Category: Tourism

The sound of water waves rolling against the shore, the view of the seagulls pouncing overhead, and the scent of sunscreen describe a typical Saturday in South Padre Island. Strategically situated such that one can relax and experience the ambiance of a fresh beach, the Island provided a memorable getaway experience. The sand, sun, and the infinite ocean waters made the island nothing like any other place I have ever visited. When I set my feet on the beach of South Padre Island, I felt like I was in paradise.

The beach itself brought all the delight. This gleaming move away embraced limitless miles of white sands. At daytime, the sun’s rays streamed down upon the sand, causing the beachgoers to spring up after their feet touched the scorching sand. Nevertheless, near to the Mexican Gulf where the ocean water-dampened and “numbed my cheeks,” young kids chuckled while their sand-built citadel was being swooped by a gigantic wave (Liu, 65).

Cotton towels must be the permanent residents of the beach. The sun enthusiasts spent most of their time lying upon the towels so as take up even extra searing sunbeams. The plenty sand gave a spongy sensation for teenagers plunging after a ball at the beach volleyball contest. At the same time, the beach sand cushioned some aged men exchanging stories while waiting for the famished game fishes which swim across the ocean waters of Padre. Across the beach, I witnessed a rainbow of umbrellas as well as seashells of superb design with charming colors; a sight of paradise.

The Gulf of South Padre Island is another attraction. The speeding waves calmed and offered great amusement for several visitors. I could not have really “made sense” of absolute calmness until I stood along the shore of the Island during the nighttime (Liu, 65). The reek of the salty water, the sensation of the breeze, and the spectacle of the ship lights across the distance appeased my senses in a unique way.

It was summer and the days were hot. The ocean waters were full of activities mainly by the tourists. Some tourists struggled to hang on top of the swooping waves while others got swallowed in the bulging ocean waters emerging with the flavor of salt trickling down their throats. Nonetheless, they were mysteriously, in high spirit to float and play with the ocean waters.

South Padre Island drew all kinds of people in search of the enjoyment which this island provides. On that particular day, a group of associates water-skied, causing the ocean water to temporarily separate as they tore through the water like a blade rips a sheet. Young adults in love sat along the shore gazing at the sunset and making “some small talk.” (Liu, 66) The scenery must have aroused a feeling of the world coming to an end and the sensation that it rotated around them at that instance. On the opposite side of the Padre beach, a duo of admiring grandparents stared closely at their young ones. These young grandchildren, taunted with the mysteries of the ocean waters, gazed inquisitively at the water waves striking their feet while roving back to the Gulf within the Island.

If you tour South Padre, surely you will create lasting memories of the water paradise. The Island fulfills every visitor’s needs; its major purpose is to satisfy its many visitors. It is delightful; a sensation that overpowered me when I stepped on the shoreline. Whether I am looking for fun or a place to relax and invigorate myself, the beach of Padre Island is the best destination to cater to my every wish; it makes me feel completely free of all burdens and worries.

References:

Jacobus, Lee A. A world class of ideas: essential readings for college writers, 1997, Chronicle Books.

Kennedy, X. J.; Kennedy, M. Dorothy; Muth, F. Marcia and Holladay, A. Sylvia, The Bedford guide for college writers, 1995, Rosen Publishing Group.

Introduction

A research process is usually regulated by a researcher’s assumptions and beliefs regarding the reality and by a specific study purpose. The research philosophy selected by an investigator is important to determine what research methods will be chosen for conducting a planned study (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2016). In this case, the research selected for the analysis is described in “Responsible Tourism: An Inductive Approach” by Ramachandran (2009). The purpose of this paper is to discuss a specific research process described in the mentioned article with the focus on the particular philosophy.

Research Topic and Questions

In the article, the researcher identified the topic of the study in an introductory section. Only several sentences were written in order to provide the reader with some general idea regarding the problem of responsible tourism analyzed in this research. It is important to note that Ramachandran (2009) did not formulate any research question to be addressed in this study. Therefore, conclusions regarding the success of the study can be made only with reference to the achieved or non-achieved purposes, as it is stated in the final sections of the article.

Importance of the Topic and Aims of the Study

The researcher emphasized the importance of the topic while accentuating the presence of a socio-economic gap in terms of addressing rich and poor people in the sphere of tourism. Thus, Ramachandran (2009) focused on the necessity of managing tourism activities in a responsible manner in order to respond to this gap. Still, the importance of the study was not described clearly in the article. In the introductory section, the purpose of the study is formulated as to determine pragmatic techniques and processes in promoting responsible tourism. However, in the abstract, the aim is stated as to determine particular indicators of responsible tourism.

Literature Review

It is important to pay attention to the fact that there is no separate literature review section in the article. Ramachandran (2009) provided the results of reviewing the existing literature on the topic only in the introduction. Still, it is almost impossible to state that the provided review is critical enough because it lacks the detailed analysis of other studies on the problem. One should note that the sources mentioned in the introductory sentences are used by the author only for supporting the selection of conceptual models.

Research Philosophy

In the study, the researcher has applied interpretivism as a key paradigm that is appropriate for this investigation. Interpretivism can be defined as a philosophy that is aimed at understanding specific meanings that are created by people regarding certain objects, situations, events, processes, and phenomena (Saunders et al., 2016). From this perspective, an interpretivist philosophy can be viewed as subjective in its nature. This philosophy is used by the author as a background for the inductive approach and the further development of an exploratory study to understand what responsible tourism indicators are determined by stakeholders.

Conclusion

The research article under analysis describes the details of the study conducted according to the principles of the exploratory research grounded in interpretivism. Presenting the detailed description of the applied methodology, the article still lacks the information on research questions, the importance of this study, and the literature review section. From this perspective, it is possible to state that the discussed article has some weaknesses in representing the process of research selected by the author.

References

Ramachandran, S. (2009). Responsible tourism: An inductive approach. Integration & Dissemination, 4, 41-50.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research methods for business students (7 ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education.

Interview Summary

To gain a better grasp of the impact of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) in the hotel industry, we interviewed Mr. Hisham who was kind enough to share his expertise. According to the interviewee, the first step is the evaluation of brand awareness, which is usually conducted through a series of questions to clients. It is best if they can provide information as to how they first heard about the hotel and what was the exact channel of communication – advertisement, social media platforms, or friends. Other sources can also be valid communication channels, which obviously, should be specified.

Mr. Hisham shared his opinion on hotel comparison and the difficulties related to that aspect. Namely, customers are not experts in the hotel industry: they do not know the market inside out and are not capable of a thorough analysis of brands and names. A typical client cannot judge objectively on the quality and services provided, which eventually may lead to a decision not advantageous for the hotel in question. Mr. Hisham argues that the customers with very limited knowledge regarding the hotel industry do not only make bad decisions but they also set a negative example for others. They can disseminate wrong information and inadvertently make other potential and actual customers follow their advice.

