Text № 11. Tourist attractions and entertainment (1)

Almost any place can become a tourist destination as long as it is different from the place where the traveler usually lives. Paris may not be a tourist attraction to a Parisian, but for a New Yorker it may have many charms. People travel for any number of reasons, and there are numerous attractions that appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

In addition to being major business centers, the largest cities offer attractions and entertainment for all kinds of people. Cultural events occur frequently, including theatrical and operatic performances, concerts, ballet, and art exhibitions. At the opposite end of the scale, there is a great variety of nightlife in urban centers to choose from, and there is also a wide selection of restaurants. Shop­ping is an attraction for many visitors, whether in the great depart­ment stores of New York and Tokyo or in the boutiques of Paris and London. The big cities also offer a unique atmosphere and history. The flower vendors and cable cars of San Francisco are part of the unusual atmosphere of that city. And in Paris, the Louvre is not only a museum, but also the scene of important events in French history. One of the advantages of the big cities is their ability to absorb large numbers of tourists. These cities have an existing infrastructure that is capable of caring for the needs of millions of people; and many of the attractions that tourists visit have been developed primarily for the benefit of the inhabitants. Therefore, tourism is an economic plus for many big cities because it increases income from existing facilities, both public and private. The number of hotel rooms in New York— approximately 100000 in 1975—is a good indica­tion of just how important tourism can be in the life of a city. The large cities do not have a monopoly on archi­tectural or historical monuments. Smaller towns and rural areas throughout the world have attractions of this kind that tourists visit. One excellent example is the valley of the Loire River in France with its chateaux from the Renaissance period. Another area, remote and difficult to reach, is Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas in Peru.

In spite of the difficulty of access, it is visited by more and more tourists every year. Somewhat different, but within the same general category, is the restored colonial town of Williamsburg, Virginia, where not only Americans but many tourists from abroad get a care­fully reconstructed glimpse of 18th Century American life.

Text № 13. 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.