The Field Trip - Report Example

Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 INTRODUCTION 2 BACKGROUNDS 3 AIM OF THE REPORT 3 SITES 3 THE FIELD TRIP/LITERATURE REVIEW 4 IMPACT OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT; 4 PALMA NOVA AND MAGANUF REGIONS 5 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL 5 ECONOMICAL 5 ENVIRONMENTAL 5 EAST AND WEST COAST REGIONS 5 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL 6 ECONOMICAL 6 ENVIRONMENTAL 6 SUSTAINABILITY 6 DISCUSSION 7 CONCLUSION AND RECOMENDATIONS 7 Works Cited 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Education tours are very important in learning cycles.They provide real life practices and enhance learning interests of the students. They readily make availablepractical know-how, both to the novice and the tutor. This trip I embarked on was a life changing experience. This paper will discuss the experience achieved while on the tour as well as the lessons learnt. It will, with effect bring together the classroom understanding and the real life experiment.On our tour, weencounteredwonderfulattractions as well as exceptionalresorts. These would serve as our home for the better part of our tour. The cool breeze of the environment could not be passed unnoticed. The site seeing was marvellous and the environment was undoubtedly friendly. My success was achieved through friends and a great tour guide, Mr Eduardo, who was by our side every step of the way. INTRODUCTION In coastal regions, tourism attractions included mainlybeach resorts which form the majority of both indigenous and international tourist attraction. As noted by Eduardo (2013) tourist attraction is rampant in the coastal areas as compared to inland areas, where historical sites are concentrated. Other than historical sites, there are numerous animals like the long haired, Egyptian mongoose, wild mountain bear, brown bear and the mountain goat are common on the mainland. Tourism demand is influenced by several factors, either divided as economic and non-economic factors.Lickorish& Jenkins explained that economic determinants of demand include; for leisure and business travellers, supply factors which includes the cost of residential and transportation and easy access of transportation networks. Non – economic factors which include structural factors, which are population and leisure time activities, motivational factors which are education, urbanization, marketing of tourism products, the travel trade as well as destination attractions (Lickorish & Jenkins, 1997). BACKGROUNDS As it is a norm, this report is part of the course which requires students to take a field trip and file report. This paper will file findings of a trip conducted in tourist attraction of the identified Spain’s coastal regions. These regions include Palma Nova and Maganuf and western and eastern regions. These sites are very lucrative and establishes a perfect involvementin education as well as leisure activities.The identification of the site was consulted and approved by the lecturer as well as fellow students who were more willing to take part in the field tour. The preparation for the field tour was done with diligence and no compromise whatsoever was avoided. AIM OF THE REPORT This field report aims to investigate tourism activities and its impact in both Palma Nova and Maganuf coastal regions, compared to east and west coastal regions. We looked intothe mass,social and cultural activities of the areas. We also concern ourselves with economic and environmental issues of each of the mentioned regions. SITES DESCRIPTION Coastal regions serve as the most important tourism sites in Spain. These sites are characterized by thepossession ofclear waters which provide good conditions for relaxation and enjoyment of the natural the view. Palma Nova, A town which is in between the historic site of Maganuf and the city of Palma, the capital of Majorca island, isbombarded with hotel resorts and historicalsites. They are eminently conspicuous and mouth-watering. Maganuf is well known for holiday resorts, which can cater for both the young and the old (Eduardo, 2013). Families as well as the unmarried people flock in during holiday seasons to get a glimpse of the sweet feelings. The east and the west coast are well furnished with forests and breathtaking ocean views.Several hills are noted from view points and historical sites are prominent. The mountains are characterized by historic caves and birds flying on top of the hills. THE FIELD TRIP/LITERATURE REVIEW The field trip experience was educational as well as thought-provoking. It was an experience worth dying for. Pama Nova and Maganuf are tourist attraction sites which serve the region well, throughout the history. They are located in the Marovic islands, which is the best for its breeze originating from the sea as well as the sun fell throughout the year makes it an ideal place to visit during winters. Maganuf’s main attractions include; Pirate’s adventure, which is located within Maganuf’s area. This is a theatre built for evening shows, and it attracts tourists from all over the town. The other attraction worth visiting is the house of Katmandu. This is part of inbuilt rooms which hostmagicalimpressions, collaborative games and robotics. Western water marks are located a few kilometres from the town. It is famous for its magnificent welcoming activities, which includes water rides, diving displays, falconry and live shows. They also offer facilities such as dancing theatres, food and drinking joints.Other attractions are ‘flowriders’ at wave house, Magaluf beach water sports andKartingMagaluf. The best and the most challenging experience worth trying out is the swim to black lizard island. These activities make Maganuf and its immediate town, Pama Nova a tourist site visited by many to get an experience of their lifetime. IMPACT OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT; Tourism has had both positive and negative impacts in these areas. Positively, tourism has brought in economic developments in the locations. Locals can boast of jobs and flow of income. Preservation of local buses and postal services are achieved, thereby talk of infrastructure developments. Moreover, tourists help to preserve natural habitats, since their main aim of tourism is site seeing. The negative impacts of tourism include insecurity and disturbance of livestock and the ecosystem. This is mainly achieved by littering and dust erosion. Furthermore pollution is prominent as traffic congestion sets. Economically, jobs created by tourism are seasonal and results in loss of jobs in lowseasons. It is therefore important to note that, tourism development must come handy with proper management. Proper measures must be put in place to enable sustainable tourism take its place. PALMA NOVA AND MAGANUF REGIONS Palmanova and Maganuf are found on Calvia municipal, on the Balearic Islands, south east coast of Spain. They are generally the first resorts to be created in the region and serve a high number of tourists.They are found within a breath taking sites, which