Yet, the aforementioned issue is nothing insurmountable: the hotel should simply focus on its strong points and capitalize them. For instance, defining the strengths is possible by inquiring about customers’ book intentions – business trips, leisure trips, medical tourism, or others. Focusing on the key points will gain a hotel more positive comments about its services. Moreover, it will help create a vision that potential customers will be able to understand and use as one of the factors in the selective process.

According to Mr. Hisham, knowing the customer affects the way a hotel is promoted. Many factors are taken into consideration: nationality, gender, ethnic origin, and others. Still, not all negative comments should serve as an indicator of the worthiness of a hotel, its flaws, and virtues. In the interview, Mr. Hisham provides an excellent example: the manager is well aware that his restaurants are serving authentic Asian food, some of the best in the country. However, if a Scandinavian consumer finds it not to his or her taste, it can be explained by their habits and what they are used to. For Mr. Hisham, the most important may be to appease the majority and accept the fact that it is impossible to be liked by everyone.

Mr. Hisham states that a hotel should make an effort to enhance its perceived trustworthiness by ensuring transparency. For instance, being precise and straightforward about the room sizes helps contradict complaints about small rooms. Overall, a hotel can reduce risks by making information available and updating it when necessary. There should be no misleading data about prices, charges, and extra services. Instead, a good manager should foster product acceptance by posting recent pictures and making sure that the architecture of the website and its navigation are clear and accessible.

In the long term, all these efforts will help to build a loyal customer base that is responsive to promotional offers and intends to use a hotel’s services again. Mr. Hisham highlights the importance of customer care in defending the electronic reputation of a hotel. Customers should know that they are not being lied to and that they get to know about the best options, be it via mail or in a conversation. Negative comments might still come through, but a well-built customer base will help a hotel to save its face and stay afloat.

The Eight Aspects of E-WOM

As of now, in marketing, there is a consensus on eight key aspects of electronic word-of-mouth. Hotel or brand awareness refers to the ability of a customer to recognize a brand and its attributes (Cantallops and Salvi 46). Hotel comparison implies that a customer does research contrasting brands before making a decision. One of the factors that influence the final decision is the book intention – individuals travel to serve various needs, be it work, health, or leisure. Locating preferable brands, defining intention, and contrasting brands all constitute the decision-making aspect of e-WOM. Other than that, customers care about the perceived trustworthiness of a venue, and more often than not, the primary source of information is the Internet. Thus, in order not to soil the reputation, a hotel needs to work on risk reduction, namely, moderate what is known about it online and keep the information up to date. Product acceptance only comes when a customer makes a well-informed decision and is sure that he or she can trust the provider (Cantallops and Salvi 48). In the long perspective, all these aspects may contribute to product loyalty – a conscious choice of a product and its preference over all others.

Below are some examples to match each of the aspects described drawn from the interview with Mr. Hisham and other sources (see Table 1).

Table 1. E-WOM aspects with examples.

Work Cited

Cantallops, Antoni Serra, and Fabiana Salvi. “New Consumer Behavior: A Review of Research on eWOM and Hotels.” International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 36, 2014, pp. 41-51.

The Canadian labor movement has been defensive, confronting significant difficulties to their authenticity, role, and viability within the working environment (Brookes, 2013). Unionism has been challenging globally and Canada’s labor union is not an exception (Brookes & McCallum, 2017). The history of labor movements has not been diplomatic in Canada. The eighteen to nineteen century was marked by repression, strikes, depression, and layoffs. Today, labor unions use structures laid out by their predecessors. Strikes, which signify the height of most labor demands, follow a sequence of denial, suffering, and collective bargaining. In some events, collective barging was accepted as a last resort to establish a truce between union members and the government (Fichter & McCallum, 2015). The Canadian labor movement is a huge monetary and social power (Fichter & McCallum, 2015). One of every four workers is a member of a registered trade union in Canada, with participation, equally divided between male and female employees.

The Canadian labor movement is judged to have been effective and successful in adapting to monetary and social changes, which have influenced union movements in industrialized nations. Canadian labor unions remain a critical force in the labor struggle and have been occupied with a continuous procedure of reestablishment and internal change to sustain its relevance. Toronto labor unions have a history of enhancing laborers’ regular daily existences. The benefits today are direct results of dedication and perseverance among union groups in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This paper examines two labor movement plaques and their significance in the emancipation of labor employees in Canada. Civilization came with its price in most developed nations, with labor unions being a decisive catalyst for better welfare. The paper describes the site location, historical significance, and results of the labor movement in Toronto. Thus, the history of the labor movement in Canada can be described using the Labor Lyceum and the Printers Strike of 1872.

The Labor Lyceum Site

The Labor Lyceum site was the epicenter of political activism for Toronto’s labor workers. Members of the union formed a trade association with a common goal. They became known as textile union workers. Situated in the Southwest corner of Spadina Avenue, the Labor Lyceum was an imperative social center through which the character of Jewish workers was shaped. J.B. Salsberg was a notable activist who played his part in the emancipation of Jewish textile workers. The Activists argued that Jews in Spadina owned no establishment and must change the norm. As a result, the Jewish union members acquired a building and named it the Labor Lyceum. Aside from the union movement and demonstrations on the site, the building was a cultural center for Jewish celebrations, events, and beer arena.

The Labor Lyceum site concentrated on Jewish roles in the garment industry. The Labor Lyceum plaque commemorated the struggles of Jewish settlers in 1931. Tourists are delighted in observing the destinations of previous Jewish neighborhoods and lifestyles in the Kensington region. The Jewish settlers of Toronto developed from 3,000 to 45,000, a rate of development that was four times the remaining city population. Because of this expansion, Toronto’s economy was developing. However, textile workers were challenged with critical conditions on the processing plant floors. The living conditions of textile workers were not encouraging, and they needed a change in attitude from their superiors. In 1913, forged by the hardship, the Jewish garment workers established an association led by Henry Dworkin and Sam Easser. Dworkin and Easser urged their members to buy shares for the Labor Lyceum union. Each member was mandated to pay five dollars for the shares. In 1924, the union bought two houses at 344 and 246 Spadina Road.

The seasonal pattern of the garment trade implied that laborers could mingle and plan at the Labor Lyceum during moderate work periods. Regardless of their initial endeavors, the conditions and welfare of textile workers were challenging. The production environment was not accommodating, the lighting was poor, and there were no heating lamps and ventilation. Besides, the alleged authorities were responsible for the workload, separating the conveyance of work. Equipped with stopwatches, they incited “speedups” when the workload expanded. The gross misconduct of the authorities was not investigated, making it simple for them to exploit laborers who feared for their occupations. With the pending implosion, union members converged on the Labor Lyceum site to chart a way forward. Their mission was to enforce an immediate resolution of all pending issues facing them. After due consultations, the union organized a congress at the Labor Lyceum site and agreed to press their demands with strike action.

