Geography Tourism Coursework

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Introduction

To complete this piece of coursework, we went away on a weekend geography field trip. The purpose of the trip was to answer the following enquiry questions

* What is the economic and environmental impact of tourism on Cromer?

* Does tourism offer Cromer a good economic future?

The economic impact means the effect on jobs, the economy and whether tourism brings enough jobs and money to Cromer. The environmental impact means, whether tourists affect the environment by causing more pollution, increasing litter levels and causing the destruction of landscape.

It is possible for tourism to offer Cromer a good economic future, by increasing job rates and improving services such as schools and parks.

I will be investigating tourism in Cromer, because I have previously studied the impact of tourism in an LEDC (Kenya), and I think it will be beneficial for me to study the impact of tourism in an MEDC (U.K). Also tourism is a rapidly growing industry which can greatly benefit Britain as it is a tertiary industry, and has many benefits so it is an important topic to study. As well as this it is necessary for me to complete this case study for my GCSE coursework.

(The Cromer Pier in 2006)

Sequence of Investigation

In this section of the coursework I will describe the sequence of my work and what will be in each different section.

Location- In the location I will use four maps at different scales to show the location of Cromer. The maps show Europe, East Anglia, Norfolk and Cromer.

I will highlight Cromer on every map and also any roads where I completed my surveys. I will also annotate each map and give a brief description about the location of Cromer.

Background Knowledge- In this section I will describe what tourism is and why it is a growing industry. I will use my class notes and secondary data including graphs and statistics to do this. I will also write about tourism in the U.K, tourism worldwide and the benefits and costs of tourism worldwide. I will also show the possible benefits and costs for Cromer because of tourism.

Methodology- My methodology is basically explanations of all my surveys and why they were relevant to my case study. This will include how I collected my data and why I collected certain data. I will also explain how my data links back to my enquiry questions. My methodology will include location maps showing where I collected some data and asked interviews, as well as copies of my surveys.

Additional Data collected- This section of my coursework will include any additional information I will collect from secondary resources. This information will be relevant to me finding the answers to my enquiry questions.

Data Presentation- In this section, of my coursework I will present all my collected data as graphs, annotated photos, labeled maps, charts, etc. I will also describe what each data is showing.

Data Interpretation- The data interpretation section of my coursework will be linked to the data presentation section. I will interpret each graph, by stating what the results show using figures, suggesting reasons for those results and finally making links between the set of results I have and the enquiry questions.

Conclusion- The conclusion will include the answers to my enquiry questions, and recommendations for the future of Cromer

Evaluation- In the evaluation, I will question the reliability of my methods, and decide whether my results and conclusions are accurate

Location

Map of Europe

Map of East Anglia

Map of Norfolk

Map of Cromer

Cromer is a small town in North Norfolk, in the East Anglia region. Towns that surround Cromer are East Runton, Sheringham, Overstand and West Runton. Cromer is about 180km away from London, and accessibility to the resort is poor. To travel to Cromer we used the M11 to Cambridge (80km approx) and the rest of the journey we traveled on smaller roads.

Background Knowledge

Tourism is the business of providing tours and services for tourists. It is one of the world's fastest growing industries and it is a tertiary industry as it provides a service to people. (Figures show that travel expenditures have grown 5.2% annually)

The tourist industry can be an important part of a country's economy: in Britain it employs more than two million people.

Tourism is a rapidly growing industry for a number of reasons:

* Higher salaries mean more income will be spent in luxuries e.g. holidays.

* More social awareness now of other countries then there was before.

* Transport has been greatly improved (low cost airlines), which means more people will be able to travel abroad.

* More leisure time/free time.

As well as the growth in tourism allowing more people to travel abroad it has also created jobs for many people. Because tourism is a growing industry, employment in the industry has grown by 25%. Today, travel industry equals 42% of manufacturing industry employment.

This pie chart shows the different industries and the percentage of employment.

You can see that Service and Tourism produces the most amount of jobs compared to the other industries.

