Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Destination facilities
facilities and restaurant dining. Some accommodation
in long-haul destinations is promoted exclusively to
particular types of tourists, e.g. couples on honeymoon
and single travellers.
Destinations are the end points of people's journeys. It
is often the destination, its images, tourist facilities and
the way it is promoted, that stimulates a person to want
to travel there in the fi rst place. Destinations are of
prime importance in travel and tourism, since they are
the focus of the many different component industries in
travel and tourism, including transport, accommodation,
attractions, food and drink establishments, etc.
FOCUS ON INDUSTRY
SANDALS RESORTS
Sandals is a collection of 12 resorts in the Caribbean
promoted exclusively to couples. The resorts are
located in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and the
Bahamas, and are offered on an all-inclusive basis,
meaning that guests do not have to worry about
settling bills while on holiday. The resorts offer a
wide range of land and watersports, including golf,
scuba diving, tennis, fi tness suites and snooker.
Additional items, such as individual butler service,
local tours and spa treatments, can be booked in
advance or on arrival in the resorts. Sandals resorts
offer a complete service for guests wanting to
get married at one of the resorts or enjoying their
honeymoon.
Local transport
Long-haul city destinations, such as New York, Rio de
Janeiro, Cape Town and Sydney, are well served by
public transport services. Away from the main centres
of population public transport may not be readily
available and tourists may need to hire a car or use
a local taxi service to explore some destination areas.
Tourists on a budget, such as young people and gap
year travellers, are attracted to the low prices for public
transport services in many long-haul destinations,
particularly in the developing nations of the world.
Business travellers, who may be spending a short while
in a destination, are likely to use the services of local
taxi operators or hire a car for the duration of their
stay.
Weblink
Check out these websites for more
information on Sandals and its Caribbean
resorts.
www.sandals.co.uk
Accommodation
The range of accommodation available in a destination
will refl ect the demand from incoming tourists. If a
resort attracts mainly young people travelling on a
budget, the accommodation is likely to be simple and
cheap, e.g. hostels and guest houses. Destinations that
appeal to wealthier visitors are likely to offer high quality
accommodation facilities for tourists. In reality, many
long-haul destinations have a range of accommodation
types to meet the needs of different travellers. This
could be a mixture of self-catering accommodation,
such as chalets, houses and villas, which is particularly
popular with families and groups who need fl exibility
during their stay. Serviced accommodation, such as
hotels, inns and guest houses, offers a range of services
to guests, which will vary depending on the quality
and price charged. These could include a concierge
service, 24-hour room service, valet parking, business
Sport and entertainment
Sports tourism is growing in popularity and is when
people go abroad to see specifi c sporting events,
such as the Cricket World Cup or a motor racing
Grand Prix, or make sport part of their activities while
in a destination, e.g. playing golf in the Far East
or taking part in adventure sports in New Zealand.
Some travellers visit destinations specifi cally for the
entertainment on offer, e.g. Las Vegas in the USA,
while others look for entertainment during their stay,
perhaps visiting night clubs, casinos and bars. Different
types of entertainment will appeal to different visitors
- families are likely to look for facilities to entertain the
children, while couples will seek out a wider range of
entertainment options. In major cities, entertainment
