London vs. Bangkok: A Comparative Analysis of Tourist Destinations

Tourist Destinations
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................. 3
Task 1 for LO 1:.......................................................................................................... 4
A) Identify and analyse a world’s leading destination and compare it with a chosen
UK destination in terms of visitor profile and historic visitor numbers, income
generated and the key tourist generator countries (markets) to these destinations
[P1.1, M1]....................................................................................................................4
B) Using the data from the above, analyse destination trends for your chosen
overseas destination and the UK destination and predict future trends in visitor
numbers and visitor profile. [P1.2]...............................................................................5
Task 2 for LO 2:.......................................................................................................... 8
A) Identify the cultural, social and physical features of your UK destination, detailing
the appeal to tourists [P2.1]........................................................................................ 8
B) Compare and contrast the cultural, physical and social features of the UK
destination with those of the chosen overseas destination [P2.2, M2, and D1]..........9
Task 3 for LO 3:........................................................................................................ 12
A) Investigate and analyse (comparatively) the economic and political
characteristics of both destinations [P3.1, M3]. (Please refer to the appendix for PPT)
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B) Critically evaluate how the cultural, economic, physical, political and social
characteristics of the UK destination affect its appeal to tourists. [P3.2, D2]............14
Task 4 for LO 4:........................................................................................................ 16
A. Identify three issues that may affect the popularity of the UK destination as a
destination and compare and contrast them with the overseas destination chosen
[P4.1].........................................................................................................................16
B. Critically discuss how your UK destination could sustain its appeal with an
emphasis on ‘Responsible Tourism’ [P4.2, D3].........................................................18
Reference List...........................................................................................................21
Appendix................................................................................................................... 24
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Introduction
Tourism and travel management includes activities related to travel and hospitality
industries. In the report, the chosen UK destination is LONDON. London is one of
the most popular tourist destinations. Every year millions of tourists flock to London,
to enjoy its incredible museums, world-class theatres, several sporting spots and its
weather. It offers more green space than any other European city and serves as a
perfect destination for people who love to do shopping. The other chosen destination
is Bangkok, one of the best shopping capitals in south Asia. It is the capital of
Thailand, the most developed city in the country. The city offers unique features and
places for travellers to visit and enjoy. Bangkok is exceptionally famous for Thai
massages, sacred temples, quiet beaches and many other things.
In this report, a complete analysis of two different tourist destinations is done. This
report consists of evaluation of impacts of political, social, cultural and economic
characteristics of a tourist destination have on the appeal of customers. Ways in
which political and economic factors of the country help to enhance the buzz about
the place is elaborate in the assignment.
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Task 1 for LO 1:
A) Identify and analyse a world’s leading destination and compare it with a
chosen UK destination in terms of visitor profile and historic visitor numbers,
income generated and the key tourist generator countries (markets) to these
destinations [P1.1, M1]
Bangkok
One of the world’s leading destinations is Bangkok, which is located in South Asia.
Bangkok has rapidly risen to become so popular that it has surpassed London in
attracting travellers and tourists from different corners of the world. Bangkok is
actually called Krung Thep, mainly by its local residents, which means “city of
angels”. Tourists prefer to visit Thailand more as compared to any other city in the
world for complete relaxation and fulfilment of vacation (Ushakov, 2014). The city is
known for its beaches, mountains, temples, food, green spaces, forest and national
parks and many more attractions (Batra, 2017). The city recorded about 19 million
visitors in 2016, a little drop from the year 2015, which recorded marginally more
number of visitors. The city has highest number of craze among the residents of
United States of America, China and India. Tourists, alone from America, dropped in
the country to contribute about $42 billion towards the economy of the country.
Chinese travellers are regular visitors in the city and contribute about 83 million per
year. On average, a Chinese traveller spends nearly $160 during his visit to the city,
everyday. About 10, years ago the income generated from travellers contributed
about 6% towards the GDP of Thailand, whereas now in 2018, the number is
expected to have risen to 9-10%. The income from tourists is not just dependent on
foreign tourists, but the number of domestic tourists is also high, although they do
not spend so much.
London
London, once the top tourist destinations in the world, is now the fourth most
preferred tourist destination according to the reports gathered from various forums.
About half of the tourist population visiting United Kingdom visit London. City has
vibrant culture, friendly atmosphere that people of all age, race and religion love to
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feel and experience. The city has so much to offer to its visitors starting from historic
and medieval places to modern theatres and museums, diverse cultural and other
important places that a visitor feels baffled to decide which place to visit first (Medlik,
2016). According to findings and report, the capital of United Kingdom received
about 14 billion dollars, due to expenditure from foreign visitors. Tourism sector has
significant impact on the economy of the country and every year contributes to a
considerable percentage in the growth of GDP. The number of visitors in London
accounted to about 17.4 million in year 2014, considerable increase in from the
previous year, which recorded about 12.7 million visitors (visitbritain.org, 2018). The
number of visitors from China increased by whopping 33%, while the amounts spend
by them rising by 48%.
B) Using the data from the above, analyse destination trends for your chosen
overseas destination and the UK destination and predict future trends in
visitor numbers and visitor profile. [P1.2]
For London
London is expected to increase its appeal as a tourist destination among travellers
around the globe in upcoming years. The city has everything to offer its visitors in
order to deliver an adventurous and memorable experience, along with that city
keeps upgrading itself every year so much, so that the a traveller would have
something new to see or visit on every visit to London. Several factors are expected
to influence the key trends in travel and tourism industry of the city, which are:-
Fall in the value of pound: After the decision taken by UK citizens to exit European
Union, many factors have seen to affect the economy of the nation. One of the major
impacts has been on the currency of the nation, which is witnessing record low value
as compared to US, Canada and Australian dollars. This is driving many foreign
travellers to prefer visiting UK cities as their favourite vacation destination. The fall in
the value of pound, has compelled reduction in price and cost of travelling in the city.
The tourism sector of the country will continue to benefit as long as the value of
pound keeps falling. The city is expected to witness rise in the number of visitors in
2017, by 6.2% (visitbritain , 2018).
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Figure 1: Predicted growth in number of visitors and visitor spend
(Source: visitbritain.org, 2018)
Huge investment in tourism sector: The government of the United Kingdom
realises the fact that travel and tourism sector has significant impact on the economy
of the nation. Government has rolled out huge amount of funds and schemes in
order to develop infrastructure, telecommunication facilities, maintenance of existing
historic places and tourist attractions (Gunn, 2014). This is expected to create more
buzz among young travellers to visit London. Better connectivity of roads within the
city will help travellers to travel at much ease.
Improvement in Marketing Strategies:- Better marketing strategies and use of
online platform for promoting tourist attractions in the city can spread more
awareness among visitors around the world.
Figure 2: Predicted number of visitors to UK
(Source: visitbritain.org, 2018)
For Bangkok
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