Tourist attractions and entertainment (3)

A cruise ship is a floating hotel, one which the passengers cannot leave outside a port. Most cruises therefore try to keep up a party atmosphere throughout the voyage, with games, dancing, costume parties, gambling, and whatever other activities can be devised within a rather limited space. Entertainers are often hired for the entire trip, and they are often big-name performers. Most cruise ships employ a social director whose job includes involving all of the passengers in the activities that are offered. Throughout history, markets have given performers a chance to entertain. Indeed, many people have gone to trade fairs as much for amusement as for buying and selling. Market fairs still exist that seem to have changed very little from long ago. Those at Chichicastenango in Guatemala and the famed Jamaa El Fna in Marrakech, Morocco, are good examples. In modern times, fairs, like many other aspects of life, have become institutionalized. Dating from the Crystal Palace in London in 1851, many countries exhibit their products at big world's fairs in the midst of a sort of carnival atmosphere. Another modern development is the amusement park,a carnival with a variety of games, thrill rides, magic shows, and other kinds of entertainment. It occupies a fixed location rather than moving from place to place, as old-time carnivals did. A recent development is the theme park, an amusement park that is designed around a unifying concept. The two huge Disney enterprises, Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, are the most successful examples of this kind of created tourist attraction. From a commercial point of view, they have the enormous advantage in that they are designed to appeal to entire fam­ily groups rather than to any particular age level.

 

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Tourists

Many tourists don't want to be identified as tourists. These inde­pendent travelers try to visit the attractions they want to see on their own rather than as members of a tour group. To visit the Greek Islands, for example, a tourist of this kind might go down to Piraeus, the port of Athens, to arrange his own transportation. Less adventur­ous independent travelers might sign up for sightseeing tours on an individual basis through the travel desk at a hotel or through a local travel agent.

 The majority of tourists nowadays, however, travel in groups, with their entertainment and sightseeing included in the package. We have already noted that many tour groups are formed around some kind of special purpose, such as eating a series of meals at the leading gourmet restaurants in France. All the meals—and the local trans­portation to and from them—would be included in the tour package, in addition to the standard features of air fare, transfer, and accom­modations.

The tours that are put together for resort holidays rather than special groups often offer some entertainment or sightseeing in the package as an added inducement. For instance, this may be in the nature of a "Night in Acapulco," with visits to three nightclubs and one prepaid drink in each. Or if the tour destination is in or near an area that contains historical or natural attractions, as we mentioned in the case of San Juan, sightseeing excursions may be part of the pack­age.

The two huge Disney enterprises, Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, are the most successful examples of this kind of created tourist attraction. From a commercial point of view, they have the enormous advantage in that they are designed to appeal to entire fam­ily groups rather than to any particular age level.

 

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TOURIST ATTRACTIONS AND ENTERTAINMENT (2)

Natural scenery has always been an attraction for tourists. Mil­lions of people have visited Niagara Falls, for example. Its reputation as a place for a honeymoon is world-famous. The United States has institutionalized, so to speak, the wonders of nature, in its National Park system.

Areas such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon have been set aside for the enjoyment of the public. The parks contain hotels, restaurants, camping areas, and other facilities that have made them major recreation centers. The hardier species of tourist will travel further and undergo discomfort and difficulty just to look at beautiful or unusual scenery in the remote corners of the world—a glimpse of Mount Everest, for example, or of the Angel Falls in Venezuela.

In connection with the big cities, we mentioned shopping as a tourist attraction, but urban centers are not the only tourist destina­tions that concentrate on this activity. Hong Kong is perhaps the most famous example. Hong Kong is a large city and commercial center, but its principal draw for tourists has been the bargains offered in its shops. Shopping has been made a tourist magnet by government policy in some places. For instance, Charlotte Amalie in the U.S. Vir­gin Islands are a free portwhere buyers can purchase goods from all over the world without paying customs duties. Handicraftsalso appeal to touring shoppers in many places. In fact, the souvenir shopthat sells this kind of merchandise is as much a feature of most tourist areas as the hotel. Take, for example, the hand-woven fabrics of Gua­temala. Most people who visit that country take home at least one sample of this local handicraft.

We have already discussed the holiday resorts at some length. These usually attract tourists because of their sunny beaches, their snow-covered ski slopes, or their championship golf courses. In addi­tion, they frequently offer other kinds of entertainment to their guests. At the ski resorts, it is often an atmosphere of informality around a roaring fire after the day's skiing is finished. Many of the resorts give instruction in scuba diving combined with visits to coral reefs. And of course most of them have a variety of stores and souvenir shops.

 

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