-
Families/tourist groups (Madame Tussauds): - Families and tourist groups can enjoy a range of offers and services at Madame Tussauds. The Combo packages allow families and tourist groups to enjoy other attractions which are in partnership with The Merlin Entertainments. Families can save up to 33% when they buy a combine pack to visit The London Eye, The London Dungeons and Sea life Aquarium. Also, families and tourists are provided with a discount of 10% on London Eye River Cruises. This way families and tourists will be able to save money and enjoy many other attractions in the U.K.
-
Families/tourist groups (Wookey Hole Caves): - families and other tourist groups can enjoy a range of activities and services at Wookey Hole Caves. A family ticket includes 2 adult and 2 children. There is also Wookey Hole hotel competition for families and the price is that the family can spend one night at the hotel maximum of 4 people for free. There is also 10% of discount for everyone if they book online including families also and children under the age of 3 go for free. There are baby changing facilities for infants and indoor children’s play area.
-
Disabled visitor group (Madame Tussauds): - The majority of the facilities and services at Madame Tussauds are accessible to disabled groups excluding the Spirit of London which is a ride showing various elements of London. Madame Tussauds have a lift specially designed for disabled people to access various floors. Unfortunately only three wheelchair users can access the building at one time for health and safety reasons and thus advance booking is highly recommended to disabled groups. Also, the person visiting Madame Tussauds with a disabled person is allowed to visit the attraction for free. In addition, wheelchairs are provided by Madame Tussauds team at no extra cost which is helpful for people commuting from long distances.
-
Disabled visitor group (Wookey Hole Caves): - the majority of the facilities and services at Wookey Hole Caves are accessible to disabled groups excluding the caves because there are approximately 200 steps through the caves and three places where visitors are required to duck briefly to about 1.3 metres. Visitors in wheelchairs are most welcome in the mill and valley, where they can watch a virtual tour of the caves while they wait for their family to join them and experience the rest of the attraction together. Guide dogs are permitted at Wookey Hole caves. There are also parking and toilet facilities for disabled visitors. A concessionary rate is available for wheelchair users adult ticket price is £11 and a child or a senior citizen is £8.50, one accompanying carer per wheelchair user will also be entitled to a concessionary admission and this will be at Wookey Hole caves discretion.
Task 2 Interpretation Techniques and Improvements to products and Services
- Describe the techniques used for visitor interpretation at one built and one natural attraction. Interpretation techniques should include example of:-
- Exhibition displays
- Actors
- Interactive Technology
- Guides and tours
- Leaflets and maps/guides
- Curators
- Signage
Interpretation techniques for built attraction- Madame Tussauds
Exhibition: - Madame Tussauds has carried out some exhibitions suitable to different types of visitors. The Warhol’s Women exhibition held at Madame Tussauds was an interactive exhibition carried out to celebrate the works and ideas of Andy Warhol. The exhibition is free of cost with entry to Madame Tussauds. Andy Warhol’s exhibition could be benefited by photographers, students, artists etc.
Actors: - ‘SCREAM’ which is kind of a maze in the chamber of horrors at Madame Tussauds has people who act as prisoners and scare the visitors entering the maze. Although the actors are not allowed to touch the visitors but individuals over the age of 12 are allowed as anyone who is under the age of 12 years or has a heart problem or is pregnant is not allowed in the chamber due to health and safety reasons.
Interactive technology: - As part of the Warhol exhibition, Eye Click technology was presented at Madame Tussauds where experts projected paintings of Andy Warhol to represent the combination of art and technology. Visitors are will be able to interact with the paintings and experience the different styles of Warhol through EyeClick’s futuristic technology. Also, there are moving floors and levels at Madame Tussauds to create a very live effect around people.
Leaflets and maps/guides: - Leaflets about Madame Tussaud’s and its upcoming attractions are available so that visitors and tourists find it easy to get around the place. Leaflets and guides could also help visitors to plan their next visit or to gain more information about a person of their interest at Madame Tussaud’s. The posters and leaflets also help it promote their business and increase their economy.
Curators: - The curators at Madame Tussauds help the visitors and tourists with any queries or questions they have. They also help with people with disabilities to access the services and facilities so that disabled people can also make the most of the attraction.
Signage: - The signage includes various signs and symbols to guide the tourists and visitors around MadameTussaud’s. The signages include symbols such as that for audio, wheelchair access, lifts, toilets, exit etc. these symbols guide the tourists and also inform them about the services available.
