Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the 1960s onwards gave coastal resorts in the
Mediterranean a major boost for tourism. In the
UK, seaside resorts continue to be popular with the
family market;
Activity 23.2
To help you narrow down the search for a suitable
destination, have a brainstorming session with
the other members of your group, listing as
many destinations as possible that could provide
opportunities to meet the objectives you agreed
earlier. When you have fi nished your list, take each
destination in turn and ask each group member to
give it a rating of between 1-10 (where 10 is the best
and 1 the worst) against each objective. If all goes
according to plan, you should be able to draw up
a league table of the most suitable destinations for
your trip. If you run into problems, ask your tutor to
advise on the best course of action.
•
Purpose-built resorts - companies such as Disney,
Center Parcs and Butlin's offer purpose-built
facilities for their visitors, where accommodation,
entertainment, activities, catering and information
are all provided on site;
•
Natural and rural areas - have long been a magnet
for visitors of all types who want to get away from
the stresses and strains of everyday life. National
Parks and other protected areas are found in
many countries, offering visitors the opportunity
of experiencing fresh air and exercise in natural
surroundings;
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P1.
•
Historical and cultural areas - heritage is one of the
main reasons why overseas visitors come to Britain
and why British people visit many other destinations
around the world. As many people look beyond the
'sun, sea and sand' destinations for a more enriching
experience, historical and cultural destinations are
increasing in popularity.
time involved. How long you go away for may be
determined by your budget and the availability of
staff that accompany you - your tutors will have work
commitments and other constraints that will affect
when they can be away, so make sure you consult them
at an early stage in the planning of your trip.
Any one of these destination types would be suitable
for a residential study visit. You will fi nd information on
possible destinations for a study visit on websites and
by referring to the other units in this topic focusing on
UK, European and long-haul destinations.
Comparison of potential destinations
Having considered the aims and objectives of your
study visit, investigated the type of destination that you
would like to visit and discussed other considerations
affecting your choice of area, you need to think about
the features and benefi ts of different destinations before
making your fi nal choice. Features are facts about
the destination and benefi ts are what this means for
visitors (see Figure 23.1). You should also consider the
destination features from the point of view of achieving
the educational aims of the study tour, for example
having many different types of accommodation will
allow your group to visit a spread of hotels and other
accommodation.
Weblink
Check out any of these websites for
information on suitable destinations for
your study tour.
www.worldtravelguide.net;
www.antor.com; www.travelocity.co.uk;
www.abta.com; www.aito.co.uk;
www.lonelyplanet.com; www.oag.com;
www.roughguides.com
Duration
Location and climate
To get the most from your tour it should ideally be for
a minimum of three days. Overseas trips are likely to
be longer than this, perhaps a full week, in order to
make the trip worthwhile in view of the extra travelling
You will need to consider the precise location of your
study tour - too rural and you may fi nd it harder to travel
around, too urban and you may be continually stuck in