On February 25, 1931, the garment workers put down their work, ceased their machines, and relinquished their posts, leaving the clothing shops to create an awareness of their plight (Klikauer, 2017). Their show prompted a general strike of dressmakers that required a fifteen percent increase in compensation, acknowledgment of the labor union, and the arrangement of a reasonable and unbiased judge to consult on future labor negotiations (Fichter & McCallum, 2015). Although they were unsuccessful, the strike exposed the conditions in the principally Jewish textile neighborhood. During the peak of labor activities in 1859, the Labor Lyceum was a central command for the transcendently Jewish union in the Spadina zone. After World War II, the Labor Lyceum site became a stopover point for Jewish evacuees from Europe. Refuges were given shelter, food, and clothing and at some point assigned to jobs in the garment industry. The Labor Lyceum site became a significant building for Jewish settlers and their labor activities.

The Printers’ Strike of 1872

The historical plaque is located at the East corner of Queen’s Park Crescent

• Location: Toronto
• Province: City of Toronto
• District: City of Toronto

Another historical Toronto plaque is the Printers’ Strike of 1872. When union leaders organized a congress and went on strike for a nine-hour workday in 1872, a pack of 10,000 assembled at Queen’s Park to press their demands. The strike action was successful as the authority led by Sir John Macdonald was pressured to present the Trade Union Act. The Toronto Printer’s strike is one of the historical sites that commemorated the activities of labor unions in Canada. The location was a rallying point for the notable nine-hour movement.. The nine-hour revolution of 1870 was a global labor activity striving for favorable working conditions. In January 1872, railroad employees and other laborers established the nine-hour labor movement. The union members agreed that a reduction in work time would improve their extra circular actives, which include family time, and community service. After due consultation with its members, the laborers clarified that society, in general, would profit from shorter workdays because people would have more opportunity for family and other activities.

From Hamilton, the movement spread to different parts of Canada. The labor league became popular and was known as Canada’s first mass laborer’s union. Toronto is imperative to the nine-hour development since it was there that words were changed energetically. The Toronto union took up the requests that had begun in Hamilton and other regions. However, authorities questioned their legitimacy and called their threat a bluff. On 25 March 1872, the printers union went on strike. The procession included walking groups and signs broadcasting the requests of the printers. The gathering began the walk with 2000 people and when they had made it into Queen’s Park the group had developed to around 10,000. The strike prompted numerous positive results. Consequently, the labor unions were authorized and the general population demonstrated that they were keen on resolving employee’s welfare. After the strike of 1872, all labor unions demanded 54-hour weeks for their employees. The printers of Toronto were without a doubt pioneers in the battle for shorter workdays.

Conclusion

The Toronto labor sites remain the pivot of most labor struggles in Canada. The events shaped the labor union movement of the twenty-first century. This accounts for the commemoration of plaques that reveal the significant contribution of a previous union activist. The two historical sites discussed in this paper reflect a part of the labor history in Canada. Based on this analysis, it is evident that the historical labor sites are significant for the modern union movement. Although some of these Plaques are significant to foreigners, the overall interest represented worker’s welfare and working conditions. The account of the struggle of textile workers and printer’s welfare summarizes the contributions of labor unions in Canada.

References

Brookes, M. (2013). Varieties of power in transnational labor alliances: An analysis of workers’ structural, institutional, and coalitional power in the global economy. Labor Studies Journal, 38(3), 181–200.

Brookes, M., & McCallum, J. (2017). The new global labor studies: A critical review. Global Labor Journal, 8(3), 201-218.

Brown, A [image]. (2004). Toronto’s historical plaques. Web.

Brown, A [image]. (2013). Toronto’s historical plaques. Web.

Fichter, M., & McCallum, J. (2015). Implementing global framework agreements: The limits of social partnership. Global Networks, 15(1), 65–85.

Klikauer, T. (2017). Workers and trade unions in the USA. Journal of Labor and Society, 20(1), 129-135.

Advertisement signifies the practice that is established to disseminate information in an effort to draw a wide range of customers and increase the generated revenue. Target audiences for this paper are tourists who will travel attributable to ads influencing their destination. The ministry of tourism will be the greatest beneficiary of this research as they will see the influence of advertisements on the industry. Some companies in the tourism sector are mistaken to believe that it would be beneficial to lessen their expenses on advertisement for increased profitability. However, such a reduction usually provides temporary savings but eventually result in the continued loss of market share. The Incredible India crusade promoted the cultural aspects and tourist attraction sites in the country in an implausible way. Advertisements in the crusade assisted in the generation of a colorful portrayal of the nation in the minds of tourists internationally. It resulted in the direct rise of interest among tourists and increased income (Latif, Islam, Noor, Mohamad, & Kongsompong, 2016). The main objective of advertisements in the tourism industry is to increase awareness.

This research will focus on tourism and the influence of advertisements because they play a vital role in ensuring the continued success of the industry. This research paper will focus on the question: How effective are ads in the tourism industry? The world is presently advertisement and media-propelled (Muñoz-Leiva, Liébana-Cabanillas, & Hernández-Méndez, 2018). All organizations and establishments in the tourism industry, such as museums, game parks, hotels, and airlines, should enhance their advertisement strategies to facilitate their success. The ultimate aim of promotion and advertisements is to control human behavior, motivate, and influence demand.

Advertisements have a crucial role in the social and economic facets of the tourism industry. For instance, they promote the attraction of customers to new experiences, destinations, services, and products that they previously either did not know about or did not make them feel fascinated. Therefore, advertisements persuade customers to travel to new destinations or portray products convincingly different while inviting brand preference. This makes some customers change their appeal for a given destination or alter their choice of accommodation in a given area (Muñoz-Leiva et al., 2018). Moreover, advertisements remind potential clients regarding a destination or experience. Successful marketers should observe tourist sites from the customers’ perspective and alter their position to create relationships with clients anchored in trust.

Descriptive research is a technique that defines the attributes of the population or study phenomena while focusing on questions of what instead of why. Exploratory research is a method followed for problems that have not been understood clearly and are meant to determine priorities, expand operational descriptions, and strengthen the ultimate study plan (Lefley, 2016). Evaluation research denotes the objective of the study rather than a particular method. In this paper, I have chosen the evaluation approach because it provides a logical examination of the significance or value of time, resources, and effort to realize the set aim. This form of research is employed in the determination of the effect of social interventions.

This research paper aims to assess the impact of advertisements on tourists’ constant attraction to different destinations and the level of their continued visit. The researcher will employ the potency of advertisements to enlighten the ministry of tourism (Lefley, 2016). Given the impact of ads, the researcher will undertake an analysis to evaluate their effects on the profitability and success of tourist sites.

