Global Tourist Destinations: Trends and Analysis for Virgin Holidays

This report provides a detailed analysis of major tourist destinations worldwide, focusing on visitor numbers and income generation, with specific attention to the UK, USA, Spain, France, and China. It examines cultural, social, and physical features that attract tourists, comparing developed and developing destinations like the UK and India. The report also analyzes statistics to determine tourism trends and predict future developments, highlighting the impact of globalization, technological advancements, and niche markets such as medical and adventure tourism. The analysis emphasizes the importance for companies like Virgin Holidays to understand these trends to develop effective business strategies and enhance revenue generation. The document is contributed by a student and available on Desklib, a platform offering study tools and resources for students.

TOURIST DESTINATIONS
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INTRODUCTION
Tourist destinations are visited by the tourists for their cultural, natural or historical value. In
current scenario, tourism has become one of the key sources of revenue generation which
contribute significantly to nation’s economy (Cooper, 2013). This assignment portrays the
different aspect of the tourist destinations. It throws light on the scope of Worldwide
tourist destinations. There are many cultural, social and physical features of the tourist
destination which are described in this report. It further explains the characteristics of
destination and its impact on their appeal. The issues that are likely to influence the tourist
destinations are also described in this work.
Virgin Holidays is a UK based leading tour operator. It was founded in the year 1985 with
headquarters in Crawley, UK. It offers holidays worldwide with destination including Canada,
USA, India, Australia and South Pacific. It is important for companies like Virgin Holidays to
focus on the all the aspects of tourist destination to develop effective business strategies.
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LO1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report incorporates the detailed information of main tourist destinations of the world.
It focuses on the visitor numbers as well as income generated by this destination. The
tourist destinations selected for this purpose are UK, USA, Spain, France and China. It
further discusses the statistics to determine tourism destination trends and predict future
trend.
1.1 ANALYSE MAIN TOURIST DESTINATIONS AND GENERATORS OF THE
WORLD IN TERMS OF VISITORS NUMBERS AND INCOME GENERATION
A tourist destination is a place for tourists to visit and stay due to its natural or cultural
value, it could be a city, region, state or a country. It is a geographical area consists of all the
infrastructure and service essential for the stay of tourists (Cooper, 2013). There are
different tourist destinations which attract the large volume of the tourist across the globe.
As the junior product analyst, it can be suggested that Virgin Holidays should focus on the
top tourist destination of the world for the enhancement of the sales.
The five main tourist destinations which can be considered by Virgin Holidays are:
 United Kingdom
 USA
 Spain
 France
 China
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Figure1: Top most tourist destination
[Source: UNWTO, Tourism Highlight, 2016]
UNITED KINGDOM
The United Kingdom is one of the most visited destinations of world. It is made up of
Scotland, England, Northern Island and Wales. The key visitor attractions of UK include
British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Stonehenge, St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham
Palace, Big Ben, London Eye etc. The popularity of these tourist destinations is attracting a
large volume of the tourists every year. In the year 2016, 35.8 million international tourists
visited the UK. London, England, Scotland and Wales contribute 53%, 35%, 8% and 2%
respectively (Vanhove, 2013). The total international receipt in the year 2016 was 39.6
billion US$.
USA
The USA is popular for its wonderful and eye-catching natural wonders, historical landmarks
and entertainment venues. Statue of liberty, Time square, Yellowstone national park, golden
gate bridge, Grand Canyon of Arizona etc (Laws, 2011). The international tourist arrivals of
the USA in the year 2016 were 75.6 million and total International tourism recipients in the
year 2016 were 205.9 billion US$.
SPAIN
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Spain is a country of Europe’s Iberian Peninsula with varied culture and geography. Sagrada
Familia, Park Guell, Alhambra, Plaza Mayor, Museo Nacional Del Prado, Puerta del Sol are
the major attractions of Spain. The events like bullfighting are La Tomatina also attracts a
large number of tourists across the globe. The number of the international arrival in the
year 2016 is 75.6 million. Tourist belongs to Germany and France contributes considerably
to the Spain tourism. The total international tourism receipt is 60.3 billion US$.
FRANCE
France is one of the top most visited countries in the world. Eiffel tower is one of the most
visited places. The popular visitor attractions of France are Disneyland Paris, The Louvre, Arc
de Triomphe, place da la Concorde etc. The international tourism arrival of France in the
year 2016 is 84.5 million and international tourism receipts were 42.5 billion US$
CHINA
This most populated country in the world attracts the tourists from all around the world.
