M2:
Marbella:
Spain has been a very popular destination among European tourist. Benidorm was very popular among British families during the 60’s, but with the time Spain have develop another destinations that nowadays are very popular as well. Marbella is one of these new destinations that Spain has developed in the past years.
Marbella is a destination mainly for couples and families but also can cater for young people 18-30 years old. Marbella is has easy access as tourist can either fly with budget airlines to Pablo Ruiz Picasso Airport or Gibraltar. Also tourist can access by cruise and arriving to different ports that Marbella has. And for more adventure tourist they can hit the road, this will depends from where are they coming from and their situation. For families and couples I recommend flying to Marbella as it is easier and you have a couple of budget airlines to choose from. This will make life easier for families as their kids won’t get too tired or bored. If tourist decided to come by car from the UK they will need to consider the amount of driving they will have to do, the money they will need and ferry or Eurostar to cross from the UK to France.
The climate in Spain is well known for the good weather and being warm nearly all the year around. Marbella is located at the south of Spain, the South of Spain have a good temperature all around the year as it is close to Africa and its weather; for that reason during the winter the south of Spain it is not that cold, compare with other cities in Spain but for the same reason the south of Spain it is the hottest during the summer season. Marbella has this advantage which makes their destination more appealing as tourist can enjoy almost all year around. For couples it beneficial because they do not have to go necessary during the summer season they can go in spring or autumn depending on their own time. For families it is also beneficial as they can come to Marbella during Easter Holidays as the weather will be good and enjoy the festivals and fairs during the time, the summer it is another key time for families to come to Marbella.
Marbella has different attractions that can fill all the days of your holidays with a variety of beaches, sightseen, museums and galleries, theme parks, and special interests activities mainly sports such as golf or water sports. Marbella offer different activities that suit families and couples. For families I will recommend the different beaches Marbella has, theme parks, specially Funny Beach and the Selwo Safari Park because in both kids and adults can enjoy the different products and services these theme parks offer them; they can go no another theme parks but these two would perfectly suit them, water sports available at Virgen del Carmen Port; also they could walk through Marbella Old Town and the Puerto Banus even though it might not really appeal to young children.
For couples there are similar attractions such as the beaches, theme parks and sports in the Virgen Del Carmen Port but with the difference they can enjoy with more the culture and nightlife of Marbella. Couples would be able to go to museums, art galleries and historical places in Marbella; also they would be able to enjoy fully Marbella Old Town, the luxury and glamourous variety shops and restaurant that Puerto Banus offer tourist during the day and in the night they would be able to enjoy the nightclubs and beach parties where they can experience the Spanish nightlife.
Marbella provides all these different attractions that will show tourist their culture and their way of living. For families and couples they will need to keep in mind that Spanish food hours is different from the UK; this is something that they need to in case they are going to have dinner or lunch in a restaurant. Something that all tourists should try if they go to Spain are the famous tapas. There are other traditional dishes but with the tapas tourist have the opportunity to try different Spanish dishes in small portions; depending on the dish or the dished tourist can enjoy sangria, beer or good Rioja red wine. Families need to consider that the Spanish culture is very open about relationships between people with the same sex. Also nudist is very popular in some beaches, but these are announced.
The influence of the currency exchange can affect tourist to decide on the destination. As everyone is looking to get value for the money, especially when you are going to spend time on you and enjoying another culture. Most countries in the European Union use the Euro as their currency and Spain is no different, they use the Euro. At the moment if you exchange pounds to euros you do not really get as much as you will want. For example if you exchange £100 into Euros you will get €131.92; this can affect families in a positive way as they will be getting more money to spend while they are in Marbella as their destination; but what you need to keep in mind is that the cost of living in Spain it is not the same as in the UK. For example in Spain a bus ticket is €1.20 a dress from Zara is €20.00 to €30.00. For couple it might not as affect as much as does for families because couple have two incomes and fewer expenses than families, couple will have more dispensable money as they won’t really have to spend for more than two people.