References

Latif, W. B., Islam, A., Noor, I. M., Mohamad, M., & Kongsompong, K. (2016). Imagination of brand image for tourism industry. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 14(2), 138-142. doi: 10.21511/ppm.14(2-1).2016.02

Lefley, F. (2016). An exploratory study of the post-audit practices of large UK organizations: The way forward. Management Decision, 54(5), 1140-1159. doi:10.1108/MD-10-2015-0482

Muñoz-Leiva, F., Liébana-Cabanillas, F., & Hernández-Méndez, J. (2018). Etourism advertising effectiveness: Banner type and engagement as moderators. Journal of Services Marketing, 32(4), 462-475. doi:10.1108/jsm-01-2017-0039

Introducction

The hotel and restaurant business is a developed area in almost any country in the world, and many cities can offer a wide variation of hotels. Internet and online booking also made search and selection easier for customers, but increased competition among hotels. For this reason, the owners of any accommodations must offer unique and high-quality services to attract and keep customers. Islamic hotels that position themselves as places friendly to Muslims and professing the laws of Islam are trendy today. The authors of the article “The transparency of Islamic hotels” examine the correspondence of the status and information of Muslim-friendly hotels and the influence of this factor on their success. The results and research methods are consistent; however, the interpretation of the concept of an Islamic hotel by the authors and business owners is not revealed, and the discussion part touches on only one aspect.

Summary

The authors of the article explore the issue of transparency of information about hotels that self-represent themselves as Islamic. The lack of data on booking sites and its inconsistency with their official sites can affect the expectations of guests and their stay in hotels, leading to negative comments and loss of customers. The study of the literature related to Islamic tradition allows the authors to discover the features of the business model in Muslim countries, as well as understand the reasons why companies have a low level of transparency (Alserhan et al., 2018). However, the authors emphasize mainly on a research in which they compare the availability of information on the popular halal-friendly online booking service The Crescent Ranking (CR) and sites of top and bottom ten hotels. In addition, the authors use comments from Muslim and non-Muslim guests to analyze the impact of the informational lacks on the number of customers in general. As a result, the authors concluded that Islamic hotels have a low level of transparency, and the hotels with its lowest rate receive the most negative comments.

Analysis of the Theoretical Base and Interpretation of Concepts

The authors of the article devote most of their work to the study of theoretical issues related to the functions and construction of a business model of Islamic castings. For this purpose, they analyze the laws and traditions of Islam related both to eating, living, and social habits and to the moral principles that Muslims profess. For example, researchers emphasize that for Islamic hotels, the business itself should be a more important factor than profit (Alserhan, 2018). This factor is essential for this study, since religion, business, and law in most Muslim countries are inseparable; therefore, for any owner of an Islamic hotel, the traditions, and rules of Shariah should be in the first place.

Moreover, the factor of dividing guests into Muslims and non-Muslims, which the authors used, is logical and necessary for the study. Non-Muslim guests are most often random clients of such hotels, since they did not read information about the features of the place where they stayed, which subsequently affects their satisfaction with the service (Alserhan et al., 2018). However, some non-Muslim visitors may be interested in gaining new experiences and book Islamic hotels in anticipation of seeing their particularities with their eyes, but establishments with non-transparent policies may also overestimate their expectations. Therefore, this issue is vital in determining the impact of the hotel’s transparency on attendance by Muslim and non-Muslim guests.

Nevertheless, the drawback of the study is a limited interpretation of the concept of an Islamic hotel or its explanation in the context of this article is not sufficiently accurate. From the context of the study, the reader can identify a halal-friendly, Muslim-friendly, or Islamic hotel as one that fully complies with all Shariah laws and creates conditions in which Muslims feel comfortable (Alserhan et al., 2018). For example, menus have only halal food, and alcohol is prohibited. However, hotel owners can identify themselves as Muslim-friendly if they can offer special food to guests, a place for prayer and rooms in accordance with Islamic law, but non-Muslim services are also available. The authors of the article do not mention such a difference, which may be an omission in the description of the question if the authors did not clearly identify which hotels they investigated. For example, the hotel indicated the presence of halal food on CR but did not mark this information on the website, or the menu contained bacon for non-Muslims. Nonetheless, this omission has not changed the results of the research.

Evaluation of the Research Methods

The authors of this article have chosen a varied approach to obtain data, which enabled them to evaluate not only the transparency of hotels but also its impact on their rating. The studied hotels are also the right choice, since the sample gave an understanding of the relationship between the level of transparency and the success of the place. The comments of Muslim and non-Muslim guests also confirmed the authors’ hypothesis as they show that unjustified expectations due to Islamic norms or their absence, but not poor service in general, affected the hotel’s rating (Alserhan et al., 2018). Interview with employees and managers also provided inside information that demonstrated a partial mismatch of the described online conditions and real facts. The only drawback of the research method is the intuitive division of guests into Muslims and non-Muslims, since, despite the distinguished comments, the guesses may be false.

Criticism of the Discussion Part

This part of the study is extensive; however, it does not disclose all aspects that are evaluated by the authors in their research. In fact, the entire discussion is devoted to sailing and drinking alcohol in hotels, as well as the indication of different information on this issue on CR and the official websites of the accommodations. This feature exists because alcohol is mentioned in most visitor’s reviews of both Muslims and non-Muslims, and it is important in ensuring the income of hotels (Alserhan et al., 2018). The authors disclosed this question fully describing the impact of alcohol sales on company profits and customer satisfaction, as well as including the facts of their interviews with employees. This question is undoubtedly vital in Islam, as Muslims should not drink alcohol, and many of them prefer not to meet other people who drink it too much.

Nevertheless, the discussion did not mention other important issues for the followers of Islam, such as the separation of men and women, places for prayer, the presence of clubs, or halal food. For many Muslims, these issues are above the problem of alcohol, since a person can avoid a bar in a hotel. However, Muslims need halal food, peace, and a place where they can pray or use additional services without violating the laws of faith. For this reason, the interpretation and discussion section needs to be supplemented to reveal all critical aspects of Islamic hotels.

Conclusion

Therefore, this study reveals the main problems in the information policy of Islamic hotels by the theoretical and empirical methods. The lack of explanations in the interpretation of concepts and results makes the article inaccurate in some of its parts. However, the authors clearly demonstrate all important for Muslim people aspects and show how the level of transparency affects their rating of the hotels and focuses on the need to change such a policy.

Reference

Alserhan, B. A., Wood, B. P., Rutter, R., Halkias, D., Terzi, H., & Serhan, O. A. (2018). The transparency of Islamic hotels: “Nice Islam” and the “self-orientalizing” of Muslims? International Journal of Tourism Research, 20(4), 475–487.

The Black Forest (Schwarzwald) is a forested mountain ridge in Baden-Württemberg (southwestern Germany). It is limited by the Rhine valley to the west and south.

Consequently its area is approximately 12000 sq km. The forest is almost rectangular. Its length is almost 200 km, and width is approximately 60 km.

The red area on the map indicates the location of the Black Forest.

Rivers, which take their source in the Black Forest, include Danube, Enz, Kinzig, Murg, Neckar, and Rench. The Black Forest is part of the continental divide between the Atlantic Ocean basin (depleted by the Rhine) and the Black Sea basin (depleted by the Danube).

As for the mountains, the highest one is the Feldberg reaching the height of 1,493 meters.

