Answer :

VISITOR ATTRACTION MANAGEMENT

Task 1 (LO1) (Article)

1.1 Discussion on overlap of visitor’s attraction in terms of particular types of attraction

Tourist attraction can be defined as the place of interest where the tourist like to visit for the purpose of enjoying its natural, cultural and historical value and for leisure or adventure. There are different types of attraction in the UK which attracts people from all around the world. However, the present discussion would be carried out on four different types of attraction and they are a natural attraction, heritage attraction, purpose-built attractions and events. All these places are visited by people. However, in this case, it is worth mentioning that some of the places were not expected to be as popular to the tourist as they are today. Overlap is a type of different type of attraction which built with an aim but without a big anticipation of becoming popular.  In this article, the overlap of different types of attraction would be discussed.   

Natural Attraction

A natural attraction is a place that has been created as a result of natural phenomenon.  These places are often considered to be the place of conserving and saving the environment. Common people can visit this attraction to enjoy the beauty of nature. These types of attraction include waves, waterfalls, seashore, lakes and hills. The natural attraction of UK is reported to an increase of tourists by 4% every year.  

Henrhyd Waterfall is such a national attraction in the UK. It is the tallest waterfall in southern Wales and visitors needs to take a steep walk down the valley. Hence, it was not expected to be popular. However, presently this is one of the most favourable attractions of the nature lovers and adventurers. The overlap of tourist attraction began after the 20102, film Batman: The Dark Night Rises. People have become even more eager to take a walk around the waterfall. Judith Harvey, the Warned Manger of Brecon Beacons mentioned that there had been a steady increase in the number of visitors in Henrhyd Waterfall and turned it a popular walking destination (Coldwell, 2017).   

Pembrokeshire Coast is also natural attraction which is abundant in wildlife and natural heritage. The place was inhabited by people but the increasing number of tourist led to the development of national parks and walks and thus it became a popular natural attraction which was not expected (Park, 2017). 

Heritage Attraction 

 These are the places that possess historical significance. In the UK, there are several heritage attractions like Canal, railways, battlefield and historical remains. History lovers visit these places to appreciate the past. Stonehenge is one such places which are visited by a large number of people from all over the world. Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd, Blenheim Palace, City of Bath, Cornwall and West Driven Mining Landscape are some of the heritage sites of UK. All these buildings were constructed for different purposes but are now overlapped by tourist as they have become the most attractive destinations of the world.

Built for Purpose  

These are the attraction that is intentionally built for attracting visitors to enhance tourism. The Tower of London, London Eye, Thorpe Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and Buckingham Place are some of these places. The best example of the overlap of tourist is London Eye as when it was opened no one even considered it to be one of the top paid tourist destination. The attraction of this place includes the Ferris wheel which is visited by 3.5 million people every year. Thorpe Park is a theme park which consists of different types of rides and is attractive for the fun living people. There are also places for eating and drinking throughout the Park (Hayward, 2013). 

Some other places include museums like British Museum, National Museum of Scotland, the Natural History Museum, South Bank Centre and Tate Modern. All these places are the storehouse of the ancient culture of British and are visited by a large number of people.

Events      

Events play a significant role in attracting visitors from different parts of the world. Some of the events can be small such as the Blackpool Illumination while some can be large like Olympic Games. Olympic Games, Eurovision Song Contest are some of the events that attract people from all over the world. Due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London in the year 2012, there were 685,000 visits to people to the city from all around the world. These people spend around £925 million in the UK. After the hosting of Olympic, the number of the tourist in London increased considerably (VisitBritain, 2013). 

The art galleries are also purposefully built in the UK to host events like festivals like Glastonbury and conferences which help in attracting local national and international tourist.     

1.2 Analysing the importance of different visitor’s attraction 

The visitor's attractions are always important for the country due to a large number of factors. UK has natural attractions, heritage sites and buildings, events and built-in purpose buildings and areas that have attracted 36.115 million tourists in the year 2015 and making the UK the eight largest tourist destination of the world.  The present section would analyse the importance of visitor's attraction in the UK.

1. The first importance includes revitalising the region with income by increasing the scope of tourism activities. This is seen in the case of Olympics and Paralympics in London for which tourism and the income of the country increased to a great extent. 

2. Heritage attraction like the castles, ancient buildings and churches like Blenheim Palace and Cathedral and sites like Stonehenge enhances the local heritage and culture. When people visit these site they upheld the custom, unique forms of art and culture thus preserving cultural heritage and helps it in spreading in different parts of the world (Günlü et al. 2009) 

3. Another signification impact of tourist attraction is a rise of employment opportunities and generation of revenue. When a region becomes major tourist attraction such as the London Eye, Henrhyd Waterfall, Thorpe Park, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and others, job opportunities increases. Hotels and resorts are set up and the need of guide and transport facilities increase. In this way, the people can earn money which in turn increases the revenue of the entire country. The hosting of the Olympics and Paralympics in London increased the scope of income for the people in London (Ram et al. 2016) 

4. Conservation and preservation of the natural resources and wildlife are yet another sign of tourist attraction. For instance, with the increase in tourism in Pembrokeshire Coast, a national park has been developed to protect the wildlife and nature. This is also true for Henry waterfall. The museums also help in the preservation of the ancient culture and lifestyle.    

Task 2 (LO2) (Report) 

To: The Management of VisitBritain 

From: Tourism Consultant 

Date: 28/06/2017

Subject: Ideas for better-targeted product development for United Kingdom's Attraction  

2.1 Evaluating the needs and motivation of different visitor types 

Tourist is an individual who makes a tour either for leisure, or business or other reasons for more than one day but less than a year. Hence, from the definition, it is clear that there are different types of types of visitors and they are classified as per their needs and motivations. Dolnicar (2014) commented that market segmentation helps in evaluating the different types of tourists as they are attracted by different factors.   

Demographic segmentation divides the tourist as per their age, income and gender. People of different ages would prefer different destination and similar is the case for people with different income. Geographic segmentation is also important to consider as the distance of the tourist from the tourist attractions and destination creates an impact on the decision to travel. Psychographic segmentation includes the mentally and the lifestyle of the people. Selection of destination would vary for family tour and bachelor tour (Matheson et al. 2014)   

After the identification of types of tourist, a discussion would be carried out motivation and the needs of the tourist.  

Leisure Tourist: There are some people who like to travel all around the world for rejuvenating themselves and enjoying their life. These group also contain the incentive tourist who gets special rewards or packages from the company to travel and enjoy. Their love for travel and pleasure acts as the motivation.

Business Tourist: As the name suggests, these tourist travel because of business purposes. Their basic need is to carry out the activities which are assigned to them by the organisation. Their motivation includes completing the given tasks.     

Medical Tourists: Some people need to travel for seeking special medical treatment away from. Thus, their need includes obtaining the best care to cure the disease.

Education Tourist: People also travel from one place to another for education purposes. The motivation for these tourists completing the desired course and getting a degree for improving their educational qualification.

Religious Tourist: Religious tourists travel from one place to another for religious significance. There are different religious places in the world. Their motivation includes obtaining salvation and blessings.

Special Interest Tourist (SIT): These are a special tourist who possesses an interest in different activities taking place all around the world. They travel because they are motivated to experience different aspects of the world (Falk and Dierking, 2016).    

2.2 Assessing the impact of tourism on Visitor's attraction in the UK 

Tourism possesses both positive and negative impact on the visitor's attraction. The present section would discuss these impacts elaborately with the special focus on the tourist destination in the UK.

Environmental impact 

The increased number of tourism has created a negative impact on the environment. Pollution and destruction of the ecosystem are negative impacts. Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, Lake District and Pembrokeshire Coast have encountered severe damages due to erosion. Tourism has also affected the natural ecosystem. The waste level of Cornwall has increased by 45% due to t increased number of tourist (weebly.com, 2017). 

The positive impact on the environment includes the adoption of environment-friendly measures and services such as developing a new information centre in Stonehenge for reducing air and noise pollution.

Social and Cultural Impact   

Creation of an ethnically diverse nation is a positive social impact of tourism. Tourism has helped in recognising the existence of 270 nationalities and 300 different languages. People can educate themselves about the ancient culture and religion. It is possible to interpret the history of the site for better knowledge and understanding. 

The negative impact is much severe which include discrimination of different culture and harm the authenticity of the attraction as easily people imitate and adapt the architecture. The local community is also affected adversely as they often feel overcrowded but are left with no choice.

Economic Impact  

The positive impact includes the creation of job opportunities and development of the local and national infrastructure and services. Recently, the expenditure of the tourist in the UK accounted for $36 billion to $56 billion which helped in increasing the nation's GDP.

The negative income includes inflation of prices. The local people encounter serious issues due to the increase in the price level of common goods. Another serious impact os the close down of the small businesses (Weed et al. 2014)

Transit Effects 

Increased number of tourist causes traffic-related in the areas of tourist attraction. Congestion in the road increases due to more cars and buses. This led to increased burning of petrol and diesel causing air pollution. It also increases the risks of accidents.   

2.3 Analysing theories of tourist motivation  

Maslow's need-based theory would help in the motivation of tourism combined with the experience of the tourist. There are five different layers of holiday motivations as illustrated in the figure below:

Figure 1: Maslow’s Theory of Needs

(Source: Kay, 2003).

The tourist is motivated with the self-realization which can include a search for happiness and fondness of leisure. The tourist is also motivated through the self-development through cultural, nature and other activities. The pressure from family and friends can also encourage people to travel. Relaxation and stimulation also motivate an individual. The management of tourist attraction can take the opportunity of these motivational needs of travel by marketing their tourist products and attracting them.    

The approaches of Responsible Tourism can be utilised by the management while addressing the motivation of the visitors. These include making the tourists aware about the protection of the nearby ecosystem and environment. The management of tourist attraction should ensure that no damage to property occurs when the tourists come to visit as this would ensure conservation of the sites (Leslie, 2012).     

Task 3 (LO3) (Presentation)

3.1 Discussing the processes and the potential issues involved in the development of visitor attractions

The process of developing a tourist destination or visitor's attraction requires the application of effective strategies. Exploring the history of UK can help in directing a tourist industry for implementing any specific tourist spot. Leask (2010) commented that development of tourist destination requires the involvement of a range of stakeholders for carrying out the duties and effective management of the spot. Proper destination planning help in recognition, strengthening and coordination of different functions. It also helps in prioritising and allocating resources. 

In this presentation, an elaborated discussion would be carried out on the processes and the issues of developing a museum which would be popular visitor’s attraction.  

Development of Museum   

A museum is building that stores and showcases historical, scientific, artistic and cultural objects. The museums all around the globe are able to attract a large number of people from all around the world. They act as the cultural institutions of the society. Since the 20^th century, the number of the museums all around the world has increased.  

The current plan of museum development would incorporate some facts. The Museum would be the storehouse of different cultural and artistic objects of Elizabethan Period. It would be two storey building with different rooms. The different rooms would display different objects (Benur and Bramwell, 2015).     

Plan of Museum    

 The process of developing a tourist attraction spot begins with the proper planning of the area. The plan, in this case, has been made in such a way such that it reflects the objectives of the operation. The museum has been designed to improve the social value and significance of the existence. The plan shows that there would be two offices. The ticket counter would also be in one of the offices. There would be a classroom that would provide knowledge about the works of the Elizabethan period. There would be a storage and one big lobby for movement. Then there would be big room displaying the objects of the Elizabethan period.   

Stages of Tourist Attraction Development  

Project Management includes creating a feasibility study of project management. A proper plan has to be made for creating the museum. This would include involvement of the stakeholders followed by the allocation of resources. A budget plan is also prepared to make the museum and carrying out the entire procedure successfully. The different steps of project management are discussed further. 

1. Exploration: The next stage includes a selection of the area for developing the tourist spot. The selection has to be made considering the popularity of the area. It is significant to evaluate the number of the tourists visiting the area so that the museum can become a popular tourist destination. In this case, central London has been selected for the museum (Telfer and Sharpley, 2015). 

2. Involvement: After the site has been selected, the local community people should be involved in the process. They can be encouraged to provide different services to the tourist. It is also significant to take permission from them so that they do not encounter any problem. 

3. Development: This stage includes taking steps for developing the tourist attraction. In this stage, advertisement of the new project began to spread awareness among the common people. When the people would come to know about the place, the destination would become popular.

4. Construction: This is the stage when the construction of the project would begin. The construction would be carried out as per the plans are made. This stage is significant as the construction had to be apt to fulfil the objectives.

5. Recruitment and Training: In this stage, employees for different purposes are required and trained. Employees are needed for maintenance, management, and several different purposes. They should be trained so that they can manage the tourists effectively.

6. Opening Event:  An opening ceremony has to be organised when the museum would be opened for the first time. This would help in the promotion of the destination and enable people to become aware of the same.  

