Isle of Wight: A Tourist's Memorable Experiences and Island Culture

This essay details a tourist's memorable experiences on the Isle of Wight, highlighting its natural beauty, beaches, and cultural attractions. The narrative explores various activities, from adventurous sports to historical site visits, emphasizing the positive impact of tourism on the local economy and culture. It also addresses the importance of sustainable tourism practices and the role of hospitality and event management in enhancing the tourist experience. The essay reflects on the personal enrichment gained from the trip and the broader benefits and responsibilities associated with tourism in this unique island destination. Desklib provides access to similar essays and study resources for students.

CONCEPTS AND ISSUES

TABLE OF CONTENTS
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
An Island destination...................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

MAIN BODY
An Island destination
The Isle of Wight is like the heaven on earth, which is one of the most beautiful islands
of England I have been to as an International tourist. It is one of the most preferred destinations
since the Victorian times because of its resorts, mild climate, verdant landscape of fields and the
coastal scenery. I have gathered a lifetime of experiences that shall be cherished throughout my
life as the most memorable moments. The Isle of Wight was earlier the part of the country
Hampshire but now have separated to form an Island. It is very expensive to live on this Island
but yet it is the second most populous Islands in UK. The Island is off the south coast of England
mainly recognized for the beaches and the seafronts that it is facing from all the sides.
It is a costly affair to stay at the Island but for the holidaying purpose it can be considered
as the best in terms of accommodation, restaurants, sightseeing, attractive destinations and
mesmerizing beaches, events and the exciting water sports activities (Discover the Isle of
Wight… 2021). I have tried the most challenging as well as adventurous activities on the
destination like the kayaking, paddle-boarding, breathtaking coastlines, experienced the fun of
the giant free fall slides and the stunning landscapes as part of my visit to the most amazing
holiday destination, Isle of Wight. As a detachment from the daily routine of heavy workload, it
serves as the stress-buster and energizes to kick-off a new start to the life.
It is one of the most happening places I have ever been to where you are completely
surrounded by the nature and the natural atmosphere reliving one of the greatest times of the life
without any stress and tension. Most of the international celebrities and the sports personalities
choose this place as the destination to visit as part of their holidays and chill to acquire the most
of the moments. It needs a good budget to afford this international Island as the livelihood
including accommodation facility, food and beverages, adventurous sports and the transportation
facilities are to expensive for an average earning individual. This is the reason it needs long term
planning and the sound financial position for the trip to such Islands.
The place has lot to offer to the international tourists who have selected the destination
for the holidaying purpose in the form of beaches, grasslands, coastlines, landscapes and the
luxurious resorts. The place is easily accessible through the tourist guides who arrange for all the
transportation facility and the various areas that are to be planned for the sightseeing purposes. I
can assure that I have spend the most quality time and the precious moments of my life on the
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Island of Wight, in the arms of nature. One of the best parts of the visit involved the Medieval
castle, popular events, family rides with the theme parks and the Queen Victoria's residence.
Exploring the beauty of the various Islands round the world is one of my priorities while I take a
break from the routine life and the daily activities as this freshens me up to start a fresh ahead of
it.
I am already fascinated by the historical units and the vintage places which I found on the
Isle of Wight Island. The Island is located at the south coast of England where there are
numerous beaches, seafronts, vintage beach huts where I was amazed to see the architecture. I
also visited places like Compton Bay and Yaverland beach which had one of the unique things
that was the Dinosaur remains and the fossils bringing me to the ancient era and the historic
times. Before planning the trip I confirmed that whether I will be able to fly to the Isle of Wight
(Isle of Wight one day trip itinerary, 2021). I was impressed that the small Island has two
airfields where one can land from the private flights and this is when I was sure regarding the
holiday destination that shall be the beautiful Island cancelling all the other options that were
available like the city area, or some region or be it a resort. I had finalized the location and then
planned what are the places that I am to visit and how will I manage all in the limitation of the
time that is available.
The top most on the priority list was the long drive throughout the perimeter of the Island
which could be completed in approximately three hours viewing one end to the other of the Isle
of Wight. This was the best part of the trip or rather the best three hours when I could experience
the beauty of the place from one place to the other being completely detached from the routine
busy and stressful life (Chunhua, 2021). The tour guide that I took along the ride was also
amazing as he introduced and briefed me regarding all the different places and the specific
reasons behind creating them. We stopped at several places, had the food that was the speciality
of the place and the weather also was mild which further was like a cherry on the cake. At the
end of the road trip I had a huge collection of the photographs that I had clicked and the bundle
of memories that shall be serving me for a lifetime happiness. The day ended with a lot of
pleasure and satisfaction for the choice of the trip.
