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Unlock This CourseTourist attractions are places or events that draw visitors to a destination. They are often the main reason someone decides to travel somewhere. Without attractions, there would be very little tourism at all! Attractions can be natural (like mountains or beaches) or built by people (like theme parks or museums).
Key Definitions:
These exist without human involvement. Examples include the Northern Lights in Iceland, the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil and the Serengeti in Tanzania. They attract visitors interested in wildlife, adventure and scenery. They can be fragile and need careful management to avoid damage from over-tourism.
These are designed and constructed to entertain or educate visitors. Examples include the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Alton Towers in the UK and the Louvre Museum in Paris. They often charge entry fees and invest heavily in marketing to attract visitors year-round.
The iGCSE syllabus asks you to understand how attractions are grouped. Here is a clear breakdown:
Beaches, mountains, lakes, forests, wildlife reserves. Example: The Maldives famous for its coral reefs and clear waters.
Historic buildings, museums, UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Example: Stonehenge, UK a prehistoric monument attracting over 1 million visitors per year.
Theme parks, sporting events, concerts, festivals. Example: Glastonbury Festival attracts 200,000+ visitors to Somerset each year.
The Tower of London is a heritage attraction managed by Historic Royal Palaces. It welcomes around 3 million visitors per year, making it one of the UK's top paid attractions. It offers guided tours, the Crown Jewels exhibition and themed events. Revenue funds conservation work. It works with nearby hotels, transport providers and tour operators to create visitor packages a great example of organisational collaboration in action.
When people travel, they need more than just a flight and a hotel. They need a whole range of extra services to make their trip possible and enjoyable. These are called ancillary services they support the main travel experience but are not the core product themselves.
Key Definition:
Travellers need money in the right currency. Currency exchange services (like Travelex or Post Office Travel Money) convert pounds into euros, dollars or other currencies. Travel insurance is also a vital ancillary service it covers medical emergencies, cancellations, lost luggage and more. Without insurance, one hospital visit abroad could cost thousands of pounds.
Getting from the airport to the hotel is not always included in a package. Airport transfers, car hire, taxi services and rail passes are all ancillary services. Companies like Hertz (car hire) and National Express (coach transfers) operate specifically in this space. Many tourists book these separately from their main holiday.
There are many types of ancillary services. The exam may ask you to give examples or explain why they are important. Here are the main ones:
Some countries require visas. Travel agents and specialist companies help tourists apply. Example: UK citizens visiting the USA need an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation).
Covers medical costs, cancellations, delays and lost belongings. Providers include Aviva, Direct Line and specialist firms like Columbus Direct. It is strongly recommended for all international travel.
Tourist Information Centres (TICs), guidebooks, apps and destination websites all help tourists plan and enjoy their trip. VisitBritain is the UK's national tourism body providing information to overseas visitors.
Exam questions often ask: "Explain two ancillary services a tourist might use when visiting [destination]." Always name the service, explain what it does and say why it helps the tourist. For example: "Travel insurance is an ancillary service. It covers the cost of medical treatment if a tourist becomes ill abroad, which could otherwise be very expensive." That's a full-mark answer!
No single organisation can provide everything a tourist needs. That is why businesses in the travel and tourism industry collaborate they work together to create better experiences and increase profits. This is one of the most important themes in the iGCSE course.
Key Definitions:
Collaboration can take many forms. Here are the key types you need to understand for the exam:
Airlines partner with hotels to offer combined deals. Example: British Airways Holidays packages BA flights with hotel stays. Both businesses benefit from increased bookings.
Theme parks and tour operators often collaborate. Example: Disneyland Paris works with tour operators like Jet2holidays to include park tickets in package deals, boosting visitor numbers.
National Tourist Boards (public sector) work with hotels and airlines (private sector) to promote destinations. Example: VisitScotland collaborates with VisitBritain and private businesses to market Scotland globally.
Disneyland Paris and Eurostar have a long-standing collaboration. Eurostar offers direct trains from London St Pancras to Disneyland Paris, with ticket packages that include park entry. This benefits both organisations Eurostar fills seats on its trains and Disneyland Paris attracts more UK visitors. Tourists benefit from a seamless, convenient experience. This is a brilliant exam example of horizontal and vertical collaboration creating added value for the customer.
Collaboration sounds great but it is not always straightforward. The exam may ask you to evaluate collaboration, so you need to know both sides.
VisitBritain (the UK's national tourism agency, a public sector body) regularly collaborates with British Airways (private sector) on campaigns to attract international tourists to the UK. For example, joint campaigns have targeted the USA and China with advertising showing British landmarks, culture and experiences. BA benefits from increased long-haul bookings; VisitBritain achieves its goal of growing inbound tourism. This is a classic public-private partnership and a strong exam example.
In the exam, questions on this topic often combine attractions, ancillary services AND collaboration in one scenario. Here is how to approach them:
Question example: "Explain how a tourist attraction might collaborate with other organisations to improve the visitor experience."
Repeat this structure for a second and third point to hit the top mark band. Always use real examples where you can!
When asked about ancillary services, always explain the purpose of the service, not just name it. "Travel insurance protects tourists from financial loss" is better than just "travel insurance."
For collaboration questions, try to mention both parties and explain the benefit to each. Examiners reward answers that show understanding of mutual benefit.
Don't confuse vertical integration (owning different levels of the chain) with horizontal integration (merging with a similar business). Learn a clear example of each!
Make sure you can define and use all of these terms in your exam answers:
Before your exam, make sure you can: