ICONIC TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

CREATED BY KATE MUCCIGNAT, JULIA WESTON AND JOHNATHAN FLENTJAR

Contents• Introduction• USA• Japan• Europe• Australia• Conclusion• References

Introduction

There is no denying that people from all over the world travel to exotic destinations to fulfil their need to travel.The following web forum provides necessary information for travellers to iconic international destinations including; the United States of America, Japan, Europe and Australia

USA- Main AttractionsThe United States of America have numerous different attractions that result in millions of people holidaying there each year. The main attractions include; the Empire State Building, Times Square, Las Vegas Strip, Grand Canyon , the White House, The Golden Gate Bridge, Niagara Falls and Central park

USA- Peak Travel TimesDepending on the location the travellers is wanting to visit will determine the peak and off peak seasons of each place. New York's peak travel season is from September to December- think of New Years in New York. Whereas, Phoenix peak travel time is March to May, in their springtime, as June- August can reach unbearable temperatures of over 45 degrees Celsius.

Las Vegas in Nevada is one location that is a suitable companion location to either Phoenix or New York, as the peak travel season is from March to May or September to November. The city that never sleeps is a must on any American holiday.

USA- Average Yearly Tourist

In 2013 the average number of inbound tourist to the USA for the year was over 37 million from all over the world (excluding any American continent countries)

USA- Food and Drink

The Culture of the USA is one where people eat out more than at home. The main drinks Americans will have are Iced tea, soft drink.The main foods of the States are:- Hamburgers- Fried Chicken- Pumpkin pie- Apple Pie

USA- Health and Safety

There are no vaccinations that are suggested for travelling to the USA. The main advice provided when travelling is to ensure that you have travel insurance and obtain written clarification of what your policy covers, as Medicare doesn’t cover bills overseas and the American health system is very expensive. Also, ensure you are aware of any environmental factors, such as fire

danger areas and hurricane seasons.

EUROPE-Main Attractions

Whether you are a fan of rich, cultural history, exotic tranquillity or dining experiences like no other, Europe may just be the place for you.

Europe's top attractions include: The Eiffel Tower, The Colosseum, Buckingham Palace, Vatican City, Stonehenge and The Louvre.

EUROPE-Peak Travel Times

• Summertime is generally the most popular time to travel anywhere around the world. In particular, Europe's summer (June-August) is the peak travel time for most tourists due to it's beautiful, warm temperatures and long days.

• Another popular time to travel is during Europe's "shoulder season" (April-Mid June and September-October) this is due to weather still being relatively warm, daylight still lasting quite a long time and local entertainment still readily alive and vibrant.

• Be prepared when traveling during "Off season" (November-March) as winter approaches, cold, wild weather will ensue and darkness falls by 5pm

each night.

EUROPE-Average yearly tourists:In 2013 Europe had over 563 million tourists visit it's shores. France, Spain and Italy were the top visited countries, with Greece rounding out the top 10.

European CuisineDepending on your taste buds, Europe has a wide variety of fine food and dining experiences.France offers many types of cheese, breads and wine.Italy is famous for it's Pizza, pasta and homemade soups.Switzerland and Germany have vast ranges of chocolate and beer.While Spain and Greece are far and beyond the seafood experts.

EUROPE-Health & SafetyWhen traveling to Europe, ensure you have pre purchased a European health insurance card. This card will give you access to medically necessary, state

provided healthcare during a temporary stay. Always make sure you have travel insurance as crime rate in recent years has risen. Such crimes

include pickpockets. Always carry your documentation as proof of insurance

and cover. No major vaccinations are required to

travel to Europe. People with allergenic reactions or serious health problems should consult their doctor

prior to travel.

Japan

Japan – Main AttractionsJapan is rated number 3 in the World for number of tourists. There are many beautiful places to visit in Japan. According to Traveller`s Choice Awards for 2015 the top 5 places are: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hokkaido.

Peak Travel TimesThere are 3 main travel seasons in Japan.The first is over New Year from Dec 27th – Jan 4th. The second is over Golden week from April 29th – May 4th and the last is over Obon on August 15th.During holiday times many of the shops, restaurants and tourist attractions are closed and the trains and roads can be congested. The best place to be is at the local shrines where they hold their own festivities.

Japan – Average Yearly TouristsJapan rates 27th in the World in number of tourists with a record number of 13.4 million foreign tourists in 2013. Tourism is seen as an important new area of economic growth and Japan plans to double their tourism by 2020 when Tokyo is holding the summer Olympics (Soble, 2014).

Food and DrinkThe main drinks are green tea and sake. Both have great health benefits. Speciality food is sushi, noodles, rice balls, gyoza and tofu. Japanese food is usually accompanied with rice, pickles and ginger.

Health and SafetyThe Department of Foreign Affairs states that Japan is a safe country and to exercise normal safety procedures – using common sense. It recommends avoiding the Fukushima area including the Dai Chi Nuclear Power plant, due to high levels of radiation. Japan is prone to natural disasters including earth quakes, tsunamis, typhoons and volcanic activities. Medical facilities are of a high standard but expensive, travellers are advised to take out health insurance.

Conclusion

Despite the unrest in the World, international trade and tourism continues to grow. In 2012, international tourists around the World reached 1.035 billion and today international tourism profits the World in exceed of 1 billion dollars per year. Tourism has become a global, economic and social force (Bonham & Mak, 2014).

To ensure the credibility of each source, a checklist approval was adopted. Each source, where possible, was checked using the following criteria: accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency and coverage (Metzger, 2007).