Since I am highly mesmerized and fascinated by the beaches and the seafronts, so I had
booked my accommodation on the seaside. The room I had occupied was facing the sea which
felt like heaven on earth. The cold breeze that was ever hitting my face at the residence acted like
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the energy booster to me and filled me with joy and enthusiasm for the day. I was never a fitness
freak nor had the healthy routine but the awesomeness of the place compelled me for the
morning and the evening walks around the beaches and along the seaside. I was awestruck by the
beauty and then cleanliness of the place and was with the opinion of permanently shifting to the
place and spending the rest of my life in beloved arms of the nature. I wish I could fulfil this
dream of mine and if not then the second trip to the destination will for sure be planned by me
such that it can contribute to the fun experiences of my life.
Being the tourists we are benefited by the place as it serves the purpose of holidaying for
the person and contributes to building the memorable experiences thereby relieving all the stress
and tension in the lives of the individual. But on the other there is the other perspective to this
which is that the contemporary society that is living on the Island also are highly benefited by the
rapid pace of the tourism industry at their place. The society is economically, socially and
culturally enhanced and developed. The tourism to any region is the huge source of income for
the place and increases the productivity for the businesses that are established there. Also
through the healthy intervention of the tourists the cultural practices are also developed and
directs the positive change in the beliefs and the mentality of the person. After visiting the Island
and mesmerized by the beauty and the analysis of the various opportunities make the migrants
shift to the place and further strengthens the economic and the financial development of the
place. The environmental concerns shall be boosted for the place with the high involvement of
the tourists in the region and the heritage and the exotic vintage destinations shall be maintained
so that the higher level of the tourism can be attracted. In this attempt the cleanliness and the
beauty of the nature shall be protected and preserved for the guest satisfaction and prosperous
experience. This also somewhere enhances the experience of the contemporary society and the
surrounding environment to them.
But it can critically also be noticed that the management of the place shall be maintaining
the surroundings for the better experience of the individuals but similarly the tourists might not
feel it to be their responsibility to maintain such beauty and not harm or spoil with any of their
inappropriate actions at the destination. If the tourists do not maintain the cleanliness and create a
mess around the place then that shall be putting the efforts of the authority go in vain. So the
tourists also needs to be focused on the sustainable and environmental friendly use of the various
resources that are available for the tourists of the place. To maintain the effectiveness of the use I
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witnessed at each and every place on the Island there are strict instructions mentioned that are
displayed in the form of notice boards which the guests have to read and accordingly act. All
around the seaside the garbage bins have been placed and the clear instructions regarding drop
the litter in the garbage bag are specified so that nobody makes an error and make the ignorance
as the excuse. The traffic instructions are also clearly prescribed and the defaults are liable for
the fine and penalties (Ady, Ratnadewi and Rahim10, 2018). The rules and the lawful
legislations are making the destination a better place to live in for the contemporary societies.
The tourism industry does not operate individually rather it significantly impacts the
hospitality and the event management companies or the organization of the place. The tourism is
the first industry which attracts the tourists to the place and further it is the responsibility of the
hospitality industry to provide the guest satisfaction with the accommodation services, food and
beverages that is the speciality of the region and fulfilling the other recreational purposes of the
guests on the Island. As part of the entertainment, fun and the recreational purposes various
events are being organized by the event management companies so that the tourists can be
fascinated and motivated to plan the trip to the Isle of Wight. I have also been the part of the
various events like the exhibitions, auctions, marriage ceremonies that were hosted alongside the
famous places on the Island. The events were also performed in the form of the various cultural
activities belonging to the place that were organized on the Queen Victoria's beach. The
organizers also provided the opportunity to the guests to participate in the events and enrich the
locals with their own culture and traditional perspectives. So together these three industries that
are the tourism, hospitality and the event business are comprising the major proportion of the
economic activities of the Island. This is the major reason for the growth and development of the
place.
The other most amazing part of the journey was the experience with the variety of the
adventure sports that were being provided at the different parts of the Island. The tourist guide
properly briefed about each and every recreational activities that are offered, and I was lucky
enough to experience each of them in the short trip that I had planned. Some most amazing
adventures were Rib ride around The Needles, tree climbing, kayaking, Segway rides, mountain
bike riding and go karting. Apart from that the paddle boarding, aqua parks, sailing experiences
and all the water related sports were the fun-time to do at the beautiful Island. Also, it included
the horse riding at the barren land, grasslands and the valleys around. All these helped me
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resolve my phobias of water, height and animals, and I was able to gather the experiences and
the memories that were worth the money paid. It is not only about the fun and the pleasure that
the person seeks or the relieving of the stress and tension in the personal lives of the individual
but also with the experience are the countless skills that are developed in the self of the
individual. These can be in the form of the exposure by visiting the new places, the effective
communication skills, independence and practical approach to life. It also changes the
perspective to see life, fills up with positivity and the boosted self-confidence and motivation to
perform better in life. The natural surroundings are good for the meditation, self-introspection
and the calmness of the mind and the body of the individual.