Interpretation techniques for natural attraction which is Wookey hole caves
Exhibition displays – The Wookey Hole exhibition presents the Wookey Hole time trail, The Caves tourism history and the historical paper-making mill. The Wookey Hole Caves exhibition hall also carries out exhibitions like the World of Miniature and the Clown exhibition. These events are of interest to a wide range of tourists and visitors such as students, families, tourists etc.
Actors - There are currently no actors at the Wookey hole Caves.
Interactive technology - Due to the advances in modern diving technology and the blasting of a manmade tunnel, visitors and divers are able to dive and explore the caves more thoroughly. Divers are allowed to dive up to chamber 25 due to the modern diving technology at Wookey Hole Caves.
Guides and tours- There are a range of guides and information facilities at Wookey Hole caves. Demonstrations and historical briefings are given to all sorts of groups such as to students, groups, tourists etc. Information leaflets and maps are also available at the information centre at Wookey Hole caves for everyone visitors to find their way around and other purposes. It also provides information about the local attractions and places of interests that visitors and tourists might want to visit.
Curators – there are interactive maps and displays around the caves as well as demonstrators and instructors to provide help to visitors with any queries. The staffs at the caves also help disabled people to get around and take extra care when needed. Information about the Wookey Hole caves can also be obtained by the local shops and residents.
Signage – A number of signages guiding people around and under the caves are put up so that visitors do not stray off from their path. Also, signs for directions to various facilities are displayed at various locations to help people access the services and facilities at Wookey Hole Caves.
Task 2B (D1) - Make realistic and justified recommendations for improvements to the products, services and interpretation techniques used by either your selected built or natural attraction.
Natural attraction- Wookey Hole caves
A number of improvements can be recommended at Wookey Hole caves. To attract more visitors, they could run their own transportation such as coaches so that it would be easier for people to reach to the attraction. Also, it would save visitors money spent on travelling. Also, they could start running these coaches from various cities in the U.K. so that people from various parts of the country could visit the caves. Having access to coaches and trains would make it easier and more accessible for people to travel to and from their city.
All children and adults must be accompanied by a tour guide regardless of the activity. This is so that when people go diving under the caves, the health and safety issues are taken care of and also so that young children are safe at all times when swimming.
Diving activities could be promoted more around the local area and swimming sessions could be started so not only visitors but adults and children from the surrounding areas can benefit from the various interesting facts at the caves. Also, swimming sessions would help children with their swimming as well as cave diving skills.
Other facilities such as restaurants, cafes, ATM machines, local shops, shops promoting goods from Wookey Hole caves, toilets with the facility for babies and disabled people could also be provided. This would allow the people to spend more time at the attraction without thinking of having to go some other place in case they needed food, toilets or cash.
Task 3B) Explain how one built or one natural attraction could adapt itself and its facilities in order to appeal to a wider range of visitors.
In order to appeal to a wider range of visitors Madam Tussauds wax museum, could adapt itself and its facilities in the following ways:
- Introduce more parking spaces nearby:
This could significantly increase the amount of people coming to visit the attraction. Many people, who may have large families and drive, could find it hard to travel to Madam Tussauds by public transport. Also the lack of parking spaces near the attraction could put people in such situations off from coming, as they may worry about parking space availability and cost, thus increasing more parking spaces with a reasonable price, along with a good means of advertising for such a facility, will increase the likelihood of drivers visiting the attraction.
- Introducing more facilities for people with disabilities.
Madam Tussauds would continue to attract a wider variety of visitors if it were to increase its facilities for people with disabilities. This could be making wheelchair access on more activities, and having special audio and sightseeing equipment for those visitors who may have visual or audio impairment of any sort. This would increase the likelihood of people with disabilities and their families visiting the attraction, since the disabled would also be able to enjoy and take part in the attractions that the museum has to offer.
- Opening up more restaurants
Since many visitors and families tend to spend the whole day at the attraction, the introduction of more restaurants and take away stores would have a dramatic impact on the amount of people visiting the museum. People are more likely to be attracted to a site where it offers a great day out and also sorts out their meals for them. Thus the introduction of a variety of different restaurants and food places will become a huge success in attracting more people to the museum.
- Including more activities for young children
Since the wax museum is to be enjoyed by older children, teenagers and adults, there are few facilities that could engage parents of people with very young children, thus the implementation of a crèche or play area for youngsters, would attract a wider scope of people and families. This is because people with young children may fear that bringing a young child could be a problem because they may get bored or tired, thus building a children’s crèche or play area would allow people to leave their child in a safe and secure environment where they can play with toys and with other young children, whilst the rest of the family enjoys a great day out.
- Reducing ticket queuing time by introducing more ticket halls.
