Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Be able to locate UK gateways, touri
s
t
destinations and geographical features
SECTION 1
Icebreaker
This unit focuses on the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Norther
n
Ireland - as a tourist destination for both
overseas visitors and people living in Britain. Working by yourself, or in small groups under the direction of your
tutor, see how you get on with the following tasks to help
y
ou make a start on this unit:
•
Make a list of the reasons why you think overseas visitors choose to come to the UK;
•
Name six major natural attractions found in the UK;
•
Name six historic cities in the UK t
ha
t
a
re popular with tourists;
•
Can you think of ways in which t
h
e needs of overseas visitors to the UK may be different to those of British
people on holiday in this co
u
nt
r
y?
•
Name three major events in the UK that are popular with tourists;
•
Name six ports that
o
verseas visitors can use to visit the UK by sea;
•
Name three ref
e
rence sources that you could use to fi nd information on the UK as a tourist destination.
When you've
fi
nished, show your answers to your tutor and compare your answers with what other groups in your
class have written.
T
h
is section concentrates on developing your skills in
identifying the location of gateways, tourist destinations
and important geographical features within the UK,
such as mountain ranges and National Parks.
its size and transport infrastructure. The UK has three
principal types of gateways for tourists - airports, ports
and the Channel Tunnel - as shown in Figure 3.1.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) fi gures reveal that the
number of countries with direct, scheduled air links
to Britain in 2005 stood at 114, with 356 individual
cities linked directly to this country by air services. This
makes the UK one of the best-connected nations of its
size in the world. Due to the growth and development
of low-cost airlines, air travel to the UK is growing in
popularity at the expense of ferry services, which have
experienced reductions in the number of passengers in
recent years. UK ports operate traditional and fast ferry
services to a number of destinations, including Ireland,
France, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and
Scandinavian countries. The Channel Tunnel offers two
types of passenger services - one for those travelling
with their car and the second a rail service on Eurostar
trains.
Gateways
All destination countries have gateways through which
tourists arrive. These can be airports, ports, border
crossings, tunnels or railway stations. Gateways are
the focus for transport services, offering travellers
convenient entry points with a range of facilities
and services provided, e.g. refreshments, currency
exchange, shopping, etc. Gateways also allow
authorities to control and monitor movements of
people in and out of their country, ensuring safety and
security for all passengers. The number of gateways to
a particular country will vary depending on a number
of factors, such as its popularity as a tourist destination,