I had a trip of five days to the Island and one of things that I was fond of the most on the
Isle of Wight is the amazing variety of food that was offered. The dishes that were the speciality
of the place were all tried by me one by one and some of them were so delicious that couldn't
resist to try it multiple times. The major of them were Gallybagger cheese soufflé, Crab pasty,
Honeycomb doughnuts, cream tea and the most famous was the Isle of Wight tomatoes. I wasn't
even sure that whether I will be liking the food at home when I am back to pavilion. This place is
considered as the holiday destination since the Victorian era and is being highly populated by the
tourists and visitors within and outside the England (Lee and et.al., 2018). It shall be requiring
the passport and the valid visa of England for entering the Island of Isle of Wight as it is
considered the part of the country. In the duration of the five days I enjoyed myself to the fullest
and made a lifetime of memories and fulfilled many of my dreams that I was thinking of from
the last one year of unpleasant situations of lock-down and the house arrest.
Isle of Wight is also famous for the rich culture and the tradition it follows and to cherish
the same there are various festivals that are celebrated in the form of the events that are managed.
They are in the form of the Isle of Wight festival, Carnivals, Cowes week, Black-gang Chine etc.
which are being conducted so that the tourists are further attracted to the Island. These are in the
form of recreational activities for the guests that fascinates them and enlightens them regarding
the culture of the diverse people in the contemporary society. Apart from that the other major
concern of the authorities is that the historical monuments and the vintage and the heritage of the
place is being maintained by the authorities of the place. This also adds on flavour to the place
and that is the reason even I am impressed by the combination of the modern and the traditional
outlook of the place. The sandy Shanklin beach and the Ventnor beach are also one of the
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famous places to visit on the Isle of Wight. The calmness, peace and the purity of the
environment has been significantly contributing to generating the greater experience that is
gained by the individual.
The visit to the iconic landmark of the Isle of Wight which is the rock formation at The
Needles. It is a must visit place where the chalk stacks are being placed over the sea bed like the
row of needles and provides the person with the great photo opportunity at the edges of the
coastal areas. I spend whole day long against The Needles and found it to be the most
mesmerizing moments across the sea. I took the boat ride around the needles and felt like being
lost in the beauty of nature. Apart from that I enjoyed the various castles, palaces and the quiet
little corner of the Steephill Cove. I also experienced the ride on the steam railways with the
noisy and the steamy and poor sighted heritage railways which are now being converted to the
metro and the bullet trains. But the contemporary society that are living on the Islands has
simultaneously advanced and have been updated technologically but are also preserving the
ancient time resources and are displaying them in front of the guests. The remains of dinosaurs
are also maintained in the fossils of them place and this sights of the ancient times are the reason
the public such high charges for observing the same.
The experience that I have felt and the roller-coaster ride of the feelings and emotions
that I have been through can be better understood by the Gibbs model of reflection as developed
by the Graham Gibbs in 1988. It is a framework that have been designed to examine the various
experiences of the journey and also identify the various learnings that have been assumed from
the process. It is one of the most famous models that are applied to the situations of self-
reflection and I shall be applying the same and the various stages to describe the experience and
the feelings that were generated. The first stage involves the description of the experience that
have been derived by me in the journey to the Island. I can express that it was the most fruitful
experience of my life full of thrill, excitement, adventure, fun, positivity and the natural vibes
and contributed in building the memories of lifetime that shall be leaving the long-lasting impact
to be cherished throughout my life. The next stage involves featuring the feelings and the
emotions that are developed and the thought process over the experience that I have gathered. I
have gathered lot of positive feelings and the emotions which are pleasant and sensational to
which I am deeply attached. The best part is that I feel relieved and joyous and the trip has
proved to be a stress-buster for the routine busy life. Through the analysis of the journey I can
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evaluate that there are several positives and the negative factors that have been acquired by the
company like the positive aspects can be the scenery, beaches, seaside, amazing food, heritage
and the exceptional events that have been executed during the trip like the carnival. Also, the
mild climate is the advantageous factors about the Island. Whereas on the other hand the
negative aspects that were felt could be the expensive accommodation, food, tickets for the
events, fares for the adventure sports and the high rates of all the other services that were
acquired by the guests (Agnew, 2020). Apart from that the UK visa are difficult to obtain and so
the process becomes complex and also since there were small airfields so the private flights have
to be booked which is again a costly affair for the business.