Many people dread the idea of visiting to Madam Tussauds for its reputation of having a very long queuing time for tickets. Thus the implementation of a large ticket hall with many members of staff selling tickets simultaneously, will reduce queuing time significantly, thus attracting more visitors to come to the attraction without the fear of waiting around.
Task 4 Popularity and Appeal of Destinations
A) Explain the impact that visitor attractions have had on the popularity and appeal of a particular destination or area.
- Madam Tussauds is situated in the heart of London in Baker Street. The attraction is a huge appeal to tourists and visitors from all around the world.
- It is the only wax museum that holds statues of famous and historical people from around the world. This may interest many groups of people specifically people who have come from different countries, and are interested in history.
- The museum is very easily accessible by transport via the jubilee line, and also by car.
- Due to the presence of madam Tussauds the area has become a very well visited area, and because of its popularity, there have been major business opportunities such as fast food stores, which also add to the attraction and appeal to the area.
- The famous wax museum is also very close to Sherlock Holmes fictional residence which is currently being showed as a small museum, since this is close by visitors and tourists interested in English history are most likely to visit the area, in the hope of seeing two major tourist attractions within the same area.
- In addition to this madam Tussauds has had a huge impact on the popularity and the appeal of the area. This reason can also be due to the fact that regents park is located 400 yards due north to the attraction. This increases the appeal significantly as tourists and visitors can enjoy a great say out as well as visiting the museum. Regents park also extends beyond to primrose hill which is knows for it spectacular view over London. This continues to have a pull factor towards the area as tourists are very much likely to be interested in visiting such areas. In addition to this the museum continues to attract more visitors to the area on the weekend as well, as it’s only a short walk away from Camden market.
- Not only does the museum make the surrounding area appealing to its tourists its also makes the area appeal to local visitors. This is because the museum itself has various activities and facilities that make it popular to family days out and young children as well as adults. Features such as the famous “chamber of horror”, and Imax 3D cinemas, make it a great attraction to families with teenagers and young children, which in turn continues to attract people to the nearby area, thus also making nearby attractions such as regents park more appealing as well.
- As well as this Madam Tussauds makes the area appeal to large groups of people. The attraction is a very popular school trip destination, which means that school and college children will visit the surrounding area in large groups. This in turn means the surrounding area will make hug profit as a result of such features, with the biggest attraction being Madam Tussauds.
- It hasn’t really impacted upon the popularity and appeal of London as a destination but in conjunction with other attractions it is part of the ‘London Pass’ scheme meaning that more visitors get around London to visit more attractions and increases the appeal to tourists
B) Evaluate how successful visitor attractions have been in increasing the popularity and appeal of a destination or area, making recommendations for future improvements.
The attraction chosen is Madame Tussauds which is situated in the heart of London in Baker Street. Madame Tussauds have been very successful promoting themselves and bringing popularity for their products and services they have offered while advertising on websites, flyers, London transport and promoting themselves through different methods of communication to reach tourists. Every year Madame Tussauds attract a mass of tourists and I think they should keep on promoting themselves not just within the country but worldwide so that they can attract more tourists then any other attraction in UK and also make a profit.
Some of things I would like to recommend to Madame Tussauds are that they should make more activities for visitors or students interested in arts for example teaching students/visitors how to make wax models the techniques that are needed in that, how to make the structure of a celeb/a person and many other things related to the statues.
Play areas or crèche for toddlers where people can drop their children/toddlers to make the most of their experience and for this Madame Tussauds can charge an extra fee or they can also include this in a family ticket buy increasing the price a bit so that they don’t make any loss.
Create more cafes, restaurants or small snack shops could be opened to ease the availability of food and drinks whenever tourists or visitors needed it and a place where tourists can sit and relax when they are tired.
Madame Tussauds should limit the amount of people after a certain times for a while as it can get very crowded and tourists have to wait for hours to get their tickets, they can also increase the number of ticket counters/centres where tourists can by their tickets at Madame Tussauds/outside or they can make a new entry gate for people who have booked their ticket online/ or if a person is disabled which will make it quicker for everyone and it wont have any bad remarks.
Tourists and visitors could be offered with a discount on their next visit; this will not just attract more tourists to the attraction but also make it popular as the word of mouth will spread. Visit to Madame Tussauds can be combined with other tourist packages at a discounted rate.
Madame Tussauds can also do partnership with other restaurants or food places at a discount e.g. they can do a points system like Tesco’s, Boots etc. It would allow the food places to make profit as well as increasing the number of tourists and visitors at Madame Tussauds.
