Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Attractions
The British Airports Authority (BAA) is the largest
single airport operator in the world. It was established
in 1987 as a private company and now operates 6 of
the UK's busiest airports - London Heathrow, Stansted,
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Southampton.
The tourist boards estimate that there are approximately
6,400 tourist attractions in the UK. Attractions are a vital
part of the UK and international travel and tourism sector,
since they are often the single most important reason
why tourists visit an area. People have different ideas
about exactly what we mean by an 'attraction'; a person
living in the West Midlands may think of Drayton Manor
Park or Warwick Castle as tourist attractions. People
from the south of England might mention Thorpe Park,
The London Eye or the Eden Project. Those living in
Wales may include St Fagans, Snowdonia or Oakwood
Theme Park on their list of attractions, while residents
of Scotland might well mention Aviemore, Edinburgh
Castle or the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. The people
of Northern Ireland would surely put the Giant's
Causeway or Waterfront Hall in Belfast towards the top
of their list of tourist attractions.
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Check out this website for more
information on the work of the BAA.
www.baa.com
Other important airports in the UK include Manchester,
Birmingham, Luton, Nottingham/East Midlands, Cardiff
and Belfast International. Much of the growth in UK
airports is due to the popularity of the low-cost airlines,
many of which use smaller, regional airports which can
be more convenient for passengers and tend to have
lower landing fees for the airlines.
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Check out this website for information
on the wide range of tourist attractions
throughout Britain.
www.visitbritain.com
FOCUS ON INDUSTRY
ROBIN HOOD AIRPORT
DONCASTER SHEFFIELD
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffi eld, the fi rst
full-service airport to open in the UK for 50 years,
began operating in 2005. Located 7 miles south
of Doncaster and 22 miles from Sheffi eld, the £80
million airport handles around 1 million passengers
per year fl ying to over 40 destinations worldwide.
It has already created more than 600 jobs, with
forecasts of 7,000 jobs in total over the next 5-10
years. Many of the UK's low-cost airlines, including
Thomson, fl ybe and Ryanair, operate fl ights to a
wide variety of European destinations, including
Corfu, Ibiza and Malta. The airport also offers fl ights
to long-haul destinations such as Florida and the
Caribbean.
Tourist attractions can be either natural or purpose-
built. The British countryside (and in particular its
'protected' areas such as National Parks, Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty and Heritage Coasts) is
a major attraction for millions of people every year.
Purpose-built attractions include facilities that have
been developed for tourism, e.g. theme parks, as well
as buildings that were designed for another purpose,
but which have since become popular with visitors, such
as castles, cathedrals and other historic buildings.
Activity 1.5
Write a short report on one 'natural' and one 'purpose-
built' tourist attraction in your own local area. In your
report you should describe and explain the roles of
the attractions and explain how they interrelate with
other travel and tourism components.
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Check out this website for more
information on Robin Hood Airport
Doncaster Sheffi eld.
www.robinhoodairport.com
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P2
and M1.
