Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Transport
Domestic and inbound tourists like to be reassured
about the standard of the accommodation they will
be using. In the UK all the national assessing bodies
(VisitBritain, Visit Scotland, Visit Wales and the AA)
now assess holiday accommodation to the same
criteria and award one to fi ve stars. The stars refl ect
the facilities and overall quality of the experience for
visitors. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board is currently
working towards adopting the same star scheme for
accommodation in its area.
Tourists, whether domestic or inbound, need transport
services and facilities that are convenient, safe,
frequent, reliable and offer good value for money.
This holds true whether visitors are on business,
travelling for leisure or visiting friends and relatives.
Approximately three-quarters of overseas visitors travel
to the UK by air, 16 per cent by sea and 11 per cent
by car. Clearly, these travellers need a good network
of routes and gateway airports, plus effi cient transit
arrangements to be able to move through airports
speedily and make onward connections by air, road,
rail or sea. The government's Transport Direct website
is a good way for UK and overseas visitors to plan their
journeys by public transport. Tourists coming to the UK
from abroad may be less familiar than British people
with our travel systems and ticketing arrangements, so
tourism staff need to be well-trained and systems need
to be as user-friendly as possible for people whose fi rst
language may not be English.
FOCUS ON INDUSTRY
FARM STAY UK
Farm Stay UK was established in 1983 as the Farm
Holiday Bureau with 23 local groups. Today, the
organisation has more than 1200 members co-
ordinated in 94 groups across the UK. Its regions
are similar to those of the Regional Development
Agencies (RDAs) in England, plus one each for
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Farm Stay
UK is a farmer-owned consortium whose primary
functions are to:
Weblink
Check out this website for information on
journey planning in the UK.
www.transportdirect.info
1.
Promote the concept of farm tourism in the UK;
2.
Help members expand their businesses through
The majority of British people travelling in this country
on day visits, short breaks and long holidays use their
cars rather than taking public transport. Nearly 80 per
cent of all tourist trips are taken by car, while train travel
and journeys by coach account for 11 per cent and
6 per cent respectively. Domestic air travel is a fast-
growing public transport sector, with low-cost airlines
in particular offering new routes to more regional
airports in the UK.
pro-active marketing and sales support;
3.
Assist farmers in broadening their income base
through diversifi cation.
The consortium markets farm-based bed & breakfast,
self-catering and camping accommodation via its
main annual publication
Stay on a Farm
and its
interactive website. The organisation fi nances its
entire operation through membership fees, boosted
wherever possible by income from sponsorship or
advertising.
Accessibility
We saw earlier in this unit that the UK is a very
accessible destination, with many air and sea gateways
for overseas travellers. Visitors with reduced mobility,
whether from the UK or overseas, need to be able to
access transport services and tourism facilities as easily
as those who are able-bodied. It not only makes good
business sense to cater for the needs of visitors with
mobility issues, it is also a legal requirement under
Weblink
Check out this website for more
information on farm holidays in the UK.
www.farmstayuk.co.uk