One of the 7 wonders of the world ‘ The Great Wall of China ‘ enhances the curiosity among
the tourists (Gmelch and Kaul, 2018). Forbidden city, Terracotta army, West Lake, Temple of
heaven, Oriental Pearl tower etc. The international tourism arrival 2016 is 56.9 million
whereas international tourism receipts are 44.4 billion US$ (Wang and Ap, 2013).
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2.2 ANALYSE STATISTICS TO DETERMINE TOURISM DESTINATION TRENDS
AND PREDICT FUTURE TREND
There are numerous trends which are driving change in travel and tourism industry. The
induction of different trends are influencing greatly to this industry. The report of UNWTO
states that international tourist has increased by 7% in 2017. In the current year that is
2018, it is predicted that this momentum can reach to 4% to 5%.
In the current scenario, tourism has become one of the major sources for the revenue
generation. Many developed, developing and underdeveloped countries are developing
strategies to promote tourism in order as it reflects significantly on the GDP of a nation
(Witt, et al. 2013). According to UNWTO tourism towards 2030, Over the period 2010 to
2030, the number of the international tourist arrival worldwide is predicted to grow by an
average of 3.3% per annum. In case of UK, its international demand growth per annum is
predicted to increase by 6%. Its worth is predicted to reach to £257.4 bn by 2025.
The emerging trends and other factors associated with tourism industry can influence
greatly to international tourist arrival worldwide. The enhancement in the popularity of
niche market like medical tourism, adventure tourism, gastro-tourism and rural tourism may
contribute significantly to the tourism in future. The other factors which can play a role in
the game changer in the tourism industry are globalization, technological advancement,
better transportation and hospitality facilities. It is important for a country to consider all
these factors in order to develop effective strategies to promote tourism for the
enhancement of the revenue (Laws, 2011).
CONCLUSION
It is found that a tourist destination is a geographical area consists of all the infrastructure
and service essential for the stay of domestic or international tourists. The tourist
destinations are the major source of a nation’s income. There are numerous trends which
are giving rise to change in the tourism industry. It is predicted that the international tourist
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can be increased to a significant level. It is important for Virgin Holidays to focus on all these
trends to build strong business strategies.
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LO2
2.1 ANALYSE CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FEATURES OF TOURIST
DESTINATIONS EXPLAINING THEIR APPEAL TO TOURISTS
There are numerous features associated with the tourist destination which plays an
important role in appealing to the tourists. The key features of tourist destinations are
cultural, social and physical features which are important to attract the tourists.
Cultural features
The cultures different nations varies from each other. The tourist keeps keen internet in
understanding the culture of the others. The cultural tourism is a tourism in which goal of a
tourist is to visit the events or sites whose historical and cultural value has to turn them
being a part of the cultural heritage. It includes historical and cultural sights of a tourist
destination, lifestyle and values of the local population, crafts, traditions, arts and customs
of the local population. One of the most effective ways to introduce the travellers to the
local culture is to the organization of different cultural events in which local artists can show
their culture. A country focuses on the different attraction like museums, churches,
Festivals. help in appealing the tourists. For example, the museums like British museum and
Albert and Victoria Museum encompasses the cultural values which attract the tourist
(Ringer, 2013).
Social features
There are numerous social features which play an important role in attracting the tourists.
The factors like social groups, needs of the tourists, the impact of tourism on the local
community, sustainability and alternative to mass market influence greatly to appeal to a
tourist destination. These features possess a great impact on the tourists (Aitchison, et al.
2014).
Physical features
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Physical features of a visitor attraction play a great role in attracting the tourists. Physical
features may be natural or man- built. Natural physical features include beaches, flora &
fauna, lakes, mountains, rivers etc. The man built physical features includes infrastructure,
activities, accommodation, amusement, catering etc.
The tourist board or responsible authority of a nation should focus on the development of
effective strategies so that better utilization of the cultural, social and physical features can
be done to attract the customers (Beritelli, 2011).
UK and India are selected as the popular destination of the tourist. The UK is a developed
tourist destination. It possesses the all the required resources which can important for
proving a better experience to the tourists. India is an Asian company which is developing
tourist destination.
The feature of the UK is different from that of India. The physical, culture and social features
of a tourist destination can be improved in order to attract the travellers or tourist from all
around the world and to deliver them a memorable experience (Telfer and Sharpley, 2015).
