Tourist Destinations Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of tourist destinations, focusing on England and Spain. It examines the cultural, social, and physical features of these destinations, analyzing statistical data to identify trends and predict future developments in the tourism industry. The report also compares the appeal of leading and developing tourist destinations, discussing the factors that influence their popularity. Furthermore, it analyzes issues affecting destination popularity and explores the potential for responsible tourism in mitigating negative impacts and promoting sustainable practices. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and highlighting the importance of considering various factors in the tourism industry.

Tourist Destinations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................4
TASK 1 ......................................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Analysis of two main tourist destinations- England and Spain .....................................................4
The Alhambra and Generalife Gardens, Granada.................................................................................5
Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and Gaudi Sites.......................................................................................5
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao...............................................................................................................5
Tourist attractions .................................................................................................................................6
London Eye...........................................................................................................................................6
British Museum.....................................................................................................................................6
1.2 Analyzing statistics to determine trends and predicting future trends.............................................6
Task 2.........................................................................................................................................................9
LO 2.1 Cultural, Social and Physical features of the worldwide destination........................................9
LO 2.2 Comparison of features of the two tourism destinations.........................................................11
TASK 3.....................................................................................................................................................12
3.1 Compare the appeal of current leading destination with a currently developing tourist destination
.............................................................................................................................................................12
LO 3.2 Effects of characteristics of tourist destination over its appeal...............................................13
Task 4.......................................................................................................................................................14
4.1 Analysing issues that affect the popularity of destinations ..........................................................14
LO 4.2 Potential for responsible tourism............................................................................................15
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................16
References................................................................................................................................................17

Illustration Index
Illustration 1: Number of tourists visiting England...................................................................................7
Illustration 2: Number of visitors to different tourism destinations...........................................................8

INTRODUCTION
A country, state or region which markets itself as a place that can be visited by tourists is regarded
as a tourist destination (Williams, 2006). Certain characteristics, accessibility and amenities are shared
by all the tourist destinations. Tourist destinations are naturally formed. These may even be constructed
by the residents of a place. The present report is on United Kingdom and worldwide tourist
destinations. It makes an attempt to understand the social, cultural and physical features of tourist
destinations like England and Spain. The ways, in which various characteristics of destinations affect
their appeal to the tourists, have been analyzed. Lastly, an understanding has been developed related to
the issues that are likely to affect the popularity off tourist destinations.
TASK 1
1.1 Analysis of two main tourist destinations- England and Spain
The two main tourism destinations can be explained as follows:
Spain
This is officially known as the Kingdom of Spain. It is a sovereign state which is located on
Iberian Peninsula in the South Western Europe. Spain is one among the three countries which possesses
both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. By covering an area of 505, 990 km, Spain is the second
largest country in the Western Europe (Conrady and Buck, 2011). Spain is known for creation of a
mass tourism industry. It is one of the top tourism destinations due to various reasons. These reasons
are its climate, diverse landscapes, vibrant culture, popular and extended coastlines, historical legacy
and excellent infrastructure. In the last five decades, Spain has the second largest internal tourism in
terms of spending.
England
England is a country which is a part of United Kingdom. Much of the central and southern part of
the island of Great Britain is covered by England. The terrain of this country comprises of the pains as
well as low hills. The south west and north of England comprises of uplands. London, which is the
capital of England, is considered to be the largest urban zone in the European Union. Millions of
visitors are attracted to England every year (Dale and Oliver, 2005). It is one of the top tourism
destinations in the world because it consists of exciting cities and historic places which are rich in
heritage. There are beautiful coastlines and stunning countryside.
There are various tourist attractions in England a well as Spain. Each of these has been identified in the
tables below with the number of visitors and income generation.
Spain

Tourist Attraction Number of visitors
The Alhambra and Generalife Gardens,
Granada
2012- 3 million visitors
2013- 2, 402, 473 visitors
Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and Gaudi
Sites
2012- 2.3 millions
2013- 3.177 million
The Great Mosque of Cordoba (Mezquita) 2012- 700,583
2013- 850,875
The Prado and Paseo del Artes, Madrid 2012- 2. 8 million visitors
2013- 3.2 million visitors
San Lorenzo de El Escorial 2012- 650,000+
2013- more than 500, 000
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao 2012- 1,014, 104 visitors
2013- 1.8 million
Seville Cathedral and Alcazar 2012- 759,000
2013- 671,000
Toledo's Old City 2012- 450,000
2013- 620,00
Plaza Mayor, Madrid 2012- 970,000
2013- 874,000
The White Towns of Andalucía 2012- 670,000
2013- 780,000
The top three destinations of Spain are the following:
◦ The Alhambra and Generalife Gardens, Granada
◦ Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and Gaudi Sites
◦ Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
These top three destinations are the most visited in Spain due to their unique features. The

