Attractions are not easy to categorise, they come in all shapes and sizes, appeal to different groups and present different opportunities to the tourists. Attractions can be classified in five main types of activities, which are: Cultural Attractions (Historical/Archaeological Sites, Monuments, Museums, Theatres, Cuisine), Natural Attractions (Landscape, seascape, Parks, Mountains), Events (Community Events, Festivals, Religious Events, Sports Events), Recreation (Sightseeing, Golf, Swimming, Tennis, Hiking, Biking), Entertainment Attractions (Theme Parks, Amusement Parks, Casinos, Cinemas, Shopping facilities).
Attractions can be divided in two main categories, natural attractions and man-made attractions. This report will analyse man-made attractions. Man-made attractions are the attractions made by people and are not natural. Those attractions are: Stately Homes, Ancient monuments, Activity Centres, Theme Parks and Catering Facilities.
City of Oxford
2.1 Stately Homes
Stately homes are large impressive houses of historical interest where famous people lived in. Moreover, those buildings have been home to an extraordinary number of statesmen, kings and saints and for over 800 years.
Some Stately homes in Oxfordshire are:
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The Blenheim Palace in Woodstock is an ancestral stately home of the 11th Duke of Marborough.
- The Stonor Park in Henley-on-Thames is a historic home of Lord and Lady Camous and the Stonor family for over 800 years.
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The Farnborough Hall in Banbury, is a Beautiful honey-colored stone house built in the mid-18th century.
- The Nuffield Place in Henley-on-Thames was home of William Morris, Lord Nuffield, built in 1914; it was enlarged in 1933 for Lord Nuffield, and is a rare survival of a complete, upper-middle class home of the 1930s.
- The Kingston Bagpuize House in Abingdon, is a beautiful 1660s Manor House and remodelled in early 1700s in red brick with stone facings.
- The Upton House in Banbury, was built in 1695 of mellow local stone.
Blenheim Palace in Woodstock
2.2 Ancient Monuments
Ancient monuments are buildings that have special historical importance. Well-known Ancient Monuments in Oxford are the Museums and the Colleges of Oxfords University.
Museums have become more interesting and entertaining places to visit, while still maintaining their role of teaching visitors about the past. Museums can categorize in 4 main categories, Art, Historical, Scientific and children’s Museums. In Oxford there are a lot of interesting museums such as the Ashmolean Museum, which has 17th century’s collections of scientific curiosities, John Tradescant Senior and junior, left their collection to Dr Elias Ashmole, who added it to his own and presented them both to Oxford University in 1683. The museum itself boasts suburb collections of relics of past civilizations, art, silver, bronzes, ceramics, pottery, sculpture, coins and other objects ranging from King’s Alfred’s jewel to Guy Fawke’s lantern. Another interesting and popular Museum in Oxford is the “Museum of Oxford” opened in 1975 next door to Oxford Town Hall in the building of the old Oxford City Library, which is now at the Westgate Centre and is the only museum that is dedicated to the history of the city and University.
Oxford has 39 Colleges, which are the oldest colleges in the world and has educated philosophers, poets and scientists. The most famous college in Oxford is the “Christ Church College” it was founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 as Cardinal College. Other interesting and famous colleges of the Oxford University are: the Exeter College founded in 1314 by Walter de Stepleton (Bishop of Exeter), the Keble College, the New College, the Worcester College and many more.
2.3 Activity Centres
According to Wahab (1975) there are 5 main activity-centred types of tourism, cultural, recreational, sports health and conference. Each type provides different opportunities and each one attracts different personalities and types of people. Activity centres can provide to the tourist a chance to built up his body, relax his mind and do something different to what he was used of doing over the past.
In Oxford activity centres can be founded from all five types of activities. You can find boating, ice rinks, karts, flying, gyms, fitness centres, riding centres, motor sports and many more types of activities.
2.4 Theme Parks
Theme park business has enjoyed spectacular expansion since the opening of Disneyland in 1955 in California. It was created as a new concept in family entertainment. Theme parks as attractions have developed from the idea of amusement parks. Many theme parks provide a harmless fantasy illusion and a safe environment in which visitors can relate to a significant subject whether scientific, zoological, historical or cultural.
