cheap alternative to national carriers such as British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa.

• Scheduled services – short hall to European destinations from local airports such as Liverpool John Lennon, Nottingham, East Midlands – the largest hub = Stansted.

Growth in the size of Airports

1. New terminal 5 at Heathrow (LHR)
2. Proposed growth at Birmingham (BHX)
3. Growth at Coventry Airport
4. A need for a new airport in South East England
5. Expansion of Exeter, Bristol, Durham Teesvalley

Electronic/www/email changes

• Continued growth of internet as method of

1. Researching holidays
2. Communication with operators
3. Booking of flights, accommodation, car hire insurance
4. Arranging excursions

• Decline in Travel Agents?

• Vulnerability to:

 1. Global terrorism:        Post “9.11”, Bali bomb

2. Diseases:                 Sars virus in the Far East, foot and mouth in the UK, AIDS.

3. Natural disasters:         Hurricanes

                                Volcanic Eruptions

                                Earthquakes

                                Floods

        

Bibliography

The following books I have used:

• Leisure, Recreation and Tourism.

Second Edition; author Robert Prosser, 2000 published at 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 8JB.

     COLLINS, landmark geography.

• Advanced Vocational Travel and Tourism.

The Authors are Tony Outhart, Lindsey Taylor, Ray Barker, and Alan Marvell.

Published by Harper Collins, Published limited 2000 at 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London, W6 8JB

• Leisure and Tourism for Advanced GNVQ.

The authors are Outhart, Barker, Colquhoun, Crabtree and Taylor.

Published by Collins Educational, at 77-85 Fulham Palace Road. First published 1997.

The following websites I have used:

The office for National Statistics.

Social Trends, 2000 Edition.

Statistics on tourism and research.

UK Tourism Facts 2003.

•  

Britain, UK Industry, Visit Britain.

DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport).

• All of these sites i have used through September to December 2004.