To what extent Rothbury fits a model of tourist honeypot

certain stretches of the River Coquet. Moreover, every year there is a four-day jam band music festival in Rothbury, Michigan at the Double JJ Ranch. This festival is usually held in the summer which brings a huge amount of tourists in the village from all over the country.

In brief methodology means the analysis of the principles of methods, rules, and postulates employed by a discipline. In my methodology I explained all my methods in my methodology, how I collected my data and what were the shortcomings during my collection. It was necessary for me to collect my data in the way I did, so that to justify my main question "to what extent Rothbury fits the model of a tourist honey pot?" The date I collected my data was the 22nd of September, 2008. We went with our school in the morning and the first data I collected was the traffic count which was around 10:30A.M and I collected for 6 minutes. Then I went on to collect the rest of the data which was the pedestrian count, litter survey, car park survey etc. I also collected a questionnaire data and we did footpath erosion survey with the help of frame quadrates.

Method Used

How The Data Was Collected

How It Is Relevant To The Question

Limitations

Traffic Count / Pedestrian Count

Recolected in April

We were divided in groups of two's and three's and were sent to diffrent places in rothbury and were asked to stand and count the number of cars going both the ways in a time limit of six minutes. We also counted the pedestrian count in the same way as Traffic count.

It is relevant to the question as we can judge wether Rothbury is a tourist honeypot or not because we can count the number of cars going either way and number pedestrians roaming around in the rothbury.

There were quite a lot limitations during the traffic and pedestrian count. The first thing is that the traffic would vary on weekedays rather than weekend. Also it could be possible that each and every group didn't started at the same moment. The weather is also responsible for the vary in the number of tourists as the tourist would be more on a bright sunny day rather than a rainy or windy day. Also you don't even know whether the predestrians walking around are tourist or just the local people.

Questionnaires

We were told to ask one person a number of questions about their veiw point on the impacts of tourism in Rothbury. We had a choice to ask only one person as evrybody asked only one. All together 24 people of our group asked questions from diffrent people.

It is relevant to the question because we will come to know about what do the visitors and the local people think about the impacts on Rothbury. If There are some problems the local people will complain about noise or litter .

There are not much limitations using questioannaires. It might have possible thst we had asked more number of visitors than local people or vise-versa. Therefore,we might have got one sided opinions as residenrial people would have strong comments about the visitors in Rothbury. The age criteria is also there as young genration would have differnt views as compared to the old people living in Rothbury.

Land Use Survey

We walked around Rothbury and investigated each and every building on the main road and what was it used for. The buildings were split into seven categories and then we marked them on the land use map. We also created a key for representing each building like red for resedential and green for resturants/pubs etc.

It is relevant to the question because if we know the number of diffrent categories of buildings we can identify whether rothbury fits to be a honeypot or not. It is also good to know which side are the tourist attractions or shops as the area with all the shop varieties would have more crowd.

The main limitation for the Land use survey was that from outside a building you can't judge exactly that in which category that building comes in. Also some buildings came in the same category therefore it was difficult to judge exact number of building of each category.

Car Park Occupancy Survey

We counted the numer of cars parked on six different locations and then we then subtracted the total number of car spaces with the number of car spaces been used to get the vacant number of car spaces.

It is relevant to the question because if we know the number of car parks we can estimate how many people have come to visit the place. This will give an idea about whether Rothbury is a tourist honeypot or not.

As there is always a countinous flow of people in Rothbury therefore the data keeps on changing. We went to Rothbury on a weekday therefore the car park was quiter than on the weekend. The time I collected my data was around 11 to 1 in the morning therefore cars parked were a bit more than in the evening.

Litter Count

Recolected in April

We conted the litter in different parts of Rothbury. We kept on looking at the chewing gum wrapers and used cigrates around. We counted the litter at ten different places in Rothbury. We mainly gave emphasis of litter count on the busy areas in Rothbury.

It is relevant to the question because if there is large amount of litter on the streets that will reflect that there is lot of tourism in Rothbury. Usually, the local people don't want to keep their hometown untidy.

It is too difficult to count each and every piece of litter in an area as it is too small to see. Also it could be possile that the day before we collected the data was cleaned by the council staff. The wind blowing could bring back the same litter we counted in the previous place. It is also a factor that we went on a weekday therefore the amount of visitors were less.

Noise Survey

We measured the noise levels at different points in Rothbury. We measured the noise levels in decibels and then recorded them on a map.

It is relevant to the question because after measuring thr decibels we can tell whether Rothbury is a busy place or not. Usually in Rothbury the noise levels remain high because of frequent flow of traffic and the pedestrians around.

The noise would differ at every place in Rothbury. The more number of people the more the level of noise. Therefore the area with lesser crowd would have a lesser noise decibel. Also the area with more trees would have more noise decibels due to the birds around. Therefore we can also say that the surroundings also affect the increase or decrease of noise level.

Environmental Quality Survey

We had different options to look at the various aspects of appearanceof an area. We had to give a mark out of five to justify the rank of an area. We looked at the overall apperance of an area how peaceful or refreshing was it.

