12. Transport for tourism (1)

Transport for tourism can be divided into three main categories: journeys by air, journeys on water, and journeys on land. Within each category there are several types of transport.

Air travel usually means a short-haul or long-haul international flight, operating from large airports, which in big cities often have more than one terminal building. But in some more remote places there may be little more than a small airstrip with only one simple runway for planes to land and take off. At some tourist destinations air transport may include short transfers or sightseeing trips by helicopters.

Journeys on water can include luxury cruise ships, which take tourists on all-inclusive holidays of three days or more, visiting a number of different locations. Passengers sleep in cabins, and have a full range of services on board. They are looked after by a team of stewards, with a purser in overall charge of tourist services. Ferry crossings are usually much shorter journeys connecting two points of land or going between islands. The ferries will stop at a large port or a small harbour.

Land travel is probably the most diverse category. It includes rail journeys by train, departing from a large station and stopping terminus en route. Passengers sit in separate carriages or coaches. The most common form of transport by road for tourists, if they don’t have their own car, are also called coaches. These vehicles can either travel from city to city along fast motorways (or sometimes quieter roads), or they can be used for transfers from airports and other smaller journeys. Very often they are used for sightseeing trips when as well as a driver there will be a tour guide to tell passengers about the sights.

TRANSPORT IN TOURISM (2)

Tourism is one of the six sub-sectors of the tourism industry. It is usually divided into three types:

• Land transport – train, coach, bus, tram, taxi, car motorbike and bicycle;

• Water transport – cruise ship, ferry, yacht, motorboat;

• Air transport – jet aircraft light aircraft, and helicopter.

From the tourist point of view, each of these types fulfils one of three functions:

• Travel to and from the destination;

• Local transport at the destination;

• Transport as a tourist attraction.

Air transport is the dominant form of travel today. It is very good for business people because it is the fastest way of travel.

Trains provide transport to and from destinations and also locally. They can also be a tourist attraction, as with the Orient Express from Paris to Venice. Coaches provide international and inter-city transport. In those countries where the rail network is not well developed, luxury coaches provide a cheap but comfortable alternative.

Modern cruise ships are floating hotels, and provide transport, accommodation, and attraction in a single place. Not all cruises take place at sea. The Nile in Egypt and the Rhine in Germany are rivers where tourists can enjoy cruises.

Ferries travel between countries, as with the cross-channel ferries from the UK to continental Europe, or between islands, as in Greece or the Philippines.

Tourism transport can be scheduled or charter.

Scheduled transport operates on a regular basis shown on a published timetable and following specific routes.

Charter transport is aircraft, coaches, or trains that have been contracted to travel to a specific destination on a specific date. Charter transport is cheaper than scheduled.

Travelling by any kind of transport can be romantic, fascinating, interesting. It can leave you vivid impressions and good memories.