Referencing: USAAbs.gov.au, (2015). 4102.0 - Australian Social Trends, Sep 2010. [online] Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Main+Features20Sep+2010 [Accessed 6 May 2015].AOL Travel, (2015). Best Time To Visit Las Vegas, NV - AOL Travel. [online] Available at: http://travel.aol.com/travel-guide/united-states/nevada/las-vegas-best-time-to-visit/ [Accessed 6 May 2015].Cheapflightsfinder.com, (2015). The Best Times and Seasons to Fly. [online] Available at: http://www.cheapflightsfinder.com/best-times-to-fly.htm [Accessed 6 May 2015].Gautam, A., Dutta, T., Tagra, S., Kumar, A., B, R., Rusia, C. and Katewili, Y. (2011). 10 Top Tourist Attractions in the USA. [online] Touropia.com. Available at: http://www.touropia.com/tourist-attractions-in-the-usa/ [Accessed 6 May 2015].HubPages, (2015). Australians visiting the USA - the best time to travel. [online] Available at: http://alidawson.hubpages.com/hub/Australians-visiting-the-USA-the-best-time-to-travel [Accessed 7 May 2015].Johanson, M. (2013). US Received Record Number Of Visitors In 2012 Thanks To These 15 Countries. [online] International Business Times. Available at: http://www.ibtimes.com/us-received-record-number-visitors-2012-thanks-these-15-countries-1300347 [Accessed 6 May 2015].Khan, E. (2013). 10 Best Tourist Attractions in U.S.A. [online] WondersList. Available at: http://www.wonderslist.com/10-best-tourist-attractions-in-u-s-a/ [Accessed 7 May 2015].Malloy, B. (2015). When Should You Visit Los Angeles?. [online] About.com Travel. Available at: http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/calamenu/a/Best-Time-To-Visit-Los-Angeles.htm [Accessed 7 May 2015].McKelvey, J. (2014). The 50 Best US Tourist Attractions You've Never Heard Of. [online] Business Insider Australia. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-best-lesser-known-tourist-attractions-in-america-2014-6?op=1#alabama-mobile-bay-bills-itself-as-secretly-awesome-and-its-many-tourist-attractions-prove-this-to-be-true-attend-the-worlds-oldest-mardi-gras-celebration-eat-some-fresh-seafood-go-kayaking-and-fishing-and-take-in-the-beautiful-views-of-the-gulf-of-mexico-1 [Accessed 6 May 2015].

Referencing: USA (part 2)SmarterTravel.com, (2015). When to Visit New York City - SmarterTravel.com. [online] Available at: http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-guides/page.php?id=104681 [Accessed 6 May 2015].Smartraveller.gov.au, (2015). United States of America | Travel advice | Smartraveller: The Australian Government's travel advisory and consular assistance service. [online] Available at: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/United_States_of_America [Accessed 8 May 2015].Trade, A. (2015). Health | Smartraveller. [online] Smartraveller.gov.au. Available at: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/tips/health.html [Accessed 8 May 2015].Travel + Leisure, (2015). America’s Most-Visited Tourist Attractions. [online] Available at: http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-most-visited-tourist-attractions [Accessed 8 May 2015].Travel, S. (2015). Sightseeing in the USA | STA Travel | Attractions in USA. [online] Statravel.com.au. Available at: http://www.statravel.com.au/usa-attractions.htm [Accessed 8 May 2015].Travel, S. (2015). USA Health Care, Vaccinations for USA | STA Travel | USA health & safety. [online] Statravel.com.au. Available at: http://www.statravel.com.au/usa-Blog.bea.gov, (2015). Travel and Tourism | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. [online] Available at: http://blog.bea.gov/category/travel-and-tourism/ [Accessed 8 May 2015].Worldtravelguide.net, (2015). Food and Drink in United States of America. [online] Available at: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/united-states-america/food-and-drink [Accessed 16 May 2015].

Referencing: EuropeWebmd.com, (2014). - Other Immunization and Vaccine Concerns [online] available at: http://www.webmd.com/vaccines/travel-immunizations

[Accessed May 14].

backpackguide.com, (2014). -Top 10 European Cuisines [online] available at: http://www.bakpakguide.com/europe/europe101/highlights/top-10-european-cuisines.shtml

[Accessed May 14].

Wikipedia.org/wiki/world_tourism_worldrankings, (2013). –World tourism rankings [online] available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Tourism_rankings#Europe

[Accessed May 14].

In 2013 the average number of inbound tourist to the USA for the year was over 37 million from all over the world (excluding any American continent countries)

In 2013 the average number of inbound tourist to the USA for the year was over 37 million from all over the world (excluding any American continent countries)

In 2013 the average number of inbound tourist to the USA for the year was over 37 million from all over the world (excluding any American continent countries)

Referencing: JapanBonham,C & Mak,J (2014). The growing Importance of Tourism in the Global Economy. 2000-2015 GeorgeTown Journal of International Affairs. Retrieved from: journal-Georgetown.edu/the-growing-importance-of-tourism-in-the-global-economy-and-Internatinal affairs/. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved from: www.smartraveller.gov.au/2w.cgi/view/Advice/Japan/2/2013http://blog.bea.gov/category/travel-and-tourism/http://www.worldtravelguide.net/united-states-america/food-and-drink Japan National Tourism Organisation. Retrieved from: www.jnto.go.jp/eng/arrange/travel/guide/taq/htmlMetzger, M.J (2007). Making sense of credibility on the web models for evaluating online information & recommendations for future research. Journal of the American Society for information science & Technology, 58 (13),2078-2091Trip advisor (2015).Retrieved from: http://www.tripadvisor.com/au/Tourism-g294232-Japan-vacations.htmlTurner, R (2014). World Travel and Tourism Economic Impact. Retrieved from: www.wtc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic%20impact%20research/country%20reports/japan2014 pdfwww.japan-guide.com/e/e2273.html