Entry #5. Where to go? What to see? Where to stay?
Trip Start
Mar 07, 2012
1
6
8
Trip End
May 20, 2012
St Andrews , Scotland, United Kingdom
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Title: Entry
#5. Where to go? What to see? Where to stay? What to do?
Element of
analysis: Tourism industry in Scotland
Description: As
a tourist, my first reflex when I get to a new town or city is to go to the
tourist information center to get a map of the place and some brochures to know
what are the best things to see and to do in this place. Scotland is a country
that offers a large variety of tourist attractions, from sports to history to art,
everyone can find something they will like. I had the chance to visit several
places and one of the things that I realized is that it's not because it’s free
or cheap that it’s not worth it. Visiting castles and other impressive
monuments are often expensive because they cost a lot of money to keep in good
condition. My opinion is that once you saw one of them, the others will look
quite similar so I prefer to visit local museums and attractions that will
teach me something about the history of the place and how it changed throughout
the years. Those places are often free so for example, with the same budget,
you can see two castles or visit 10 local museums and attractions, it all
depends on the things you like.
Analysis/Observation: In
Scotland, the tourist industry represents 4% of the economy, it might not seem
to be a lot, but it’s one of the largest business sectors. Many towns depend on
it for jobs and infrastructures. The industry employs more than 200 000
people, 12% of the population and generates revenues of more than 4 billion
pounds each year. The busiest period of the year for tourism is from July to
September, when many people are on holidays. As I was looking for information
about this industry, I found out that the majority of the tourists come from
within the United Kingdom, easily explainable by the fact that it’s a really
cheap place for them to travel to and they can keep the same money. As I said,
the most expensive attractions are often castles, zoos, distilleries, etc, and
they are also the most popular destinations for tourists. Edinburgh is the
first tourist destination in Scotland and the second in the United Kingdom and
it’s interesting to know that the three most popular attractions in the country
are all in this city, the castle, the zoo and the bus tours. The largest city
in Scotland, Glasgow, comes in second place followed by Stirling, Aberdeen and
St Andrews. Tourism is a very important part of the culture in Scotland and I
think that the best way to enjoy your visit here is to take your time and just
be amaze by the things you see.
