The Impact of Tourism on Betws-y-Coed

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The Impact of Tourism on Betws-y-Coed

Having compiled my knowledge and research into this piece of

coursework, I hope to have addressed the following questions regarding

Betws-y-Coed:

How has tourism impacted on the economy?

What visitor management is currently in place?

What are the drawbacks to tourism?

In my work, I hope to discover what exactly are the positive and

negative aspects of tourism in the honeypot Betws-y-Coed by relating

to Snowdonia National Park. It is important to contemplate the

features the region has to offer, and why they are so appealing. I

also have to take into account the transport routes to the town, and

how these might affect the number of visitors from each region.

Betws-y-Coed is one of the smaller towns in the Snowdonia National

Park, North Wales, with a population of approximately 615 people.

Located on the upper end of the Conway valley where the Afon Llugwy

joins the Afon Conway, the village is cut in half by the important A5

road which is one of the transcontinental routes from Ireland to the

European mainland. The development of the A5 means that Betws-y-Coed

is simply accessed from the Midlands and Southern England, examples

being Birmingham and Stoke-On-Trent. The town today attracts tourists

to the area throughout the year with the greatest number of people

visiting in the summer months. The number visiting has increased with

the completion of the new A55 Expressway, which reduced the travelling

time from Liverpool to Betws-y-Coed to less than one hour, thus

meaning an increase in day visitors who are looking for a tranquil

break from their bustling urban lives. The A55 Express...

... middle of paper ...

...-y-Coed

To determine visitor opinion on the drawbacks of tourism in

Betws-y-Coed, and also how successful the honeypot is at controlling

tourism.

I asked five visitors the following two questions, "What problems do

you feel tourism brings to the area?" and, "Is Betws-y-Coed successful

at managing excess visitors?" I listened to their opinions, and noted

them down.

Again, since my entire initiative was based on visitor opinion, then

there were no significant problems with my method. The purpose was to

record opinions, and link them with my key questions of the drawbacks

of tourism, and the visitor management in place. However, I have to

remember that visitors who have come several times to the honeypot

will no doubt provide different answers than new comers, as they have

experienced the village many times.

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