As for the environment, it can be said, that it is unique as the region itself. The most common animal here is the cow, as local population is mainly engaged in breeding. These are “Black Forest Foxes” which are essentially a variety of horse, engaged in the intense field work. And also Eagles and owls can be seen at close distance as they soar low.

The dialects which are spoken in that area are Alemannic and Swabian.

It should be said, that the tourists are usually attracted to this region not only by beautiful forest, mountains and rivers, but also by the traditions, high service level in the numerous hotels, and of course the local cuisine, which is famous throughout the whole world, and includes the best cooking traditions of most of European countries

These are the Paupiettes of Trout, and the Cookies of the Black Forest.

Another point of tourists’ interest is hiking, or as it is usually called “Hiking without the luggage”, which is comfortable, and easily performed.

In conclusion it would be necessary to tell a few words about the traditions and folk (including the legends). The most well known tradition of the locals, is to keep the kukuck clock in every house, and the tourist tradition is to buy one, during traveling in the black forest.

The Bollenhut, the attribute of the costume, which is the most popular among the tourists, is traditional hat with its pompoms. However, traditionally it is worn in three communities: Gutach, Wolfach-Kirnbach and Hornberg-Reichenbach

.

The legends of the Black forest can be found in the Legends of Rhine, and the most colorful of them, is the legend which is called “Castle Falkenstein near Freiburg Thebroken little Ring”, which everybody knows from one’s childhood

Introduction

An Integrated Resort is a multi-use construction that houses a variety of amenities such as hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and a casino. As far as Singapore is concerned, it is a widely acknowledged fact that the term ‘Integrated Resort’ has been deliberately used as a less offensive synonym in place of ‘casino,’ a word that provokes a highly competitive debate in all levels of Singaporean society.

After months of deliberating the potential advantages and drawbacks of building two Integrated Resorts in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong confirmed during a Parliamentary meeting on 18 April 2005 that the country would definitely go ahead with the project.

Main body

The Singapore government, which had already called for and received 19 request-for-concept offers by December 2004, ultimately granted the contract to construct the first IR in Marina South to the Las Vegas Sands Company on 26 May 2006. The award came as a surprise to many, who thought that two consortia were the leading contenders. The IR project labelled ‘The Marina Bay Sands,’ is expected to be a prominent landmark of the Marina Bay landscape when it opens in 2009.

The second IR project to be constructed in Sentosa and labelled as ‘Resorts World at Sentosa,’ was awarded to the Genting International/Star Cruises consortium on 8 December 2006. The winner beat two consortia who had also bid for the project.

While heated debate about the IR projects still rages on, it is my contention that they will generate more benefits than disadvantages to the country and its people.

The first argument extolling the IR project states that it will propel Singapore to the forefront of South Asia, enabling it to compete realistically with the burgeoning tourism sectors of other countries in the region. Tourism is growing at a phenomenal rate in the two most populous countries in the world – China and India. Hong Kong is mulling over legalising casinos to compete with the massively developed gambling industry in Macau (Torchia). Thailand is following in Hong Kong’s footsteps. Malaysia already has a thriving casino-cum-theme park on its Genting Highlands (Wikipedia). I think the government is doing absolutely the right thing in tackling international competition head on. A country cannot afford to lag behind others in the same region especially in matters where it is relatively easy to ‘be there’ among the best. The government has realized that the country would become less and less a tourist attraction as compared to its neighbours unless it did something radical to rejuvenate itself – which it did by adopting the casino project.

The second argument in favour of the IR project is that the domestic economy will be hugely benefited in three ways. Firstly, large amounts of foreign exchange from lavishly spending tourists will be injected into the country’s coffers (Torchia). Besides the casinos, tourists will also spend heavily in the other IR components such as the restaurants, shopping malls, museums and convention centres (Wikipedia.org). Secondly, a massive vista of employment (Torchia) involving nearly 35,000 direct or indirect jobs (Wikipedia.org) will be opened for Singaporeans. Thirdly, associated economic sectors, such as the hotel industry, transportation and food sectors will also benefit greatly (Torchia). I feel that this argument is so strong and comprehensive that no Singaporean in his or her right mind can doubt the huge benefit their country and they stand to gain from the casinos project. Singapore is a highly literate country, hence it won’t be very difficult for the people to understand and appreciate the implications of this project.

The third argument in approval of the IR project points out that gambling is not new to Singaporeans. Many of them regularly indulge in horse race betting, using slot machines, and betting on the outcome of games like soccer. In fact, the home based casinos will retain a lot of the country’s money because rich Singaporeans who traditionally gamble heavily abroad in places like Malaysia, Macau and Perth, will prefer to do their gambling in the home country itself (Torchia). In my opinion, this argument is a master stroke that decapitates the ‘socially damaging’ argument of those against the project. It shows that Singaporeans as not ‘babes in the wood’ who do not know what gambling is; many of them have already tasted the ‘bad apple,’ and even if the casinos are not due to open soon, they will continue to go abroad to gamble – and lose more of their own and their country’s hard earned money in the process.

The last argument in favour of the IR project points to the government’s intention to set up deterrents in the form of state-of-the-art treatment centres for gambling addicts (Torchia), and getting the casinos to strictly implement safeguards like refusal of credit facilities to local gamblers, unreasonably high entrance fees and acceding to the request of a gambler’s family that he or she should not be allowed access to the casino (Wikipedia.org). I applaud this argument as the proverbial ‘Touché!’ It goes to show the honestly, integrity and far sightedness of the government. It does acknowledge that there will be ‘fallout’ from the project and is doing its diligent best to forestall any bad effects that could ensure. What many detractors do not wish to admit is that while these deterrents many not deter hardened gamblers but it will certainly deter the common man. A citizen will have to be uncommonly hard or foolhardy to run the formidable gauntlet that the government has thrown up.

The first opposing argument deplores the high-handedness of the People’s Action Party government. The ‘Families against the Casino Threat’ group put together a petition signed by 30,000 citizens opposed to the project (Wikipedia.org). Even 50% of the PAP ministers were against the project (Torchia). The government did not permit citizens to vote in a referendum, and refused to let the project be turned into an election issue (Gomez). I would like to state that this argument is overblown in proportion. The common man does have a say in the country’s affairs, but this does not mean he can interfere in each and every important issue that comes up before the country. Does the common man have a say in every new infrastructure or international joint venture project that will surely have pros and cons as well? The Casino issue is a purely economic issue, one that does not threaten Singapore’s economy – in fact there is nothing except huge benefit expected from the project.

The second argument of dissent is that it will have a negative effect on Singaporean society (Gomez). High profile gambling will rip open the strict social controls fabric that has been the country’s premier asset (Torchia). The casinos will be easily accessible to all, effectively rendering the entire populace within limits of the casinos’ ‘catchments area’ (Gomez). There is the real possibility of compulsive gambling behaviour becoming widespread (Torchia) along with money laundering, money lending at exorbitant interest rates and even systematically coordinated crime (Wikipedia.org). I feel that this argument too is overblown. It is not as if the people are little children who are being led into doing morally wrong things. They are mature adults, knowing fully well what is right and wrong. Gambling is like any other vice, say smoking. It requires will power to abstain from such vices. Can a smoker blame the country for allowing cigarettes to be sold openly? The same applies to gambling.