Generalife comprises of a series of gardens (History of Generalife, 2015). Here, every corner
provides a surprise to the eyes of the visitors. There are plants and water in these gardens which
depict a continuous interplay with light and its sounds. A number of visitors come to the
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, which demonstrates modern and contemporary art. Barcelona's
Sagrada Familia and Gaudi Sites cater to a number of visitors every year. These are a work which
depicts a world of architecture. It is also one of the most ambitious ad modern buildings (La
Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudí, 2015.). The country experienced a significant amount of rise in
the number of tourists as well as the spendings that they make by as much as 8%. It was observed
that revenue from tourism increased nearly 14% above from that of income generated through this
sector in 2007 & 2008. In 2010 the country earned €1500 million. This clearly indicates that
tourism industry of Spain is thriving despite the recent economic crisis.
England
Tourist attractions Number of visitors
Hadrian's Wall 2014- 3.5 million
Warwick Castle 2014- 810,000
Lake District 2014- 16.4 million tourists
Tower of London 2014- 3,075,950
Stonehenge 2014- 1,346,177
Big Ben 2014- 1,589,217
London Eye 2014- More than 3.5 Million visitors
British Museum 2014- 6,695,213
Windsor Castle 2014- 5,458,621
Durham Cathedral 2014- more than 600, 000 visitors
Top three tourist attractions in England are the following:
 Lake District
 British Museum
 Hadrian's Wall
The highest number of visitors come to these attractions. This is because, Lake District is the
largest national park in the country. Lakes are the main attractions which bring nature lovers to this

place. British museum attracts people as it is dedicated to human history and culture. It consists of 8
million works which arouse curiosity in the visitors. Majority of visitors come to the Hadrian's Wall
because it is not only a great central place to stay but it also it also allows the visitors to explore
activities at Kielder Forest. Income generated from tourism and its allied activities in the UK amounted
to £21 billion during 2013. While in 2014 the country was visited by some 34.4 million tourists who
spent £21.8 billion (Visitor economy facts, 2015). Total revenue earned from this industry amounted to
£125.7 billion in 2013 (UK TOURISM STATISTICS, 2014).
1.2 Analyzing statistics to determine trends and predicting future trends
Tourism trends can be defined as the general tendency or direction of behaviour of tourists
(Phillips, 2003). It comprises of the new changes that take place in the demand of consumers. It also
includes the developments in destinations. The following graphs provide information on the tourism
trends prevailing in England. These show the number of tourists visiting England from 2009 to 2012.
(Source: Travel Trends 2012: Key Findings, 2012)
The graph below shows the number of visitors to various tourist attractions of England in the year
2012.
Illustration 1: Number of tourists visiting England

(Source: Travel Trends 2012: Key Findings, 2012)
In the year 2013, 8.3 million tourists visited Spain in August. There were a total of 60.6 million
international tourists who visited Spain in 2013. as compared to this, London itself welcomed 2.7
million visitors in the year 2014. Rest of England had 14.2 million visitors (2014 snapshot, 2014). It
can be analysed that the number of visitors to Spain are much more than those to England.
The top three tourist attractions in Spain are The Alhambra and Generalife Gardens, Granada,
Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and Gaudi Sites and Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. These three top
tourist attractions are the most visited places in Spain. This is because these destinations also provide
the tourists with facilities and convenience in terms of transport, accommodations of various types and
other amenities.
Trends in terms of income generation
The spending by foreign visitors in Spain increased by about 59 billion euros in 2013 (Spain sees
record tourism numbers in 2013, 2014). It can be analyzed that increased spending was due to two
Illustration 2: Number of visitors to different tourism destinations

reasons. One of the reasons was higher number of tourists and the other was larger spending by
each person. As compared to this, the visitors in England spent an estimated amount of £7.3
billion. Tourism in England contributed £106 billion to the economy.
There are various changes and developments that could happen in UK tourism industry in the
next 20 years or so, indicating that future of the industry is in a very volatile state. One of the major
change that could happen is related to very 'reason for travelling'. Until now everyone used to believe
that travelling is more of related to packing the bags and going off on a holiday for some time. But in
coming years, this very concept can change upside down. It is expected that people would start to
'travel with a purpose', i.e. they would have a reason or motive for travelling to different places. It can
be supported through fact that aspects such as pollution, green house gases, etc. have gained a lot of
popularity in recent years, and people get a feeling of guilt when they undertake different travel related
activities such as air travel, which usually results in substantial rise in pollution levels. Therefore it can
be expected that people would try to develop a sense of purpose or reason for why they want to travel.
This way they would attempt to reduce the emission of harmful gases as well as try to protect the
natural environment. Future trends that could change the shape of travel industry in Spain is the
emergence and development of different alternative means of transportation. As air travel is becoming
expensive day by day, it can be said that people in the coming years may start to prefer such methods
that may help them to not only save the cost of air travelling, but also provide a new and more social
experience to them. For instance travelling and commuting through trains, boats, bikes or biking could
gain popularity in coming years. This way the face of travel and tourism industry could change
dramatically.
TASK 2
LO 2.1 Cultural, Social and Physical features of the worldwide destination
Introduction
One of the most important aspects of travel destinations is that of the various features and
characteristics that it possess. These can be categorized into cultural, social and physical. Cultural
factors are related to culture, religion and norms prevalent at a destination (Hong, . W., 2008). On the
other hand, social features are associated with environmental factors where social, i.e. general
environment of the region is taken into consideration (Olsen and et.al, 2008). While physical features
can be termed as those aspects which discuss about development and progress of the region in view of
geographical, technological, architectural, etc. can be seen (Boniface and Cooper, 2009). In the