Because theme parks are very expensive attractions to construct and need a lot of visitors to run successfully, they are likely to be found in the more developed and bigger countries and cities of the world. So unfortunately there aren’t any theme parks in Oxford.
2.5 Catering Facilities
The food and drink that are available to tourists when they are away from home is very important to them. Tourists usually have high expectations of eating well whether this includes trying new and unfamiliar dishes of the destination, or simply looking for their favourite food, well cooked and presented. The catering sector of the tourism industry has grown rapidly in Britain over the past 20 years. Food services can divide in 3 categories: Fast Food and Restaurants, Cafeterias and Traditional Restaurants.
Oxford provides several types of food services, from traditional restaurants to fast food Italian style restaurants to restaurants that influence from Mediterranean, French and Chinese cuisine.
3. STATISTICS
Below are some statistics according to the Southern Tourist Board in 1996 of what places tourists, which came to Oxford, visited in the summer of 1996.
The 45% of the Visitors have visited one or more of the Oxford University Colleges during their staying.
4. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS
In 2000 Oxford City Council had a strategy to ensure visitor satisfaction, encourage an increase in Tourism spending within the City and minimize the environmental problems.
- Develop the co-ordinated approach to tourism.
- Support the communication and co-operation between all organizations associated with tourism in Oxford.
- Reduce the harmful impacts of tourism and encourage environmental sustainability.
- Supply a larger coach park and enforcement of on-street regulations.
- Promote the use of public transportation.
- Increase the economic benefits of tourism to Oxford.
- Promote Oxford as a destination for staying visitors, particularly those from high spending market segments and promote as a day visit destination for independent travellers and groups.
- Enhance the visitor experience.
- Ensure that the services of the Oxford Information Centre meet demand.
- Increase and improve the provision of street information.
Source: http://www.oxford.gov.uk/oxofrd
5. CONCLUSIONS
“And that sweet city with her dreaming spires, she needs not June for beauty’s heightening” (Matthew Arnold, Thyrsis). Human being has great expectation in visiting and learning about a destination. There is no doubt that attractions are the main motivation of travel and the reason that people travel. However as important as attractions are motivating the tourist to travel, the attractions often receives the smallest part of the tourist’s amount of money spending. Although in tourism industry there are lots of problems which tourist creates them, the most dangerous is the environment that most tourists they don’t respect it. Every year organisations trying to developed attractions to give to tourists the opportunity to have a great experience of the visit.
People from the past years wanted to know about the past so man-made attractions are from the most important attractions because reflect the past of the destination, teaching the visitor and also can entertain and relax the visitor.
Radcliffe Camera, Oxford
6. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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GOELDNER, C., RITCIE, B., and MCINTOSH, R., (2000). ‘Tourism: Principles, Practices, Philosophies’. 8th ed. Canada: John Wiley & Sons
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NICKERSON, N, P, (1996). ‘Foundations of Tourism’. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
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WYLSON, A. & P., (1994). ‘Theme Parks Leisure Centres Zoos & Aquaria’. London: Longman
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WILLIAM C. G., (1996). ‘Tourism Development Principles, Process, and Policies’, USA: International Thomson Publishing Company.
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MANSON P., (1990). ‘Tourism Environment and Development Perspectives’, United Kingdom: WWF.
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BEIRMAN D., (2003). ‘Restoring Tourism Destinations in Crisis’, Australia: CADI Publishing.
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LAVERY P., (1990). ‘Travel and Tourism’, 2nd ed. Suffolk: ELM Publications.
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MILL C. R., (1998) ‘The Tourism System An Introductory Text’, 3rd ed. USA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing.
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Travel Associations’ Consultative Council, (1982) ‘Anatomy of UK Tourism’, London: TACC.
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DAVIDSON R., (1993) ‘Tourism’ 2nd ed. London: Pitman Publishing.
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LICKORISH L. & JENKINS C., (1997) ‘An Introduction to Tourism’ 1st ed. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.
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Module 0703 Foundation Tourism & Hospitality
