Introduction
Tourism is a growing economic sector in each country. More and more people in the world are involved in the tourism sphere. People in the world became more educated and this influences their desire to enlarge their scope by means of traveling all over the world. Moreover, the information is one more reason for the increase of human interest in world attractions. Oxford Castle is one of the attractions where people come from the whole world. Being a historic building, this place now plays the role of a memorial about some specific historic events and as the centre of the entertainment. Different people are attracted by absolutely various things, some come to see the place which has sustained so many years. Others come to see which look it has now. Still, Oxford Castle is the place that attracts numerous tourists from the country and worldwide. At the same time, some specific actions should be provided to increase the level of tourist attendance of this place of interest.
The Influence of Historic, Current and Anticipated Issues and Trends on Tourism Development
The United Kingdom is a country with a rich history. People all over the world know the most prominent events connected with this country and they want to see those in reality. Still, the awareness of the whole world about the history of the specific country does not make it popular. One of the main conditions is that his history should be interesting. Ancient knights and duels, beautiful queens, and great traditions are the factors that attract people. The UK is one of the European countries which still has a queen and this is not a political issue, it is honour of the tradition. There are a lot of various historic buildings which have been prominent due to some events or other reasons. People want to come and to see those places as they consider them as a part of the history and many people want to touch at least the piece of the past. Moreover, the UK is famous for its sports events, fashion, etc. Information technologies are the main facilities which help people get to know more about other countries, their current, and anticipated issues and trends. Thus, information widespread is considered to be the main facility for tourism development (Brotherton 111). Being a well-developed country and a country which has a great many historical sites, Great Britain has managed to achieve a great level of tourism development.
At the same time, tourist attractions are influenced by product life cycle rules greatly. Each tourist product has its own cycle of life. Some products are more popular that is why their life is longer, others are not so popular and with time they come through the following stages, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline (Page 360). Today, Oxford Castle appears in the maturity stage of its life cycle. It is possible to avoid the decline stage if to do something. There are a number of facilities that influence Oxford Castle attendance. The considerations of some of them may help us create a development plan for increasing the attendance of this sight of interest and attracting more tourists.
The Impact of Competing Industries on the Castle Development and Destination Oxford
Competition is the main factor that influences the development in the sphere of tourism. It is obvious that the UK is the country where a lot of different castles are much more important in the historical meaning than Oxford Castle. Thus, if to consider the market position of Oxford Castle, it may be concluded that this tourist product appears in a very competing environment and to survive some supporting services should be presented. Oxford Castle was a prison before, still, nothing outstanding had happened there. So, to remain a historic place of interest and to survive in a highly competitive environment, Oxford Castle should develop some supporting services. Supporting facilities are really important in the places which are not really outstanding in the relation to history sparks (Key to the castle). Oxford, as a competitive destination is regarded from the perspective of the opportunity to study ancient castles and the history of the UK, hence, tourists are attracted by antiquity.
The page states that on-site amenities and off-sire ones attract more clients (362). The influence of such facilities in Oxford Castle is great. The Oxford Castle is the place which has such facilities as restaurants, a hotel, some offices, a place for markets and theatrical performances. These additional facilities are created with the purpose to be able to compete with other castles in the country. The UK is a country with many years of history and the competition among castles and other similar attractions is great. To remain on the tourist market, Oxford Castle has to attract more tourists each year not to enter its decline stage in the life cycle of the tourist product. Thus, it may be concluded that competition in the industry is a stimulus for Oxford Castle to create something new and remain a popular place of attraction.
The impact of Social Factors on the Castle Development and Destination Oxford
It became natural to unite social and cultural factors which influence the development of the place of interest (Cooper 187). One of the main socio-cultural impacts on the Oxford Castle is the exchange of the traditions and cultures on the territory of the building. For example, the existence of the hotel on the territory of Oxford Castle presupposes the existence of the restaurant where food should be served in accordance with the desires of the visitors. So, it is natural that the cuisine traditions on the territory of Oxford Castle are different from the country’s ones. This is the first socio-natural factor that influences sight development. This impact is considered to be negative as any socio-cultural interaction in one culture from another is damaging.
Moreover, the cuisine tradition is not the only one that requires attention. There is more damaging socio-cultural interaction which is considered to be bastardizing for Oxford Castle. A castle is a historic place of interest and it was built many years ago. To attract more and more tourists, different supportive facilities are created to satisfy the interest of different social layers and various cultures. This is rather devastating for Oxford Castle as a historic building.
Demand and Supply-side Decision Making Models to Examine Potential Challenges and Opportunities for the Castle Development and ‘Destination Oxford’ over the Next 5 Years
To create the plan for the development of Oxford Castle for the next 5 years it is crucial to consider different aspects and check the tourist value of the place. First of all, it is necessary to use the model of local participation. This nine-phase model will allow measuring the local tourists and the international ones which is important for planning the facilities and developing attractions (Mason 122).
It is impossible to examine potential challenges and opportunities for the castle development without turning to economic models. The main purpose of the economic models is to consider the expenses and the profit which are going to increase the profit of the country from the tourists’ participation. It is crucial to state that their predictions are considered on the basis of the perfect competition. Moreover, the economic models may consider the influence of any facility on the rate of tourists’ attendance with the condition that others remain unchanged (Tribe 11). Thus, these models may analyze the current situation and make some specific predictions what should be made with the tourism in Oxford Castle in the nearest five years. It is also important that these models may offer some specific propositions.
Conclusion
Thus, the Oxford Castle is one of the attractions which is considered as the historical memorial and a place of tourists’ attraction. People from all over the world come to see this sight for a number of reasons. On the one hand, this place is a historic building, but its historic importance is not so great. On the other hand, the development of the tourist industry in the country made it possible to attract visitors by means of other facilities, different from historic value. Still, being a castle, the Oxford Castle increases the competition in the country within the related issue. It is impossible to reject the fact that Oxford Castle plays important role in the whole tourism industry of the United Kingdom.
Works Cited
Brotherton, B., 2003. The International hospitality industry: structure, characteristics and issues. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Cooper, C., 2008. Tourism: principles and practice. Pearson Education.
Mason, P., 2003. Tourism impacts, planning and management. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Page, S., 2009. Tourism Management: Managing for Change. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Tribe, J., 1999. The economics of leisure and tourism. Elsevier.
Key to the castle, 2009. Oxford today, 18 (3). Web.