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3º ESO B ENGLISH UNIT 4 “JOURNEYS” – TOURISM AND TRAVEL

For this lesson we will be basing our work on a BBC education page called “GCSE Bitesize”, which is for English

teenagers – so some of it will be a little more difficult than usual, but I am sure that, with a little bit of help, you

will have no difficulties with this. The assignments we are going to do are about the TOURIST SECTOR and it is

taken from the subject of geography. We will be using the following link, but I will also photocopy the material:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/tourism/

1. A talk about tourism – what it is, its advantages and disadvantages. Listen to the following short introduction

and then answer the questions (on the radio programme up to minute 1.47).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MME3CzY39Y&playnext=1&list=PLBCB7D27762B4316A&feature=results_m

ain

Questions: (Answer according to the information on the radio talk)

1. What has tourism become?

..............................................................................................................................................................

2. What is this due to? Give SIX reasons.

a.....................................................................

b.....................................................................

c......................................................................

d......................................................................

e..........................................................................................................................................................

3. What are the disadvantages of this growth in tourism? Give THREE drawbacks.

a.........................................................................................................................

b.........................................................................................................................

c.........................................................................................................................

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2. Tourism

Tourism is a rapidly growing industry and has far-reaching economic and environmental impact across the

world.

The growth of tourism

In 2010, 940 million people were recorded as arriving in a country from abroad because of tourism. This is worth

$919 billion dollars, making tourism one of the world's largest industries. (Source: World Tourism Organization

(UNWTO))

Growth in tourism measured by international arrivals

Tourism is also one of the world's fastest-growing industries. In 2010, the Middle East and Asia had the greatest

growth of tourists. Europe still has the greatest number of tourists - nearly 500 million in 2010.

International Tourist Arrivals (in millions)

1990 1995 2000 2005 2008 2009 2010

Europe 261.5 304.1 385.6 439.4 485.2 461.5 476.6

Asia and the pacific 55.8 82.0 110.1 153.6 184.1 180.9 203.8

Americas 92.8 109.0 128.2 133.3 147.8 140.6 149.8

Africa 14.8 18.9 26.5 35.4 44.4 46.0 49.5

Middle east 9.6 13.7 24.1 36.3 55.2 52.9 60.3

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Tourism market growth in 2010 (compared to 2009)

% change

Europe 3.3%

Asia and the pacific 12.7%

Americas 6.4%

Africa 7.3%

Middle east 14.1%

The tourism industry therefore is very important to economic growth as well as the environment.

Tourism can help a country's economy and infrastructure. For example it provides jobs. Some countries such as

the Caribbean have tourism as their main source of income.

Reasons behind the trend in tourism

There are many factors that help explain the growth in tourism:

More affluence - since 1950 people have become wealthier. There is more disposable income. People also

now have paid time off work for holidays.

Greater awareness - through advertising or television programmes people are more aware of how and

where they can spend their free time.

More car ownership - more families own a car. This gives greater freedom to choose when and where to

spend time.

Improvements in technology - travelling today is much quicker. Motorways and aircraft have helped reduce

the time it takes to get to different countries. Travelling by air has become more accessible as you can book on

line and choose more budget options.

More leisure time - people have paid holidays from work (on average three weeks per year are paid). Also

people who are retired remain active for longer. There is also a trend to take more than one holiday in a year.

More choice - in the past seaside holidays and package holidays were the most popular. The industry is

seeing more people look at ecotourism and more unusual holiday destinations.

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Sunbathers on the beach in Nice, southern France

Test Bite

1. Tourism is:

A small but growing industry

A primary industry

One of the world's largest industries

2. Areas which are growing most quickly from tourism are:

Asia and the Middle East

Antarctica

Europe

3. Tourism can help:

reduce the need to travel.

a country's economy and infrastructure.

minimise disruption at airports.

4. Which one is NOT a reason for the growth of tourism?

More affluence

Budget airlines

Cost of passports

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Attractions for tourists

Tourism is an important contributor to many countries' economies but it can have negative impacts unless it is

properly managed, and the conflicting needs of interest groups are balanced. LEDCs in particular can become

dependent on tourism, which is dangerous if the tourists suddenly stop coming.