7. Management and Communication: For managing the museum, it is essential to develop different management strategies. This would help in safeguarding the museum and also help in making it a favourable destination (Benur. and Bramwell, 2015).        

Potential Issues in Development of Visitor’s Attraction 

Location: It is related to opportunities, incentives, access and catchment area. Issues can area of proper access for the desired location is not obtained for developing the tourist spot. Often the area around the tourist destination needs to have provision for food and accommodation. If the selected location does not possess these, the plan can be a failure. 

Funding: The development of tourist attraction requires an investment of monetary resources. Often the management encounter issues related to the proper acquisition of fund from private or public sectors (Mason, 2015).   

Attraction Management: The management of tourist destination needs to manage attraction. Often the organisation encounter severe problems due to lack of effective strategies.

Tourism Consultant: This includes employing an organisation for managing tourism. The tourist destination needs to deploy tourist consultant for understanding current demand pattern and to implement strategies based on it.

Local Communities: Often the local communities can create an obstruction in the development of a tourist spot. The local communities can also be affected negatively. Hence, the management of the destination has to ensure that the local community is not affected.

Pressure Groups: The pressure groups create different demands on the tourist destination. Managing these demands often becomes an issue for the management.

Technology: Maintaining effective technology is also a significant factor. Often the management fails to implement the effective technology and this led to tourist dissatisfaction and reduction and popularity (Mowforth and Munt, 2015). 

There are different types of attraction in the UK which attracts people from all around the world. Tourism possesses both positive and negative impact on the visitor's attraction and hence the attraction needs to be developed considering these factors. 

Task 4 (LO4) (Report)

To: Senior Management of Visitor’s Attraction  

From: Tourism Consultant  

Date: 29/06/2017 

Subject: Visitor’s Management Strategies and techniques for sustainability  

4.1 Analysing different visitor management strategies

Missori and Roussos (2013) commented that visitor’s management can be carried for increasing the demand for improving the supply related to tourist attractions.  

Strategy 1: Price Incentive for attraction of Visitors     

This strategy is for enhancing demand. The attraction of tourist can be increased through some offers like reduction in ticket prices or some special provision of flooding and lodging. For instance, Thorpe Park often provides such offers to attract customers.    

Strategy 2: Creating Flexible Capacity for Visitors   

Places like British Museum, London Eye and Buckingham Place are visited by millions of people every year. To manage them, it is essential to create specific time slots at the peak seasons. Employment of skilled staffs are also essential and considering an increasing number of visitors, the number of staffs should be increased. 

Strategy 3: Improving Security 

Buckingham Place has a large number of tourist every year. To control and manage the number of the tourist, hard measures are adopted which include strict monitoring of the visitors through improved security measures (Benton, 2011). 

Strategy 4: Identification of Footpaths     

This strategy can be implemented to make some natural attraction more accessible for the visitors. A walkway was constructed in Henrhyd Waterfall to help the tourist walk around the waterfall and reach the cave. Similarly, a food path was constructed in Pembrokeshire Coast to enable the tourist to enjoy the wildlife and nature.

4.2 Evaluating management techniques for sustainability

Sustainability in Tourism is essential for protecting the environment, addressing the needs of present and future generation and developing the economy. For sustainable tourism, it is essential to maintain a balance between economy, environment and impact on the community. The concept of sustainable tourism has been attained by the management of Lake District which involves the participation of different parties National Park Authority, National Trust, accommodation sector, community people and tourists. They have cooperated and developed strategies to protect the environment. The present section would explore management techniques for sustainability in a tourist destination (Chen, 2016). 

1. Raising of funds for the purpose of repairing the damage done to the natural environment. This would help in balancing the economic and environmental condition of a tourist destination.
2. Another technique makes the local as well as the tourist aware about sustainable tourism. These would make them socially responsible and prevent them from damaging or polluting any particular area. 
3. To manage local economy. The small shops and the business have to be encouraged by the management of tourist destination so that common people can earn and thrive peacefully (Landthaler, 2014). 
4. Improving the visitor’s experience by proper management of tourist. There should be adequate staffs to handle the number of visitors and security system to protect the attractions. 

Utilisation of the above techniques and the strategies would help the management of different tourist destination to balance the nature, economy and the impact on community thereby upholding sustainability.