The third opposing argument is that the clean image of Singapore will be forever besmirched, leading it to be perceived as synonymous with gambling and its associated vices, especially money laundering (Gomez). In the context of our highly competitive, modern world, this sort of logic is totally out of place. Countries these days have to contend with vastly more important and more threatening issues like AIDS} especially to African countries}, nuclear proliferation and terrorism . A country’s image is now judged by such milestones and not based on an imaginary ‘squeaky clean’ image that you can find in a fairy tale like ‘Snow White’ or ‘Alice in Wonderland.’

Conclusion

The last argument of dissent is that there Singapore’s economy is already in a healthy state. It is not as if the IR project presents a ‘life or death’ alternative. If at all the economy needs to be rejuvenated further, there are many, less harmful avenues to follow (Gomez). This argument has no base in economics. There is no limit to ‘healthiness’ of an economy. However healthy an economy is, there is always room for improvement. The government is doing the right thing in strengthening the economy further in anticipation of possible pitfalls in the future – one example is the ever rising price of oil, which is cutting deeper into the foreign exchange reserves of non-oil producing nations. Is it harmful to save more, and try to safeguard the future generations?

In conclusion, I am convinced that the pros of the IR project outweigh the cons, and is definitely a laudable, far-sighted move on the part of dynamic Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong. In a strange coincidence, his father, former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, was also involved in dynamically rejuvenating the country – he was the main force behind moulding Singapore’s exceptional development ever since it became independent in 1965 (Torchia). It does seem that the dynamism trait is inherent in the Lee family. What his father did once, the son is doing again – like father, like son!

References

1. “Integrated Resort” Wikipedia.org. 2007. Web.
2. Gomez, James. “Workers’ Party Official Statement on Casino.” Newsintercom.org. 2005.
3. Torchia, Christopher. “Singapore to go ahead with Plans to build Casinos.” Associated Press. 2005.

Introduction

The UK tourism industry is characterized by high levels of concentration and vertical integration, with market leaders for Tour operators also being the market leaders for retail travel agencies, and for the charter airline sector. The high levels of vertical integration have led to an investigation by the monopolies and merger commission into the foreign package holiday industry in 1997. The commission found that the industry was still very competitive and able to serve the market successfully.

Demographic and Household Trends

The population of the UK is 58.7 million people and is ranked second in terms of size to the rest of Europe. By the year 2020 the population of the UK is expected to reach 61 million. The UK population is concentrated in the southeastern centered on London. This is also the wealthiest region and has the best communications structure for international travel, with Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton airports strategically placed to service the area. This area makes up 30.5% of the population (17.8 million) and generates 35 % of the national GDP. Its average GDP per person in 1996 was Euro 18,411 as compared to the rest of the country of Euro 15,684. The lowest average GDP per person were in Wales and Northern Ireland. Although the average GDP is only loosely connected to the consumer spending, yet the cost of living in the southeastern is greater.

In the UK there is a low population growth expected for coming years. Studies show very low fertility levels in most of Northern Europe. The factors contributing to this are the rising expectations of women and their increasing entry into the job market, the reduced influence of the church and better education and higher incomes in general. By the year 2011, the age distribution of the UK population is expected to have various outcomes. The number of children will decrease by about 1 million and the young adult’s age bracket 15 to 29 and age bracket of 30 to 44 will both decrease by over a half a million. The age bracket of 45 to 59 will increase by over 2 million and the 60 to 74 age bracket will increase by 1 million, along with the 75+ bracket increasing by over a half million.

There is an increase in the number of households being formed as traditional large families fragment into a number of smaller units. As the average household size has decreased, the number of households has increased from 16.3 million in 1961 to 23.5 million in 1997. With increase in the number of households gives strength to the projections of continuing market growth in many areas, despite the slow increase in the population base. Since the demand for many goods and services is household than population driven. The demands for rented accommodation on holidays are more or less dependent on the number of households. For the UK travel and tourism industry, the main point is that although the population base is relatively static, additional pressures on housing, family budgets for household goods, roads, and the environment in general will continue.

The average household size in 1961 was 3.1 persons and in 1997 fell to 2.4 persons, a 23 % drop. As households have become smaller, the number of people living alone has increased to a point where in 1997 27% of all households contained just one person, of which two thirds are of pension able age. This is compared to 18% in 1971 and 14% in 1961. There is also a rise in single parent households. The proportion of households with dependent children where there is a single parent increased from 4% in 1979 to 7% in 1996. The demands of providing for and managing such households are great and leave limited scope for holiday taking.

The changing workplace is another factor affecting the UK travel and tourism industry. There is an increased participation by women in the employment sector. Since 1971, the number of women employed in manufacturing has declined by nearly 40%, while the number employed in the service industries has increased by just over 30%. Overall the percentage of women active in the economy increased from 62% in 1975 to 70% in 1996. This increase in the economic activity rate of women is attributable to an increase in the average age at which women have children, the availability of increased numbers of part time jobs, a desire by women for economic independence, larger numbers of lone mothers and pressures on household budgets.

A notable trend in the employment sector has been the move to part-time, self-employment and contract working. This is because employers seek to retain flexibility of response to market demand by keeping a core of essential workers, and buying in services as required meeting production requirements. The number of self-employed in the UK has grown from 2 million in 1979 to 3.3 million in 1997, 2.3 of whom were men and 900,000 women.

Typically most people in full time employment in the UK receive between 4 and 6 weeks holiday a year, depending on the length of service. As the working environment has become more competitive and jobs less secure, as more and more partners are also working, so there has been a practical trend to take shorter holidays, but more frequently.

A European Directive on working hours came into force in the UK on October 1, 1998. It limits the length of the average working week to a maximum 48 hours, guarantees rest periods, the right to one day off works a week, and establishes a statutory minimum paid leave of 4 weeks a year. For the first time in the UK, it also extends these holiday rights to part-time workers.

Leisure and tourism spending

Increased lengths of paid holidays, shorter nominal working weeks, and more labor saving devices are factors that suggest more leisure time, but the data is deceptive. The travel times to and from work have increased, the rise in single parent households, people living alone, women in the work force and former domestic economies of scale no longer apply. This suggests why there has been a reduction of 3% for men and 4.5% for women in leisure time available after essential commitments have been completed. More often than not paid holidays are representing a further time resource for participating in leisure activities of one sort or another. A week off at Christmas, a second week off at Easter, and three weeks in the summer are now not unusual holiday entitlements for those in regular paid employment in the UK.