includes numerous islands found within the waters of the Mediterranean, mainly of which are Majorca and Minorca. In addition to ocean views and sandy beaches,attractions in this locale includemuseums, historic towns and archaeological sites SOCIAL AND CULTURAL People in this place are supposedly native Catalan and Spanish speakers. However, owing to the fact that the area is mostly visited by individuals of the UK and Scandanavian countries, most of the language used is English.Other than this, there is a locally produced UK paper known as “Mavorca Daily Bulletin”. Most TV programs are alsotelevised in English contrary to other parts of Spain. Most meals anddrinks served are of British recipes. This has made it become part of the UK, away from home added Eduardo ( 2013), citing previous tourists under his care. ECONOMICAL This region has been marked one of the richest inhabitants, owing to the numerous tourism activities within the region. Their economic activities are mainly tourist related. These include beach resorts, nightlife outings and dances and attraction sites. ENVIRONMENTAL The municipality of Calvia has received numerous awards for its environmental practices and care. One of these includes the one-way system which was put in place to calm traffic. EAST AND WEST COAST REGIONS The west and the east regions are also very attractive, more especially for the beaches around. They include Costa de la Luz, which is in the far southwest of the country, along the Mediterranean. Playa de la Zurriola is very common among students. The region has untamed strong waves which can be used for surfing. They have rocky hills and mountains as well as pre historic caves which can serve as a tourism attraction. They also have numerous beaches with clear sands which entice visitors all year round. Other attractions include amazing white washed hill top villages which can offer a spectacular view from afar. The most notable city on the eastcoast of Spain is the city of Barcelona. This is a big city with big hotels and restaurants, as well as offices. One of the unique features of this town however is the architecture of the buildings, and the climate enjoyed throughout the year. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL The main languages spoken here is the Catalan and Spanish. The Basque language is also common and its presence is felt among the locals. They perform activities which includefolklore and artistic presentations. Dances are common, including the Salsa dance and ECONOMICAL Some of their economic activities are also tourist related. They include artistic performances by well-known dancers and musicians. In addition to this, traditional artefactsc ENVIRONMENTAL The environment of this areais serene and is covered with green-coloured hills, black pebbles and pockets of sandy beaches. This characterizes it as a very environmentally friendly habitat. Many minute animals can be noticed on the earths surface as you walk by. SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is the ability to endure deficiencies in resources without compromising the interests of people who uses them, but providing care for his future use. Sustainable tourism goes hand with sustainable development. In recent times according to Amelung and Viner(2006), sustainable tourism as a concept has three key dimensions. These three important dimensions are; sustainable economy, socioculture and the environment. The key point of this concept is that there is dependency between the dimensions and the fact that without all three, achievement of sustainability in tourism is void (Amelung and Viner 2006). social and cultural amenities emerge when new people set in as a result of tourism activities. people in the area soon realises the influx of new residents and thereby contributes to death of native cultures. Following the increase of people through immigrants, introduction of foreign cultures is imminent. Sustainability will set in by focusing on positive impacts which includes culture exchange as well as preservation of local cultures. Money matters is also an important aspectof sustainability. Encouragement of locals to fund and own tourism amenities is very key. Foreigners would only send money oversees and not use it to further the interest of locals. Economic sustainability sensitization is important for the indigenous people, to increase connection while reducing outflows In regard to tourism, Ecological sustainability is very important to enable vacation industry to even exist at all. Woodland conservation, animal sanctuaries, marine parks and other lures are essential both for sightseeing purpose and the yet to come generations need. Resource conservancy is clearly an imperative measure adherence to it is good. Sustainability in tourism is not only confined to environmental sustainability, but a measure to balance the three pillars. DISCUSSION This field trip taught us lessons about on the importance of tourism to the local community. People use tourism as a means of livelihood as well as the income of their location. The coastal regions of Spain have more or less the same feature as regards to tourism attraction. These are mainly beaches, nightlife and site attractions. There are however slight differences as other localities are quiet and serene, while others are very loud. CONCLUSION AND RECOMENDATIONS The trip was helpful for us the student to carry out real life experimentson the knowledge acquired in the classroom. We would like to assure that knowledge gained in the field trip is very important and theinterest to gain more knowledge on the topic has been ignited.Likewise,with such kind of excursions, the trip organised should be able To allow Interactions With dividuals fom different locations, to get information egarding tourism activities in other areas. Works Cited Eduardo, A., 2013. Activities in coastal region [Interview] (March 2013). Lickorish, L. J. & Jenkins, C. L., 1997. An Introduction To Tourism. Oxford: Reed Educational and Professional Publishing ltd. Mowforth, M. & Munt, I., 2003. Tourism and Sustainability. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. M Barke (2004) Rural Tourism in Spain.International Journal of Tourism Research, vol. 6, pages 137-149 J Fernando Vera Rebollo and J A IvarsBaidal (2003) Measuring sustainability in a mass tourist destination:pressures, perceptions and policy responses in Torrevieja, Spain. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 11, pages 181-203. J CarlesCirerCosta (2012) The beginnings of Tourism in Majorca 1837-1914. Annals of Tourism Research,vol 39, pages 1779-1796. Bowen D (2002) Research through participant observation in Tourism: a creative solution to the measurement of consumer satisfaction/dissatisfaction among tourists. Journal of Travel Research , vol. 41, pages 4-14. B Amelung and D Viner (2006) Mediterranean Tourism: exploring the future with the tourism climatic index. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, vol. 14, pages 349-366. (Has a case study on the Balearic islands. Useful for the report on sustainability of tourism. Read More