Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
wildlife, take photographs, take part in active pursuits
or simply to enjoy the peace and quiet. The landscape
and natural features in the UK are major selling points
for travel and tourism.
and staff to enable visitors to plan a successful trip
in the UK;
2.
Making bookings - incoming tourists may use
the services of a travel agent, tour operator or
book direct with transport and accommodation
providers. Whichever method is used, the process
must be reliable and effi cient;
Built attractions
In addition to the natural attractions found in the UK
we also have a wide variety of built tourist attractions
that are popular with UK and overseas visitors. Some
are purpose-built for tourism, such as Alton Towers, the
London Eye and Chessington World of Adventures, while
others have developed into attractions although this
was not their original purpose, e.g. St Paul's Cathedral,
York Minster, Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. The UK
has a number of World Heritage Sites, designated for
their unique contribution to global heritage and culture.
These include the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland,
Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, Caernarfon Castle in
Wales and Canterbury Cathedral in Kent.
3.
Travel to the destination - facilities such as airports,
ferry terminals and train stations, plus the transport
services they support, are designed to be as
simple as possible to pass through, with minimum
disruption and effort;
4.
Staying in the destination - accommodation, tourist
information, attractions, transport and events
should all be of a standard that meets, or exceeds,
the visitors' needs and expectations;
5.
Return travel - as with their journey to the UK, the
return journey to their own country should be as
stress-free as possible for overseas visitors.
Other features
Activity 3.8
Using appropriate reference sources, describe and
analyse the features and facilities that attract UK
and inbound visitors to either Stonehenge or York
Minster and meet their needs.
Britain has many destinations and attractions linked
to specifi c themes. Some are traditional, for example
gardens, mining heritage and ancient monuments,
while others are purpose-built for fun and excitement,
e.g. theme parks such as Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and
Legoland Windsor. Many themed attractions tell a story
of what has happened in the past or depict the history
of named characters, for example Cadbury World in
Birmingham, The Beatles Story attraction in Liverpool
and the World of Beatrix Potter centre in the Lake
District. Others are themed around the environment
and sustainability, such as the Eden Project in Cornwall
and the Centre for Alternative Technology in mid
Wales.
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P2 and
M1.
Facilities
We saw earlier in this unit that domestic and inbound
visitors have a variety of needs when planning their trips
and travelling to and within this country, such as access
to information, accommodation, transport services,
places to eat out, accessibility, etc. Component
industries within the UK travel and tourism sector
work in partnership to provide high-quality facilities to
meet these needs at all stages of the trip process, for
example:
The media has a big infl uence on where people decide
to go on holiday and take days out. Newspapers and
magazines have travel features that promote particular
destinations, while TV programmes, fi lms and celebrities
can publicise areas and encourage more visitors.
Examples include the cult TV series The Prisoner
attracting visitors to Portmeirion in west Wales and the
Gavin and Stacey TV programme showcasing Barry in
south Wales. Tourist boards sometimes produce 'movie
1.
Pre-visit planning - tourist boards and tourism
companies supply informative brochures, websites
