The Blue Mountains - Report Example

Blue Mountains, Sydney Australia The Blue Mountains are found only 50km away from the capital, Sydney, d after the characteristic blue hazethat the area has when viewed from a distance. They have been inhabited for several thousand years, but have recently become a tourist attraction featuring such sights as the Three Sisters (a sandstone rock formation) and activities like four-wheel driving, abseiling and scenic railways. The area is a combination of a World Heritage Area, a town and a major tourist attraction, and this is what makes the area so intriguing and the reason for the field trip which is the topic of this report, which focuses on the Three Sisters. The Trip As the area is most easily accessed by road, it was by this mode of transport that the field trip began. The road features supermarkets and roadside stations for travelers entering Blue Mountains via this method. At times, it is difficult to enter the Blue Mountains by road as there are many large vehicles which can hamper entrance and exit from the area, particularly tourist vehicles such as coaches and delivery vans for the many businesses in the area. Because of this factor, it is worth noting that the area is accessible by train and bus for those who dont wish to navigate the roads. The area is, however, very well signposted and this makes navigation from Sydney and beyond simple and finding routes between the individual attractions is also simple. Once in Blue Mountains, there are many different options for traveling around. There are dedicated buses and tours for tourists, as well as general public transport for city residents. There are also a number of scenic options; a walkway, a railway, a cableway and a skyway. These are all in place to provide great views to tourists. All of these can be found in dedicated tourist maps online or in the information center located by the entrance to the Blue Mountains (see Appendix 1) On my trip to the area, I used the walkway and the Katoomba Scenic Railway, which is particularly notable for being the steepest railway in the world. As previously mentioned, the main point of this field trip was to see the Three Sisters, a famous sandstone rock formation in the area. The Three Sisters is part of an Aboriginal legend which suggests that three sisters from the local tribe fell in love with men from a neighboring tribe, something forbidden by tribal law. This led to a huge battle which resulted in the three sisters being turned to stone by an elder who was killed in the battle and unable to turn them back. Whilst this story itself perhaps is not a true example of Aboriginal legend, it adds a certain mystery and history to the area which is undeniable. It is possible to explore the area further by using the Giant Stairway, another major geological tourist attraction that leads to many of the nature walks that it is possible to undertake in the area. From a tourism point of view, the trip was well organized and enjoyable because of the sheer amount of information available both online and in the the local tourist office. It made the area easily navigable, and all the tourist attractions could easily by found using a map or one of the many tours and guides found in the area. This meant that much of the stress associated with traveling was removed, because there was no risk of being lost because of this useful signage and helpful staff and locals. From a personal point of view, the area was an example of breathtaking natural beauty and provided spectacular views as well as a lot of local history. Appendix 2 shows some of the views of the area. Literature Review As with any academic analysis, it is necessary to find theories and models to apply to the excursion to help fully understand the area and the tourist potential. As previously mentioned, Blue Mountain is well signposted and has good transport links both to and within the area. This has been shown to be an important factor in increasing local tourism by the by the GJM council (2002). This study shows that giving good transport links will increase the tourism to the area because those without personal transportation such as cars will be able to access the area. Transportation within the area is also important, because it allows people to move within the local businesses and tourist attractions within the area. Another important factor in tourism is the availability of online information. In this case, the Blue Mountains have their own website, with local maps and information about the attractions in the area. Bolin (2002) has mentioned that the increasing prevalence of personal internet sources means that some travellers are certain to use it as an information source in planning or booking their trips. It will likely increase the awareness of the area as a tourist spot as people could otherwise be unaware that the location exists and may not know of the tourist attractions within the area. A final point that is often found in the literature is natural beauty is an important factor in tourism. Blue Mountain is an important area of natural beauty within Australia and this is likely a factor in the high tourist volumes. Priskin (2001) has shown that attraction diversity in areas of natural beauty is another important factor in the tourism industry. Having a large variety of attractions in Blue Mountain is high. Conclusions The fact that Blue Mountain is a well signposted area with good transport links is likely one of the main reasons that the area remains so popular. It has been noted that there are often problems on the road caused by a high volume of lorries and coaches, which means that there are often queues on the road which load to traffic congestion. Addressing this issue would help the tourism in the area as some people may be put off by this. It would also help to allow more room and better roads for coaches so that groups of people could go to the area and increase the tourist volume. It would also be beneficial for the area to increase awareness of the website and perhaps update and improve the online access. It may help to advertise the site to people living in Sydney and the local area who may not know of the transport links and the natural beauty of the area. Otherwise, the fact that the area is online has probably been hugely beneficial to the area. A final point would be to offer a tourist card to all the local attractions to allow people to understand the huge attraction diversity (Priskin, 2001) and how they can move between them and how this could be beneficial to their trip. Links between local businesses, perhaps offering discounts and offers to people that use more than one of the Blue Mountain tourist attractions could increase traffic between these. Introducing more tourist attractions, such as an Aborigine museum explaining the local myths of the Three Sisters with interactive elements could help bring the Blue Mountains into the 21st century and bring anthropologists, archaeologists and local history buffs to the area, increasing traffic further. Summary In summary, the Blue Mountains are an important tourist attraction just outside Sydney which utilize many of the tricks of the tourism industry to improve the traffic to the area. There are a few points found in the literature which could help improve the volumes of tourists to the area, such as improving road links, updating the website and adding more attractions. It is important, however, in an area of natural beauty to ensure that the area is preserved, especially as there are a lot of species in the area that require protection. It is also important that limestone rock formations formed by erosion are not eroded further by excess tourist traffic and installations such as scenic walkways and skyways. Overall, this has been a very beneficial field trip to show the variety of tourism techniques that can improve traffic and aid local businesses who may rely on tourist trade to survive. It was also a beautiful area that was interesting and interactive and shows how important the local scenery is, especially in an area such as Sydney which is metropolitan. It is not always easy to see such attractions in a city, meaning that the trip was overall very successful and Blue Mountains has definitely been given a personal recommendation based on the experience that this field trip has provided. References Bolin, R. 2002. “Domestic tourism Internet usage: Pinning down the E-tourist.” J ournalofthe B ureauof T ourism R esearch: 33. Council, G.J.M. 2002. “Tourism Strategy.” available at www. joburg/org. za. Julianna, Priskin. 2001. “Assessment of natural resources for nature-based tourism:: the case of the Central Coast Region of Western Australia.” Tourism Management 22 (6) (December): 637-648. doi:10.1016/S0261-5177(01)00039-5. Appendix A| Read More