Bowdin, G., Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris, R. and McDonnell, I. (2011) Events Management. Third Edition. Austrailia: John Wiley and Sons Australia Ltd
Burns, P., and Novelli, M. (2008) Tourism and Mobilities: Local-Global Connections [Ebook]
To know the travel flows to, within and out of Europe as well as the transport used.
To know the climate in Europe, the main attractions and resources.
To know the strengths and weakness of Europe as a tourism/events country.
Introduction
This website will show and evaluate the different elements of tourism in Europe. From viewing the website the reader will have an understanding of the climate and weather in Europe in the different areas of Europe as some areas see lots of snow and others see lots of sun. Europe has an extensive range of resources and tourist attractions making it a popular tourist destination to visit. Some of Europe’s attributes include the Northern Lights of Norway, The Sistine Chapel in Rome and The Eiffel Tower in Paris. The WTO Tourism Highlights of 2013 shows that, “France continues to top the ranking of international tourist arrivals with 83 million visitors in 2012” (UNWTO, 2013, 6). Other European countries made it into the top ten ranking for international tourist arrivals, Spain as 5th ranking followed by Italy in 6th place, then Germany in 7th rank, thus showing Europe to be widely popular across many parts of the region. The reader will learn about transport and travel flows within, into and out of Europe to give the reader an understanding of the vast amount of travel and transport in Europe. Travel in and to Europe, “retains the largest share (43%) of international tourism” (UNWTO, 2013, 5).Mobilities in Tourism can be described as the movement to different destinations. Burns and Novelli described Tourism mobility as, “something that is accessible over their lifecourse…It is everyday mobility.” (Burns & Novelli, 2008, 15) Over the last ten years the world has become increasingly more globalised with the increasing ease in accessibility, making it easier to travel internationally for tourism and business.
Travel flows
A European Travel Monitor table shows that Europe’s peak travel season is from July-September (Pompl and Lavery, 1993, 120&126) and most international trips were made by people from Germany, followed by the British. From July to September the weather is very warm and children are finishing school which is why it is peak season for international travel as families can go away together at this time. In counties such as France, Austria, Italy etc. people may not need to travel internationally when they have a broad range of tourist attractions and resources in their own country, making it cheaper and more accessible to enjoy tourist attractions. Many people travel into one country as a gateway to other surrounding countries such as the people using the Channel Tunnel from England to France to then travel to other countries. Another example of this is, “Several of the major Spanish cities constitute the principle points of entry by air and sea for foreign visiotrs to Spain, although these cities are often not the destination of arriving visitors.” (Law, 1996, 121). International travel has increased rapidly over the years, Table 6.1 in ‘Tourism in Major Cities’ shows an increase in foreign visitors from 6 million in 1973 to 9.9 million in 1992. (Law, 1996, 158)
Domestic travel
Domestic travel In Europe is very accessible with the improvements in transport. And vast range of tourist attractions, cultural resources, museum etc. It is very popular to travel domestically in Europe, “The Italians, Portuguese and Spanish like to stay at home for holidays. The French, rather surprisingly, also like to take domestic holidays. The population from other countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are much more adventurous in their destination preference.” (Horner and Swarbrooke, 1996, 76) The capital of France, Paris has many museums, galleries and architecture to visit, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and theArc de Triomphe, “the capital is celebrated for its important national museums and galleries.” (Law, 1996, 75). International tourists will travel several hours to visit these attractions making domestic travel in Europe popular as these attractions can be visited on a day trip, “the dominance of Paris compared with other provincial cities may be illustrated with reference to the country’s national museums- the capital alone accounts for 61 per cent of all visitors to such museums (INSEE 1990)” (Law, 1996, 75).
Transport for tourism and events
Improvements over the last twenty years in transport have made travel and within Europe very accessible, “The majority of large provincial cities have seen the development of either metro or tram systems.” (Law, 1996, 60). When travelling to Europe, tourists can travel by air and ferry/boat and tourists travelling from England to France can use, “the Channel Tunnel which has given consumers a totally new mode of transport for crossing the English Channel/Manche” (Horner and Swarbrooke, 1996, 318). The Channel is a very quick method of transport from England to France which then allows access to travel across to other destinations in Europe. The Channel is the ferries main competitor for its speed advantages, however the ferry has shopping, restaurant and bar
transport flows
facilities on board making the journey seemingly more pleasant and enjoyable. Following on from this there are also many options for travelling within Europe such as railways which are “another fast, ecological option when travelling between European countries” (Visit Europe, 2013). Many railway systems througjout Europe make it easy for tourists to travel to a variety of countries with Europe to experience different cultures and attractions. Similarly to railways “The rise of low-cost airlines has made plane-hopping Europe an affordable proposition” (Baxter, 2012). This is particularly useful when travelling longer distances. It is also accessible to drive around Europe, this may be effective when driving from England to France and beyond through the Channel.
Climate patterns and tourism/ events
Europe is large region and within the region some countries are very spread out
temperature in Europe
which shows some Mediterranean climates and opposing cold temperatures toward the north, “Europe is covered by several climatic zones” (McIntosh et al, 1995, 270). Countries such as Spain, Greece, France, Rome and Malta to name a few can reach temperatures over 30 degrees. This is very different to countries such as Austria which have a lot of snowy weather in the area, making them peak places for ski tourism. A variety of attractions can be enjoyed in Europe whether the individual tourist wants to enjoy a hot holiday or stay in the snowy
mountains and experience a ski holiday, which is something that isn’t as accessible in other countries such as Africa and Asia. European Environment Agency shows, “Climate change and its impacts are becoming more visible in Europe” (Nicholls, 2006, 151) which could cause change in how people choose their destinations in the future. Some countries are becoming much hotter which is attractive to those who seek a hot country but do not want to go as far as Asia, as an example.