(SOURCE: GOOGLE IMAGES)

Tourism in the U.K

Tourism in the U.K has increased in recent years; this is because some of the popular tourist destinations in the UK include towns near the coast and the seaside as they are easy to reach, suitable for families and relatively cheap. Statistics show that UK residents made 126.6 million visits within England in 2005 and overseas residents made 29.95 million visits to the U.K which is an 8% on 2004.

Origin of staying visitors

%

Home or neighboring counties

75

Other Counties, Scotland & Wales

22

Overseas (most English speaking)

3

This table shows the percent of staying visitors to the peak district and the different origins.

Tourism Worldwide

This graph shows the amount of tourists that travel to the UK and the amount that travel abroad.

From the graph you can see that tourism abroad, has improved while tourism in the UK has improved it is still unsteady. This is mainly because of package tourism in LEDC's. Package tourism includes 'all inclusive' holidays which means all the necessities such as hotel, food and transport are already booked for you before you leave. Although package tourism has benefits for the tourists it is causing many environmental and economic problems:

* Pollution problems, destruction of the environment and loss of peace and quiet.

* Primary industry jobs may be lost, number of visitors is unreliable.

I have already learnt about the environmental and economic problems, package tourism in an LEDC causes, and I am now studying the impacts tourism has on Cromer.

The Economic Impact of Tourism In Kenya (An LEDC)

Benefits:

* Around 180,000 Kenyans are employed in hotels, restaurants, and as guides.

* Around 380,000 Kenyans make a living by selling things tourists or by supplying hotels with food and other materials.

* The money earned is taxed by the government and invested in schools, hospitals and industry

* The infrastructure (airports, roads, water and electrical supplies), has been improved for tourists, can also benefit local people.

Disadvantages:

* As little as 15% of money spent on holiday reaches the host country.

* Money for development may be borrowed > increasing debts.

* Number of visitors is unsteady

* Many jobs created by tourism are unskilled, of low status, poorly paid and seasonal.

* A lot of materials and highly paid staff may be imported.

The Environmental Impact of Tourism

Benefits:

* Greater awareness of the need for, and interest in the conservation of landscape, features, vegetation and wildlife.

* Income from tourism/entrance fees may pay for management and conservation fees.

Disadvantages:

* Destruction of the environment, and resulting loss of habitats for the building of airports, roads and hotels.

* Loss of peace and quiet.

* Pressure on frequently visited landscapes, such as soil and path erosion.

* Pollution problems such as litter, and untreated waste going into the rivers or the sea.

The Social Impact of Tourism

Benefits:

* Land cultures and traditions may be preserved

* Development of tourism may halt migration loss, because of new employment opportunities.

Disadvantages:

* Local traditions may disappear even faster, in favor of copying the visitor.

* Tourists look down on local people and treat them badly.

Sustainable Solutions

Environmental damage in Kenya can be reduced if:

* Tourists can be encouraged to stay with local people rather than building large hotels

* Tourists could be educated about local culture using simple notice boards.

* Tourists staying could pay a tax, which could be used to repair traditional buildings.

A beach hotel in Mombasa and a safari tour.

I will use the enquiry in Cromer to study similar issues,and also sustainable solutions to the impacts of tourism in Cromer.

Methodology

In order to answer my enquiry questions, I had to collect certain data and evidence to help me. In this section of the coursework I will explain what methods I used, how I collected data and why it is relevant to my investigation.

Tourist/Residents Questionnaire

The first method I used to collect data was a questionnaire. To collect this data I had to ask at least two residents and two tourists a set of questions. The rest of the class also had to do this and all the results are going to be used to create a large sample.
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The questionnaire requested information such as age, opinions on tourism in Cromer and ideas on how Cromer could be developed further. All of this information is important to me as it will help to answer my main enquiry questions, on whether Cromer has a good economic future and what the impact of tourism on Cromer is.

I chose to collect this data in the afternoon as this was the time both tourists and residents would be out. I also chose to ask my questionnaires on Church Street, and Garden Street as both are the main shopping streets. ...

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