Further the reflection cycle is continued to the analysis of the learnings from the various
experiences of the trip to the Isle of Wight. One of the learnings are that the positivity should
never die and each moment must be lived as if it's the last this shall be making all the
experiences to be happening and joyful for the person. Apart from that the independence, value
of money, my personal interests in the historical incidents, conquering the phobias by braveness
and facing the challenges to overcome them are some major learnings from the trip to the Island.
Lastly it includes discussing over the future action plan that is to be executed by the individual
post the trip. Post the successful completion of the journey I shall be starting off the daily routine
of my personal and the professional life with the power pack of energy, enthusiasm and
motivation top perform and bring the best possible outcomes in the company. It shall also be
contributing in the planning and the execution of the future course of action wherein the
company can plan for the holiday packages that avoids the problems faced in the current trip. I
also discovered that you can better enjoy such destinations if you have a partner, friends or
somebody from the family. Also, that the budgetary exercise can be planned in a better way
rather than taking the spontaneous decisions regarding where to invest and how much. It can also
be beneficial if the complete holiday package is being taken where all your travelling and the
sight seeing activities become the responsibility of the tourist guide and you end up spending
less.
The self-reflective exercise is also one of the healthy activities that shall be helping in
boosting of the morale of the individual. It converts the experiences that one has received into
the the understandings regarding what positivity has been gained and the negative aspects that
needs to be avoided in the future actions. The deep analysis shall be contributing to the
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generation of the insights regarding the tastes and preferences of the individual. The reflective
evaluation regarding my holiday destination helped to gain the knowledge about my likes and
dislikes that are affecting my feelings and changing the experience. I explored that I am
fascinated by the historic places, heritage and the vintage creations and am interested to discover
about the past and the ancient era. This is when I also realized that I am highly inclined towards
the adventurous sports, water sports and activities and that I can accept challenges to resolve
them just like I fought with the various phobias that I had and conquered them.
Through the reflective analysis of the destination it can be assessed that maximum the
holiday trip has been inclined towards the positive aspects only and this is the reason that the
individual shall be highly satisfied after the visit and shall be mostly confident and motivated.
Also, the higher level of the satisfaction of the individual is the one factor that shall be
contributing to the generation of the positive word of mouth regarding the holiday destination.
The reviews provided are in favour then it shall promote the Island such that the other people
shall also wish to visit the place further contributing to the boosted tourism at the place. I would
rather suggest all my friends and family to visit the Island and plan a short trip which can be a
refreshing experience for them since the natural surroundings of the Isle of Wight are
undoubtedly the stress relievers and sheds all the negativities and fills in the positivity and
optimistic perspective to see the life. The best part of the place is that the it is meant for all types
of people and has something or the other to offer to kinds of human. One who are the beach
lovers and prefer calmness, one who love the noisy places like the various events that are being
organized, one who prefers the social getaways and some prefer isolation for meditation. One
who are the walkers and runners being health conscious, some are history buffs prioritizing the
heritage locations, many are the nature lovers and are there for the romantic getaways. The island
has places that can best suite to the interests of the various types and the nature of the people.
I have been thoroughly glad by visiting the place as the beauty of the nature has touched
me deep within and am surely willing to plan another trip to the Island but this time with the
whole family. I felt that I could have enjoyed more if I had been with more people and could
cherish the memories with couple of my mates. Overall the experience was tremendous for me as
I have made the most of time in my life and have enjoyed all the moments to the fullest. I assume
that this holiday location was one of my best choices till now where I have experienced all the
positive factors and have received more then my expectations with the place. I believe that the
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places that I have encountered shall forever be traced in my memories until I come again and
make some new ones. The fun and the laughter shall also remain long and keep me motivated to
see the positive aspects in the things I have and capitalize on every opportunity that I seek to
make the most of it.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Agnew, V., 2020. Pacific island encounters and the German invention of race 1 (pp. 81-94).
Routledge.
Lee, T. H. and et.al., 2018. Segmentation by recreation experience in island-based tourism: A
case study of Taiwan's Liuqiu Island. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. 26(3). pp.362-
378.
Ady, S. U., Ratnadewi, I. M. and Rahim10, R., 2018. Holographic reflection Penglipuran Village
Bali. International Journal of Engineering & Technology. 7(2.14). pp.216-219.
Chunhua, Y., 2021. The Cultural Significance of Construction and International Communication
Reflection of San Kong in Qufu, Confucius’ Hometown. Journal of Social Science and
Humanities. 4(1). pp.06-11.
Online
Discover the Isle of Wight… 2021. [Online] Available through:
<https://www.visitisleofwight.co.uk/>
Isle of Wight one day trip itinerary. 2021. [Online] Available through:
<https://livein10countries.com/isle-of-wight-one-day-trip-itinerary/>
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