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2.2 COMPARISON OF FEATURES OF DEVELOPING AND LEADING TOURIST
DESTINATION
The better understanding of the impact of different features can be understood by
comparing these features of two different counties. The comparison between UK and India
can be done to understand the topic more deeply. The UK is leading tourist destination
whereas India is developing tourist destinations. The comparison between these
destinations can be done on the basis of different destinations like culture, social factors,
visitor attractions and economic development.
ON THE BASIS OF INDIA UK
Cultural factors India is a culturally diverse
nation. People belong to
different religion, caste,
language, customers,
traditions in India. People of
India belong mainly to
Hinduism, Islam, Jainism and
Christianity. The art,
traditions, customs of the
different religion are
different from each other.
Indians mainly speak Hindi,
English and other regional
languages like Marathi,
Gujarati etc. The diverse
culture of India is a major
strength of Indian tourism
which plays an important
role in attracting
international tourists.
The culture of UK is
influenced by its history as a
developed Island country.
The UK is consists of four
countries that are Wales,
Scotland, England and
northern Island. The
cultures, customs and
symbolism all these
countries are different from
each other. British literature,
art, theatre, media,
television, music and
architecture are the
important aspect of the
British culture. Sport is also
an important part of its
culture. Many sports like
football is originated in this
country. Tourist keeps
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interest in understanding the
culture of UK.
Social factors There is great variation in
the Indian society. The
people of India follow the
social norms. There are
many social problems like
unemployment and
corruption which influences
on the tourism. The people
of India are socialised like to
communicate or interact
with others. People of India
like to welcome the guests
and treat them well which
attracts the tourists
(Ghimire, 2013).
The habits, lifestyle and
social life of people of UK are
different from that of
Indians. These countries are
also different in manners and
etiquettes.
Visitor attractions There are many visitors
attractions in India which is
popular and World famous.
Tajmahal is one of the seven
wonders and is world's
heritage site. India is also
blessed with natural beauty.
It is surrounded by oceans
from three sides. Goa is
world famous for its
stunning beaches.
Museum, Victoria and Albert
Museum, Stonehenge, St
Paul’s Cathedral,
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben
and London Eye are the
main tourist destinations of
the UK.
Economic development India is a developing nation
and its economy is also in
developing stage. The GDP of
The UK is a developed
country and its possess
sufficient resources which
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India is showing significant
growth.
Unemployment and
corruption are the major
problems of India.
India needs to develop its
resources in order to
promote its tourism and to
attract the large volume of
the tourists.
are important to provide a
better experience for tourists
(Ardahaey, 2011).
Table1: Difference between UK and India tourism on the basis of different features
The above-mentioned table depicts the different features and their impact on the tourism
of UK and India. It is clear from the table that the social, cultural and economic factors
influence different to the tourism of both the countries. Both the countries need to develop
the effective strategies to take the advantage of these factors to promote tourism.
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LO3
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
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The key characteristics of tourist
destinations are economic, physical,
social and political characteristics.
These characteristics of a tourist
destination reflect significantly on the
attracting the large number of the
tourists.
The economic condition of a nation
reflects significantly on the tourism. A
country which posses sufficient
financial resources can invest money
for the improvement of the tourism.
Economic characteristic can also
influences negatively tourism. For
example, in case of recession, a country
faces a significant decrease in number
of international tourist arrival.
The physical characteristic of a tourist
destination plays an important role in
attracting domestic as well as
international tourists. A nation should
focus on the improvement of its
physical characteristics like
transportation and accommodation to
provide better experience to tourists.
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The social characteristics like
Population pressure, life expectancy,
levels of poverty, migration from rural
to urban living and literacy rate posses
a great impact on tourism.
Government law and policies, political
relationship with other countries, visa
policy, and other such political factor
can reflect positively as well as
negatively on the tourism. For example
if the political relationships between
two countries is unhealthy then the
people of both the countries do not like
to visit the other country.
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UK is a developed tourist destination. It
possess the all the required resources
which can important for proving a
better experience to the tourists. India
is an Asian company which is
developing tourist destination.
The feature of the UK is different from
that of the India. The physical, culture
and social features of a tourist
destination can be improved in order to
attract the large volume of the tourists.
Both the countries need to develop the
effective strategies to take the
advantage of these characteristics to
promote tourism.
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LO 4
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There are plenty of issues that reflect considerably on the popularity of tourist destinations.