It is relevant to the question because if Rothbury has attractive looks and has some beautiful natural sceneries then there would be a lot of visitor visiting a place.Mainly a tourist honeypot has some natural beauty and beautiful things to see.

Every person has his own point of view therefore sometimes there could be a diffrence in opion. There could be a conflict in giving a mark to an area with between two stusents.

Photographs

As we were collecting the data side by side we were also taking photographs of the Rothbury from different places.

It is relevant to the question as photograph will give a really good evidence about whether Rothbury is a tourist honeypot or not.

The only limitation I thought while taking photographs was that the crowd would differ on a weekday rather than a weekend.

Car Park Survey

Pedestrian Count

Environmental Quality Assessment

Traffic Survey

Photographs

Litter survey

The Place where I filled my questionnaire

Data Presentation

All the data which I collected would be shown in detail in this data presentation section. I would show these results and methods using graphs, maps and pictures.

Throughout the day, all our groups collected information on what sort of buildings were there in Rothbury. The following map and some pie charts would demonstrate it.

Environment environmental

Environmental Quality Survey

Our group did an environmental quality survey to construe the surrounding of Rothbury. We used different proportional sized circles to demonstrate it. I found my total score by adding the individual scores of the places.

After piecing together the map and other factors,

I have concluded that the further away we go

from the Shops and heavily populated areas, the

quieter and more pleasant the surroundings

become. This could mainly be because the more

congested areas create a lot of noise pollution and litter. As you can clearly see from both these images that why people are attracted to this place. Both the pictures show the immense beauty of Rothbury. This survey clearly helps us answering the main question as people visit here because of its beautiful surrounding which relax people from there day to day routine. The survey can also be related to our questionnaire as many residents complain about increasing of litter, noise and parking problems which proves that Rothbury is an admired place to visit.

Litter Survey

The map below would show different concentrations of litter in the ten main parts of Rothbury. The darker the area the more litter was found. This survey is really important as it would clearly show the amount of visitors in that area.

From the above map, I also concluded that around the Fish and Chip shop and Rothbury bakery the amount of litter was the most. It could probably because people sometimes just throw the wrappers after eating stuff in a hurry.

Car Park Survey

The map below would show the used and vacant car spaces in six different parts of Rothbury. I would represent this by showing different pie charts and size of the pie charts would indicate how many cars could be filled in.

Pedestrian and Traffic count

Around 10:30 in the morning, we started collecting the pedestrian and traffic count. We counted the number of cars and pedestrians passing each minute for six minutes. We did that on different places in Rothbury. I am also comparing my results collected in the morning and afternoon to see if there are any significant changes.

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Noise Survey

Overall, after looking at the map, we can say that the noisiest place in Rothbury is around the high street shops. The main reason behind this is the traffic and pedestrians who get attracted towards the shops and they are even directly proportional to each other. The land use survey also supports this statement as that is attracted by both locals as well visitors. Moreover, the litter survey shows that the most litter concentration is found in the centre of high street only. Usually in Tourist honeypot the noise survey is same all over as number of attractions are evenly spread. However, my noise survey shows that the most noise is found at the single major point. Hence, this shows that other parts of Rothbury are no fully developed to attract the visitors. As we visited on weekday, it could be possible that the noise made in the centre of the town is mainly made by the residents while doing there general day to day tasks.

Footpath Erosion Survey

Footpath erosion is mainly done by the river. We did our footpath erosion survey using frame quadrates. To make our results more reliable we did that survey on either side of the river. These quadrates were used to get an estimate how much vegetation and erosion was there in different sections.

Questionaire Data

Conclusion

Overall, the collection of data and my studies conducted gives me the answer to the main question "To what extent Rothbury fits the model of a tourist honey pot?" All my investigation about Rothbury and with the help of the data collected I could infer the different impacts of visitors on the town. With this I could even found the number of attraction in Rothbury.

My land use survey shows that Rothbury is over 50% residential. Still, it has a retail area which includes a supermarket, small shops for visitors and locals and couple of cafes or restaurants. My data clearly shows that the centre of Rothbury high street is the most liked place by the visitors. From the Environmental quality survey, I concluded that as we go more far from the shops and the populated areas the more pleasant and appealing he surroundings become. Even the highest scores were also given to the area near the centre of Rothbury high street. Although, there are two earmarked car parks one in the centre and other towards the south of Rothbury (near riverside). The southern car park was especially made for visitors. My car park survey shows that the one in the centre of the town is most frequently used. The reason being obvious as people want to park closest to the different attractions.

The litter survey shows that the most amount of litter concentration is in the centre of the town. This could possibly be because of the visitors as the residential area is rather very clean. The traffic and pedestrian count also gives a stress on the most frequently used areas. Just as we concluded from the litter and car park survey that the streets around the main high street had the most occupied car spaces as well as most litter concentration was found in that area only. The pedestrian count also confirmed the same fact as the most number was found in the centre of high street only. The data showed the amount of traffic was less in the morning than in the afternoon. This is because by 10:45 in the morning (data collection time) most of the people have already left for their work. On the other hand, the numbers of pedestrians were more in the morning than in the afternoon. It could be because we find many runners in the morning and as the day passes, there amount starts to decrease as people don't really like to come out in the afternoon or evening times and prepare their food at home only.