following paragraph, cultural features of two countries – USA and India are discussed.
Indian food consists of a typical and unique taste which can be found in no other country. This
makes the country a very different place to travel to. Since India is such as vast nation which consists
of a wide number of regions divided into states, each of which have different taste and way of making
food. On the other hand to it, usually in USA a tourist can get to eat food which essentially are
American only (Moreno, 2005). In America there are numerous pubs and clubs which are visited by
large number of tourists as well as the locals; but in India, this concept is still at a very early stage.
There are not too many pubs in the country, but still they are becoming very popular. In India, Cricket
is given preference to any other sports; while in USA, games other than cricket like basketball,
baseball, etc. are very popular.
USA India
Food
American Food, Mexican and British Large variety of food products
Pubs
Highly popular; presence in large numbers Slowly popularizing; still at a developing stage
Sports
Preference to sports such as Baseball, Basketball,
Footbal, Hockey, etc.
Cricket is the major sport in India
Museums
Very popular places for bot locals and tourists Rarely visited by residents; but very popular
among tourists
Family Relations
Nuclear and Single Living Emphasis on Joint Family
In the following table, difference between the two nations in terms of their social environment has been
depicted:
USA India
Cost of living
Expensive Cheaper
Location of retail stores
They are located far from residential and
commercial areas.
Such stores are located near home and workplaces
so that they can be accessed easily.
Cost of Education
Low cost education Expensive

Quality of medical care
Good quality at higher prices, with insurance
money to pay the bills
Cheaper medical care; bills usually paid in cash
Basis for marriage
Based over emotions Social status of families precedes emotional
feelings
In following table, appeal for tourists in both the countries in terms of their physical environments
is presented:
USA India
Average rainfall per year (in depth)
715 mm 1083 mm
Coastline
19000 kms 7000 kms
Population Density (people per square km)
32.35 368.15
Highest Point
Mount McKinley Kanchenjunga
Forested Land
24.7% 21.6%
Conclusion
Through this investigation it can be seen that there are a large number of factors in terms of
culture, social and phycial make up of the two countries. In this sense, stating that one country is better
than the other from a view point of travel and tourism may be wrong. There are some aspects which
tourists may like in India while there are some because of which they may give preference to USA.
LO 2.2 Comparison of features of the two tourism destinations
Introduction
United States of America is ranked as the second largest preferred tourism destinations in the
world, while India is far below that of level set by USA. There are a variety of factors and forces that
create a point of differentiation between travel and tourism of both the countries. This section of the
report would compare features of the given tourism destinations.
Comparison
One of the elementary differences between the two countries is that USA is world's one of the

largest nations, which means that there are more places for tourists and travellers to visit. But since
India is not such a large country, tourists have very fewer options to visit in comparison to that of USA
(Petia and Peter, 2004). Due to this reason, USA is visited by more number of tourists than India.
Another prime difference between the countries is that climate of India is very hot in comparison to
European and American nations. In this sense, it can be said that this is a prime factor for more tourists
visiting USA than that of India. This is a reason why more people visit USA than that of India, as they
get a much cooler climate which is pretty much like what they get in their home country. Another
prominent point of differentiation between the two nations in terms of travel and tourism can be seen in
terms of development and urbanization (Kyriakidou, 2005). Since USA is a developed nation, tourists
get more amenities and facilities for the purpose of having a comfortable stay and improve their overall
experience of the destination; which they usually would not get while travelling in India, primarily
because of reason that the country is not as developed as USA.
Fees, tariff rates, etc. are much higher in USA than in India. This is also a very prominent reason
because of which slowly the travel trade is rising in the country. There are wide variety of options that
tourists can get when they travel in India. These can range from high class, high priced products and
services to cheapest options. Due to availability of such wide number of options, travelling to India can
be a very good experience (Sloan, 2014). Furthermore, there is a vast difference between India and
USA in terms of cultural and social norms. India is a country which is culturally very rich. Since it is a
multicultural country, travellers and tourists can get to see a very different side of the world and thus
improve their overall travelling experience by manifolds. Further, USA is one of the highly developed
nations of the world, indicating that it is economically very strong, while India is a developing nations,
meaning that it financially is not very strong. Due to this reason, more people prefer to travel to USA,
as they get much better and effective facilities in the country, as compared to those of which they get in
India.
Conclusion
Through the above study it can be said that there are various points of differences which makes
India and USA a lot different from one another. Herein, it was noted that people travel to India, because
of its rich cultural history; while some travel to USA mainly because of the development that the
country has undergone in last many years.
TASK 3
3.1 Compare the appeal of current leading destination with a currently developing tourist destination
Introduction