Amsterdam:
In the last years Amsterdam the capital of The Netherlands has become a popular destination in Europe. This destination has become popular among solo travellers and young adults. This city has special features that have attract over 4.60 million visitors to visit it.
Amsterdam is a city that is very accessible now for all types of visitors. Visitors can access the city using different types of transport from plane to coach. Amsterdam is well connected and both, solo travellers and young adults 18-30 years old can access by air using budget airlines such as EasyJet and Ryanair, also by catching Mega Bus coaches or Eurostar train (the Eurostar it is another possibility but it would be too expensive when Mega Bus and the budget airlines can get them there for less money).
The weather is similar to the UK but it is not as cold as it is England’s winter but it’s hotter than England’s summer which especially attracts people to come and enjoy their visit at Amsterdam, for young adults go to Amsterdam during the summer will suit them better because younger people might still in education, in the other hand solo travellers can go whenever they like, but I will definitely recommend to go from April to early September.
Amsterdam is a city that has little things that make her unique, the different attractions Amsterdam offers shows their culture, how they used to be and some history, how they are now each attractions have their own characteristics that would suit solo travellers; in the case of young adults there would be thing that won’t be as much appealing. But all of these depend on the reason they have when they decide to go to Amsterdam.
For a solo traveller I think the whole of Amsterdam will be appealing, as most of solo travellerswant to learn more from other countries and their culture. My top recommendations for a solo traveller will be the national museum of The Netherland The Rijksmusem, Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, NEMO science museum of Amsterdam, Erotic Museum and Sex museum. Then Ronde Lutherse Kerk, which was first Luthernan Church in The Netherlands, The Magere Brug is probably the most famous draw bridge in Amsterdam, Royal palace former town hall, The Red-light district, Open-air markets and Amsterdam Canals.
In the case of the young adults I would recommend the same but some might not be as interested in so many museums or historic buildings. They will be more interested in the famous museums, especially Sex and Erotic museums. Also they would like to spend more time in the Red Light district exploring different shops from the famous “coffees shops” to where legal prostitution take placed, they would like to go to different places such beer tour of Heineken or even festivals (this will be a specific reason to visit Amsterdam). Young people also would be more interested in the nightlife Amsterdam can offer them.
All these places would show them their culture and they would be able to experience it, by visiting the touristic attractions, meeting new people, by trying their traditional dishes and many more. For example, the Red Light District and the Sex Museum shows that people from The Netherlands have an open mind; to be honest this one of the main reasons young adults and solo travellers want to visit Amsterdam because they want to experience and see how different people from there think and see things.
In The Netherlands as other European countries Amsterdam uses the Euro (€). The exchange currency at the moment it is £1 = €1.32; this mean when tourist exchange £100 they will get €131.92. For young adults would be perfect because as I said before some of them might still being in education and they have less disposable income to spend. But with the exchange rate will be getting a few more euros to spend. And of course this is also beneficial for the solo travellers. What they need to consider it is the cost of living.
D1:
Amsterdam it is a city that caters for different type of visitors; but in my opinion I think they could cater better for families with younger children. Yes, Amsterdam has a variety of attractions that can cater for families but some people would not really like to take their kids to Amsterdam as there isn’t much to do for children; they will get bored easily and they will make their parents journey not as enjoyable as they would like. There are some attractions that do cater for families but aim for older kids between 10-14 years old. As they can experience with the parents places such as tour canals, museums, open markets, restaurants and parks. I would recommend that more attractions such as Theme Park to be promoted to families can enjoy; Scheldestraat where there are a few great kids shops to be found. The world famous Dutch character Miffy has her own shop here, there’s Koter & Co for kid’s clothes and accesories, Meys & Co for kid’s shoes, is the perfect place to go with kids. Amstelpark is not very far away and offers some good playgrounds and a little city farm. Also the famous Artis Zoo where children can have a great day out, it is not too big but have different activities for children to do plus playgrounds where they could spend some of their time. There activities and attractions for families but they need to be promoted more therefore families can consider Amsterdam as a destination.