Total spending on all holiday trips of 4 or more nights (Long Holiday) has gone up fromL5.9 billion in 1980, L20 billion in 1995. In 1998 it went up 11% to reach over L24 billion. 78 % of this holiday spending went in 1997 on foreign travel: L17.2 billion abroad, as compared with only L4.8 billion on domestic holidays. 27 million UK residents travel abroad for a holiday while 30 million stay within the UK, but the UK residents that travel abroad spend much more. In summary, 27% of all UK consumer expenditure is allocated to leisure items, 17% of all the leisure spending goes to long holidays, and 78% of all spending on long holidays is on foreign holidays.

Outbound holiday market overview

The departures by UK residents for all purposes are monitored by the International Passenger Survey published by the office for national Statistics (ONS). Departures have risen from 11.6million in 1976 to 31.2 in 1990, 39.9 million in 1994, and 46.8 million in 1997, an increase of over 10% from the previous year. During that time the key holiday component rose from 7 million trips in 1976 to 29.7 million trips in 1997 (up 11% from1996) of which the inclusive tour component increased from 3.9million to 15.4 million. Another important market segment is VFR traffic (Visiting Friends and Relatives) which increased from 1.9 million in 1976 to 6.1 million in 1997. The figures for 1998 show that the strength of travel demand has been sustained with the total visits abroad up 10% compared with 1997. The driving force behind the growth is a strong economy and the strength of the sterling, which has enabled holiday prices to be contained.

In 1989, about 86 million holiday trips were made away from home, and this increased to an estimated 94 million in 1997. Of these 94 million, 63 million (67%) were within the UK and 31 million (33%) were abroad. Foreign holidays were mainly longer holidays of 4 or more nights (27 million trips).Even though departure rates remain static, growth in the foreign holidays can continue to occur through erosion of the market secured by domestic holidays and by the taking of multiple holidays. Holidays of 4 nights or more increased in number from 48.5 million in 1980 to 58 million in 1994 and 57 million in 1997. More people were taking second and third holidays. Foreign holidays have grown in number, while domestic holidays have failed to hold their market

The average cost per person in 1997 of a holiday abroad, including all transportation to and from the destination as well as the other expenses at the destination was L611. The average party size was 2.1 people, making an expenditure per party of L1, 344. This compares with expenditure on a domestic holiday of an average L159 per person and average party size of 2.6

Climate, tradition, and school holidays are some of the many factors that determine the pattern of seasonal demand for holidays in the UK. Unlike continental Europe, the UK has very diversified school systems and there is no centrally established regime of school terms. The spring term typically starts at the end of the first week January and finishes at the beginning of April. Summer term starts after Easter, usually in late April, and finishes during the third or forth week in July. The autumn term starts at the beginning of September, and runs to the week before Christmas. The majority of holidays continue to be taken in the summer months. However the proportion of all holidays taken outside this period has been steadily increasing.

Competitor Analysis

The major market sector for outbound tourism is air inclusive tours (AIT). An International Passenger Survey figure shows the dominance of this market, around 81% of the inclusive holiday market is being covered by AITs, and the remainder is split between ferries (16%) and the Eurotunnel (3%). The top five major Air Travel Organizers License (ATOL) operators are Thomson tour operators Ltd., Airtours PLC, First Choice PLC, Flights Ltd., and Sun World Ltd.

The Market Share of Air Inclusive tour Operators

There are economies of scale for Massachusetts-market tour operating, so it is important to maintain market position. The Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) figures for licensed seats suggest that Thomas Cook has overtaken First Choice. The market share figures for the top seven operators indicate that First Choice will be the second largest operator in summer 2000. The changes in market share and positions between the top four operators show that there is intense rivalry and competition in the marketplace.

Travel Agents

The concentration in the travel agency sector is very similar to the concentration in the tour operator sector. The leading travel agencies now also represent the leading tour operators. The rapid development of travel agency outlets by First Choice, with Bakers Dolphin, Intatravel and Hays Travel, pushed First Choice into the top four. However, in terms of brand qualification, First Choice is outside of the top four. Co-op Travel care has 264 outlets and there are 5 members of the Co-op Travel Consortium with 203 outlets. Also there are 634 outlets under the World Choice banner, with its Thomas Cook affiliation through Thomas Cook’s purchase of Carlson’s outlets. By February 2000, the top four travel agencies owned 35% of all Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) travel agency outlets. In terms of value, the top four travel agencies command a higher proportion of the market. Considering the consolidation of the industry in 1998 and 1999, analysts’ estimate that the share of the AIT market by value for the top five travel agents increased from 56.9% in 1997 to 66.3% in 1999.

Market Leaders

Air tours PLC has been the second largest UK outbound tour operator since 1991. AS a group Air tours is the worlds largest AIT operator with tour operations in 17 countries, including the UK, Scandinavia, the US, Canada, Germany, Belgium, France, Holland, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and the Republic of Ireland. The group carries about 9 million passengers per year and is managed through six divisions. Overall the group has 1,613 travel outlets, 17 telesales centers, 42 aircraft, 10 cruise ships, 2 vacation resorts, 46 resort properties and over 40 principal operating brands.

Thomson Travel Group (TTG) PLC is one of the largest integrated outbound tour operators in the world, although it had no overseas interests until 1996, when it acquired the Irish tour operator Budget. TTG has been the leading tour operator for the UK outbound market for 25 years, but its main rival in the market is Air tours. Air tours are larger overall as it has more overseas interests. Through acquisitions, Thomson now has overseas operation in Poland, Republic of Ireland, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. TTG has four main activities: out bound tour operating (Thomson Holidays), charter airline operations (Britannia Airways), travel retailing (Lunn Poly), and holiday cottage renting

(Independent Holiday Cottages Group). TTG’s strategy for many years has been to try and maintain market leadership as the UK’s largest tour operator, charter airline, and travel retailer. This strategy aims to maximize the advantage of vertical integration. In

1999, the company operated from 21 UK airports, with a choice of 4,000 hotels and apartments throughout the world. In total, Thomson Travel Group operated 7 million holidays, flew almost 10 million passengers on its fleet in 1998, and reached L80.1 million in pre-tax profits.

First Choice Holidays PLC was formed in 1994 out of an existing tour operator, Owners Abroad, which had existed since 1973. Its main brands are First Choice Holidays, Sovereign, twenties, Ski, Lakes and Mountains, and Eclipse. The group is divided into four main operating divisions, reflecting the company’s brand portfolio.

These divisions are First Choice Holidays and Flights, Air 2000, Signature Vacation, and First Choice Ski, Lakes and Mountains. Unlike the other leading tour operators, First

Choice has only integrated vertically. For the year ending October 1999 First Choice’s pre-tax profits reached L46.9 million.