Resources and attractions for visitors
Cultural resources of Europe attract many visitors. 3 key cultural resources are museums, architecture and cathedrals/churches/chapels as well as many others. Paris offers many cultural tourist attractions such as the Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe. The Louvre Museum contains artwork and sculptures from famous artists throughout history, making this museum a key cultural resource in Europe. England also has many key tourist attractions such as Madame Tussauds, The London Eye, London Dungeons and many more. London offers a wide range of activities, museums, galleries and architecture to visit as well as the different areas of London such as Camden market and Chelsea which are popular to visit. In the UK international tourists can also visit Stonehenge and stay in different rural areas to experience British culture, “As a country Britain attracts visitors primarily for its cultural heritage and also for business reasons.” (Law, 199, 179). In 1992 the original Disneyland Park opened followed by the Walt Disney Studios Park in 2002, “In 1993 visitors to the park totalled 1.9 million.” (Law, 63). In the USA, Disneyland is extrempley popular to visit as a tourist. However from Europe and even Asia and Africa etc it is a very long and expensive journey to America. Accordingly Disneyland in Paris has high tourist interest as for some people it is much easier and cheaper to get to rather than going to USA. Disneyland has a huge audience attraction and has built the surrounding economy and created jobs making this attraction a huge success to Europe. Aside from theme parks and galleries, Europe has many natural and cultural resources which attract domestic and international tourism, Orbasli describes, “The interaction of human beings with the past and the present, with buildings, spaces and one another produces an urban dynamism and creates a spirit of place.” (Orbasli,2000, 8). It is important that the natural resources and relics of different countries be protected and admired as some natural resources such as mountains, volcanoes and national parks have been around for hundreds of years. In Italy, “Volcanoes play a big part in the life and legend of Southern Italy but Etna on Sicil is the most awesome. It is the largest volcano in Europe, measuring 200 kilometres (125) miles around its base and rising to a cone some 3,300 metres (10,900 feet) high. (Wright,1981, 22-24) Some tourists, domestic or international enjoy viewing the regions natural attractions that have been a part of the culture for hundreds or thousands of years such as Stonehenge as they are an important part of history. In Rome, Italy the Trevi Fountain is a key attraction as it holds many legends and even inspired a film, “It attracted the film title Three Coins in the Fountain and those who wish to return to the Eternal City must toss in a coin, ‘rescues’ at night by local children.” (Wright, 1981, 50-51). The Trevi Fountain has also been features in other films, making it internationally well known. It has been predicted that £3,000-4,000 is thrown into the fountain every single day by tourists. Around Europe there are many festivals that take place in different countries. This attracts domestics and international tourists to these attractions. Some tourists will travel to experience the culture of another countries festival, such as Spain’s ‘Haro Wine Festival’ where, “You don’t come empty handed to this wine war, and your weapon is a traditional bota bag, that traditional Spanish leather wine satchel lined with a goat’s bladder–sling it over your shoulder and you have easy vino access all day. The power of the bota is it’s ability to be squeezed to jettison streams of red wine as far as you can shoot it.” (Fest300, 2014) The festival is a tradition in Spain and international tourists can experience this cultural event.
Festivals in the UKIn the region of Europe, UK is a very small country with a large portion of tourist destinations being held in London. International and domestic travel to festivals within the UK is very popular. There are many different festivals in the UK to suit a range of audiences such as Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party etc. The Secret Garden Party in particular is an event which many international and domestic tourists travel to the UK for. The Secret Graden Party promotes ‘GoCarShare’ which encourages people travelling to the festival to car share to save on fuel and pollution. This scheme is beneficial as a promotion. Glastonbury also tries to be a sustainable festival as ‘By recycling 410.44 tonnes of waste at Glastonbury in 2004, organisers saved between £12,00 and $14,000 in waste disposal charges.” (Bowdin et al, 2011, 168). Festivals in the UK are popular events which sell out very quickly sue to demand of people wanting to attend.
An evaluation of the region
Europe as a region has many advantages. As a region with many countries all with many different attractions and resources to attract tourists internationally and domestically, it is a very popular destination. Transport in the region is very well developed and is also easily accessible for all kinds of tourists. Underground tunnel systems such as the tube in London are particularly useful for people travelling for business. The range of climatic zones is strength to Europe as this allows people to experience the weather that want on their travels whether that be 30+ degrees or freezing temperatures. On the other hand there are disadvantages to tourism in Europe. Firstly, there is “no universally understood language in Europe.” (Horner and Swarbrooke, 1996, 29) which can make it hard for people who want to travel to several countries but can’t understand the local population. Moreover conflicts in European countries can put a negative view on countries, for example the London Bus bombings, this may push international tourism away because of the negative impact it had, which then can lose money and weaken the economy due to less international tourist arrivals.
Conclusion
To conclude it can be seen that Europe as a region has a lot to offer to potential tourists, internationally and domestic. Travel within the home country is seen to be prominent choice for tourists as there is so much to visit in each country. The weather across Europe can suit all types of tourists and provides well suited tourist experiences, especially for those tourists who want to go sight-seeing in the warmer countries during peak season. It can also be noted that the advancements in travel make it extremely easy to travel to and within Europe, which provides a more manageable tourist experience. The use of the railway and cheap airline tickets make travel quick so tourists could to different areas of one country or to a completely different country in one day. Europe’s natural resources, such as the national parks, mountains and volcanoes make the heritage strong and allow tourists a view into the past.