The footpath survey clearly showed that there is a significant damage to the riverside paths. After looking at the photographs, you can check the style of footpath which demonstrates that people haven't walked on the path completely due to some obstacles like puddles. The council has put gravel on the footpath in order to prevent footpath erosion showing that it a major concern for them. The noise survey gives me a fair idea about how much Rothbury is affected by noise. We measured noise levels up to as high as 90 decibels in the centre of the town, which is even above the safety level of noise in a work place. On the other hand, there was a large contrast as we recorded around 50 to 60 decibels on the edges of Rothbury. This draws attention towards the conclusion that the major activity is taking place in the centre of the town. At last the questionnaire results are very helpful as well. It tells me what other people think about these problems in Rothbury and also how can they be solved. Overall in comparison, the residents firmly feel about the impacts of tourism than visitors. The residents think that car park and congestion are two major problems they are encountering in Rothbury. The visitors to Rothbury think the same but they believe that they are not as bad. Both these opinions agree with the evidence that I gained from my other surveys like litter and car park, that Rothbury is busy most of the time.

Overall, after seeing all the data I collected, I concluded that Rothbury is a tourist honeypot but in its embryonic stages. I came on this conclusion because the focus of attraction was not evenly spread throughout Rothbury as only the centre of the town is modified and more than 50% of Rothbury land is used for residential purposes rather than having more facilities for tourists. However some of my data may be imperfect due to limitations.

Evaluation

The main Aim of my project is to study, examine and investigate that "To what extent Rothbury fits the model of a tourist honey pot?" I have used various techniques for the collection and analysis of data. The overall inference drawn shows that Rothbury has constant flow of tourists. My car park survey revealed great number of cars parked in the town centre and the litter survey substantiated that although Rothbury is a neat and clean town but the presence of highest litter concentration was found on main high street. There could be many limitations in my data collection still, my data portraits a good picture of what Rothbury experiences of tourism on a daily basis.

The questionnaire was aimed to gather opinions of residents as well as visitors about the impacts of tourism on the town. Although, a single day survey does not show me the bigger picture of impacts of tourism on Rothbury as we visited on a weekday and outside tourism season. There is a fair possibility that we came across more number of residents than visitors. Therefore, we might have got biased results as residents would have strong comments about visitors in Rothbury. Moreover, the age criteria is also there as younger generations would have different views as compared to older people living Rothbury. The conclusions drawn from my data about the effects of tourism in Rothbury may indicate a worse picture of residents than a ground reality. In future, a larger survey over a extended period of time with different sections of society will be more effective to improve any inaccuracies in the previous data.

The litter survey reflects the centre of activity in Rothbury. It is quite obvious to say that more the litter in an area, the more people use it. This gives a fair idea of the most visited place in Rothbury. Above all, visitors have more tendency to drop litter than residents which is directly proportional to concentration of litter in tourist activity area. However, this survey cannot be precise as many factors can vary the results. Firstly, it is too difficult to count each and every piece of litter in an area as it is too small to see. Also the wind blowing could bring back the same litter we counted in the previous place. Moreover, street cleaning by council just before the data collected could influence the final results. Another factor which can contribute is that we collected the data on a weekday when the tourist flow is less. The litter survey can be improved if more people were involved to carryout the survey in all different areas at the same time as quickly as possible.

The traffic and pedestrian survey gives an account of usage of roads in and around Rothbury. This data was more planned as it was spread over an hour to count number of cars and pedestrians thereby avoiding more inaccuracies. The main road was used to collect data. The road has the access to adjoining places like Cragside and Thropton. So there is possibility that number of cars could be passing through Rothbury and not just visiting. The weather is also responsible for the vary in the number of tourists as the tourist would be more on a bright sunny day rather than a rainy or windy day. Last but not the least to ere is human. Although, investigation was precisely planned but there is possibility that some people could not get to their positions on time. To make it more conclusive more surveys are required over a longer period of time.

Effects of tourism can be seen in other forums like footpath erosion. The outskirts of Rothbury show footpath erosion alongside riverbanks which is popular among tourists. It is not possible to draw conclusion about who caused the footpath erosion. it could result from weathering or resident walking alongside their dogs. As the survey was conducted in autumn it could affect the vegetation. It is quite different to draw a sound conclusion from the date collected.

To summarise, the above findings show a range of results which reflects the status of Rothbury being a developing tourist honeypot. It is virtually impossible to draw a sound inference without detail investigation many inaccuracies with data collection exist. To remove this study more authentic, greater detail over extended period of time is required to get the optimum results.

Bibliography

With the help of couple of websites, some friends and teachers I could successfully finish my coursework.

* www.google.co.uk

* www.googleimages.co.uk

* www.heatonmanor.net

* www.wikipedia.com

* www.maps.google.co.uk

* General internet search