The Thomas Cook Group Ltd. (TC) is one of the world’s largest international travel and financial services groups and has a high level of international brand awareness. Thomas Cook claims to offer a wider variety of holiday products on the Internet than any other company with over 2 million holidays available online. Its retail outlets outside the UK are located in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Mexico and Egypt. The Thomas Cook brand and its retailing activities are aided by the fact that Thomas Cook Financial Services owns the world’s largest network of retail foreign exchange bureaus. Thomas Cook’s rapid rise in the UK market in the last few years has been driven by several large acquisitions. In 1996, TC acquired Sun World Ltd., the fourth largest inclusive tour operator at that time, along with its charter airline Air world Aviation. The Thomas Cook Group Ltd. in the year ending 31stDecember reached a pre-tax profit of L47.1 million.

Field Research

First Public Relations (First PR) is public relations and promotions firm that mainly serves the travel and tourism industry. Their clients include Massachusetts (BCCVB), Palm Springs, CA, Miami, Washington, Texas, Oregon and Dallas, TX. First PR’s strategy for their clients is to promote them by using 50% of their resources for marketing activities and 50% for promotional activities. This includes television coverage, radio ads, and print ads and articles. Print promotion is the best way to reach their target market because the average person in the UK reads 4 national newspapers per day. From their research, 27% of the search hits on the Internet in the UK are for travel and 52% of the market share of British travelers goes to other countries. The travel industry is vertically integrated and consists of four main operators: First Choice, Air tours, Thomson Travel Group, and Thomas Cook. First PR’s target market is 45+-age group, a segment that has higher purchasing power, which is called the Empty nesters group. They have no children living home, usually retired, socially aware, and highly educated. First PR targets this segment in three tiers: A list – very rich, B list –Lawyers, Doctors, & Professionals, and C list- middle class. The average person in the market receives a minimum of 4 weeks of paid holiday. Three million British travels to the USA each year, out of that 1/3 go to Florida and 400,000 come to Massachusetts. Travel products and services are number one when it comes to consumer spending (First Public Relations).

Strategic Alternatives

For the BCCVB to create interest, awareness, brand image and recognition, and successfully enter the UK travel and tourism market also considering their international marketing budget various strategic alternatives have been created. Analyzing the travel and tourism industry and the competition in the UK along with field observations these are the strategic alternatives for the BCCVB:

• Establish a BCCVB office in the UK- appoint a representative to promote Bristol

County

• Dedicate 1-2 years pushing Bristol County
• Alert and utilize the press to promote Bristol County
• Offer Farm Trips to tour operator-a free holiday in Bristol County
• Create Press trips to create awareness
• Create a “Coffee Table Magazine” of Bristol County- this is the new trend
• Consult tour operators’ databases, and then push Bristol County
• Focus on finding niche operators and a niche market
• Develop a better Website
• Educate the UK tour operators

Recommendations

Considering the international marketing budget that the BCCVB has allocated to them, these are the most strategic and logical recommendations. The BCCVB should allocate between 60-75% of their funds for international marketing to the UK market penetration project. The BCCVB should continue to use First PR in helping with their marketing, promotions, and public relations in the UK. Then the BCCVB should recommend to First PR to alert and utilize the press to promote Bristol County and offer Press trips to create awareness. They should send out press releases about Bristol County and hire freelance article writers to produce articles about Bristol County to be featured in the travel sections national newspapers.

Also they should try to (if the funds allow) organize Press trips so the press writers can produce articles based on first hand experiences in Bristol County that the public will perceive to be more creditable. First PR should consult tour operators’ databases focusing on finding niche operators and a niche market that will fit Bristol County’s strategy. They can achieve this by persistently contacting the large and small tour operators so they can acquire the necessary market research to use in promoting Bristol County. Finally the BCCVB should improve the Bristol County website, so tour operators and the general public can actually research and view the area for themselves. To support this activity the BCCVB should then contact First PR and try to come up with a tour operator and potential customer mailing list, which they will then use for direct mailing of promotional pieces for Bristol County.

Works Cited

BCCVB. Web.

Canela, Montserrat. “Tourism Industry Meeting.” National Trade Data Bank. Online. Internet Explorer.

“Country Commercial Guide Spain.” National Trade Data Bank. Online. Internet Explorer.

EIU Country Reports.

IBA. Web.

Key Note Ltd. 2000.

Mintel International Group Limited. Web.

National Trade Database. Web.

“Tourism Planing and Research” Esmond Davis. Copyright: TPR Assoc. 1999.

Vega, Mariana. “Tourism and Travel Services.” National Trade Data Bank. Online. Internet Explorer. 2000.

Key West is one of the most fabulous places in the world. I would recommend to everyone who enjoys traveling to visit this place and enjoy its beauty. Key West is a city and also an island of the same name near the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys in Monroe County, Florida, United States. Travelers can reach this exotic place either through the seaport or by air. The Key West International Airport provides airline service. Hotels and guest houses are available for lodging.

Besides, people who enjoy food are not left behind; there are several restaurants that offer a variety of indoor or outdoor dining. The most attracting tourist spots in Key West is the fabulous Key West sunset, the enchanting walk through one of the Old Town lane and the smell the jasmine, or even enjoying the popular duo at one of the bars on Duval Street can be a some of the most memorable moments in one’s life.

Generally, the most unique structures in Key West date from 1886 to 1912. The most unique features that differentiate the local architecture include wood frame construction of one to two-and-a-half story structures set on foundation piers about three feet above the ground. Exterior characteristics of the buildings are peaked “tin” roofs, horizontal wood siding, pastel shades of paint, side-hinged louvered shutters, covered porches (or balconies, galleries, or verandas) together with the fronts of the structures, and wood lattice screens covering the area elevated by the piers. For any of the tourists, these are some of the unique features that can inspire them. The new section on the east which is perceived as north is now called “New Town.” This place contains several shopping centers, strip malls, and the island’s commercial airport.

It can be said that each and every person starting from the young to the old ones have some attractions for them. There are some of the finest saltwater fishing are people enjoy these activities. Besides, the fresh seafood dinner at one of the fine Key West restaurants is another delicious treat. Tourists can also enjoy a trip on a smaller charter to view dolphins in the wild or to kayak in the backcountry off Key West.

One of the biggest attractions on the island is a concrete replica of a buoy at the corner of South and Whitehead Streets that is said to be the southernmost point in the adjacent 48 states. This point was initially just marked with a sign, which was often stolen. As a result, the city of Key West erected the now famous monument in 1983 (Key West History). Brightly painted and labeled “SOUTHERNMOST POINT CONTINENTAL U.S.A.”, and it is one of the most visited and photographed attractions in Key West (AOL city guide).

It is often seen that many visitors rent a bicycle and explore the history and architecture of Old Town Key West. Additionally, there are also walking tours, together with a tour of the unusual Key West Cemetery. The Sunset Celebration at Mallory Square is an everyday attraction for visitors and residents. Most people whether young or old enjoy Key West and also there are many who continue to visit this place. Boat excursions and tours provide a great way to view Key West from the water. I would like to recommend Key West, Florida to everyone who enjoys traveling. This is one of the most exotic places in the world and has several unique features.

Work cited

AOL cityguide. Southernmost Point. 2007. Web.

Key West History, Key West Vacation Rentals, (2006). Web.