Types of tourist attractions

The human and physical resources found in a particular place often

influence tourism to a particular destination. Human resources are

tourist attractions that have been made by people, such as the Eiffel

Tower in France. Physical resources are the attractions that have been

made by nature such as beaches or lakes.

Popular tourist activities

According to a recent survey of British people travelling within the UK,

the activity that people like to do the most while on holiday is walking.

Walking allows people to enjoy the physical resources of the countryside

such as hills, rivers and lakes.

The second most popular activity was visiting heritage sites. This

includes historical buildings and sites of historic significance. These are

human resources.

The third most popular activity was swimming. People like to

swim at the beach or in lakes (physical resources) or swimming pools (human resources).

Other popular activities were visiting art exhibitions, watching performing arts and visiting theme parks (all

human resources).

Attractions in different countries

Types of man-made tourist attractions in the UK include:

art

architecture

cultural monuments

museums

local traditions

food and drink

music and drama

important historical or political sites

The table below shows that tourists in the UK are attracted to many different types of man-made tourist

attractions.

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Graph showing top 10 tourist attractions in the UK

Examples of tourist attractions abroad

The Eiffel Tower, Paris

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is an example of a cultural monument and a

place of architectural interest. As well as admiring it from ground level,

tourists can go to the top and see a great view of Paris, including the

River Seine (physical resource) and many beautiful buildings (human

resources).

Guard Tower at Robben Island

Robben Island in South Africa is an example of a historical or political

site. Many people who visit South Africa go to Robben Island to see

where Nelson Mandela spent most of his 27 years in prison. People are

interested because Nelson Mandela's struggle and sacrifice helped end

Apartheid in South Africa.

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Physical resources

Physical resources are the natural features of an area which might attract

tourists, such as:

the physical landscape - such as beaches, mountains, rivers, lakes

and glaciers

ecosystems - such as rainforest or tropical grasslands

weather and climate - most tourists seem to like it warm and dry

Test Bite

1. Tourism to a particular destination is often influenced by the human and physical resources found in a

particular place. What are human resources?

Human resources are the tour guides and other people who make your holiday memorable.

Human resources are people who are tourist attractions, such as the Queen or the Pope.

Human resources are tourist attractions that have been made by people.

Human resources are tourist attractions that have been made by nature.

2. Tourism to a particular destination is often influenced by the physical resources found in a particular

place. What are physical resources?

Physical resources are tourist attractions that have been made by nature.

Physical resources are competitive sports that attract people, for example boxing.

Physical resources are tourist attractions that have been made by people.

Physical resources are tourist attractions that move, such as steam trains or fairground rides.

Physical resources are useful resources for tourists, such as libraries and information centres.

3. Which one of the following tourist attractions is NOT a type of human resource?

Art

Cultural monuments

Beaches

Food and drink

Music

4. Which one of the following tourist attractions is NOT a physical resource?

Physical relief of the landscape, such as beaches, mountains, rivers, lakes and glaciers

Ecosystems, such as rainforest or tropical grasslands

Weather and climate

The Eden Project

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LEARN THIS PROVERB:

“Travel broadens the mind”

What do you think it means?

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VISIT BRITAIN

NOW you are going to visit a website which is the official page for the British Tourist Board. You and a classmate

have to select a destination – which could be a city (not London), a town, a natural park, a monument, etc. – and

give a very short presentation to the class, as if they were a group of foreign tourists and you want to attract

them to a special place in the U.K.

http://www.visitbritain.com/en/EN/

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ASSIGNMENT

Having read the above texts, we are going to try and apply the information to our surroundings: Almería.

Prepare a short REPORT about the current state of the tourist sector in the province of Almería. As a guide, you

should use the following headings:

1. What does Almería offer to tourists? Human and physical resources.

2. How has tourism changed in Almería since the 1960s?

3. Advantages of tourism in Almería.

4. The drawbacks.

5. You are the new Director-General of Tourism for the province. Give your proposals to improve the tourist

industry.

6. Use photographs, charts and graphs to illustrate your report and to make your information easier to

understand.