This report probes the different issues and their impact on the tourists destination which
can influence its attractiveness or popularity. It further explains the relationship between
responsible tourism and host community.
4.1 ANALYSE ISSUES THAT AFFECT THE POPULARITY OF TOURIST
DESTINATIONS
The popularity of a tourist destination can be influenced by various issues. The main issues
which can possess a great impact on the tourism of a nation are terrorism, social- economic
issues, environmental issues etc (Wang and Ap, 2013).
Terrorism- Terrorism is becoming one of the major issues which are undesirable for the
tourism and reflect negatively on the number of International tourist arrival. The
enhancement of the terrorist activities makes the travelling risky. Bomb blast, aeroplane
hijacking are the terrorist activities which affect the tourism industry. Tourist avoids visiting
the places which are prone to terrorism (Gmelch and Kaul, 2018). For example, people do
not like to visit countries like Syria due to regular terrorist attack in that country.
Socioeconomic issues- There are numerous social and economic issues which disturb the
tourism and can influence it negatively. The main social issues which possess a great impact
on the tourism are child labour, poverty, literacy rate, diseases etc. All these issues influence
directly as well as indirectly to tourist destinations. For example, the spreading of Ebola
virus has resulted in the death of many people which affected negatively to tourism of
countries Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Guinea, Nigeria etc. The economic issues like the recession,
inflation, tax rates etc possess a great impact on the revenue generation of a country.
Environmental issues- The relationship between environment and tourism is complex. Both
tourism and environment influence each other. The climate or weather of a country plays an
important role in attracting the tourist (Scott, 2012). Tourists do not like to visit destinations
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which are either too hot or too cold. For example, people do not visit dessert areas,
especially in summers. The enhancement in the number of tourists is one of the main
reasons for the enhancement of the pollution. It also disturbs the life of flora and fauna.
Political issues – The political issues also influence also reflect significantly on the tourism
industry of a nation. Government rules and policies, laws and legislation can also influence
the tourism, especially to the international tourism arrival. Visa policy of a country is an
important factor which can promote or hinder tourism, therefore, it is important for an
organization to develop effective visa policies. The political relations with other countries
can also influence the tourism. An unhealthy political relationship between two countries
affects the volume of the tourists (Gmelch and Kaul, 2018).
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4.2 DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL FOR RESPONSIBLE TOURISM TO ENHANCE
THE HOST COMMUNITY AT WORLDWIDE TOURIST DESTINATIONS
Responsible tourism is tourism in which takes full account of its impact on the environment,
society and economy. Now a day, countries are focusing on the responsible tourism as it it is
important for the minimization of the negative impact on the economy, environment and
society. Responsible tourism addresses the need of the host community (Mowforth and
Munt, 2015).
It is very important for a country to gain the support of host community to achieve
sustainable tourism. There are different factors associated with host community which
should be considered by a country to promote sustainable tourism (Assaf and Josiassen,
2012). The perception and attitude of host community towards tourism, challenges and
aspiration of the community for tourism should be considered by a tourist board or
responsible authority of a country to achieve sustainable tourism (Zaei and Zaei, 2013).
Many countries including India and UK are focusing considerably on the sustainable or
responsible tourism. These countries are developing effective strategies to promote
tourism without harming natural resources, environment and society. The responsible
tourism can help both the nations in achieving generating more revenue without affecting
adversely to the natural resources and host community (Moutinho, 2011).
CONCLUSION
There are many issues which can possess a great impact on the tourism of a nation, such as
terrorism, social- economic issues, environmental issues and political factors. Their issues
reflect adversely on the tourism industry, therefore, it is crucial to develop effective
strategies to overcome these issues. It is very important for a nation to consider the need of
the host community and to achieve their support for the sustainable tourism development.
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CONCLUSION
It may be concluded that it is very important for the tourist board or responsible authority
of a country to focus on the improvement of different facilities or services associated with
tourist destinations. There are numerous trends which are driving change in travel and
tourism industry. The introduction of different trends are influencing greatly to this industry.
The key features of tourist destinations are cultural, social and physical features which are
important to attract the tourists The main issues which can possess a great impact on the
tourism of a nation are terrorism, social- economic issues, environmental issues etc. In
modern scenario, countries are focusing on the responsible tourism as it is important for the
minimization of the negative impact on the economy, environment and society. It is very
important for a country to gain the support of host community to achieve the significant
and sustainable tourism development.
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