Seaside resort

A seaside resort is a resort located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.

History of the seaside resort

February 2007The coast has always been a recreational environment, although until the mid-nineteenth century, such recreation was a luxury only for the wealthy. Even in Roman times, the town of Baiae, by the Tyrrhenian Sea in Italy, was a resort for those who were sufficiently prosperous. During the early nineteenth century, the Prince Regent popularized Brighton, on the south coast of England, as a fashionable alternative to the wealthy spa towns such as Cheltenham. Later, Queen Victoria's long-standing patronage of the Isle of Wight and Broadstairs in Kent ensured the seaside residence was a highly fashionable possession for those wealthy enough to afford more than one home. Nowadays, many beach resorts are available as far afield as Goa in India.

It was in the mid-nineteenth century that it became popular for people from less privileged classes to take holidays at seaside resorts. Improvements in transportation brought about by the industrial revolution enabled people to take vacations away from home, and led to the growth of coastal towns as seaside resorts. This is perhaps most strongly evidenced in England and Wales, where no point is more than 180 km from the coast.

British seaside resorts

As the nineteenth century progressed, British working class day-trippers traveled on organized trips such as railway excursions, or by steamer, for which long piers were erected so that the ships bringing the trade could berth.

The popularization of the seaside resort during this period was nowhere more pronounced than in Blackpool. Blackpool catered for workers from across industrial Northern England, who packed its beaches and promenade. Other northern towns (for example Scarborough, Bridlington and Skegness on the east coast) shared in the success of this new concept, which spread rapidly to other British coastal towns including several on the coast of North Wales and notably Rhyl, and Llandudno, the largest resort in Wales and known as "The Queen of the Welsh Resorts", a title first implied as early as 1864. [ Ivor Wynne Jones. "Llandudno Queen of Welsh Resorts" (chapter 3 page 19) referring to the "Liverpool Mercury" ] Some resorts, such as Bournemouth, were built as new towns by local landowners to appeal to wealthier vacationers. The south coast is packed with a number of seaside towns, the most being in Sussex which has the title 'Sussex by the Sea.'

From the last quarter of the twentieth century, the popularity of the British seaside resort has declined for the same reason that it first flourished: advancements in transportation. The greater accessibility of foreign holiday destinations, through package holidays and, more recently, European low-cost airlines, affords people the freedom to holiday abroad. Despite the loyalty of returning holiday-makers, resorts such as Blackpool have struggled to compete against the favorable weather of Southern European alternatives. Now, many symbols of the traditional British resort (holiday camps, end-of-the-pier shows and saucy postcards) are regarded by some as drab and outdated; the skies are imagined to be overcast (although British summers from the late 1980s onwards have often been warmer and sunnier than at any other time in living memory) and the beach windswept. This is not always true; for example Broadstairs in Kent has retained much of its old world charm with Punch and Judy and donkey rides and still remains popular being only one hour from the M25.

Many seaside towns have turned to other entertainment industries, and some of them have a good deal of nightlife. The cinemas and theaters often remain to become host to a number of pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Most of their entertainment facilities cater to local people and the beaches still remain popular during the summer months. Although international tourism turned people away from British seaside towns, it also brought in foreign travel and as a result, many seaside towns offer foreign language schools, the students of which often return to vacation and sometimes to settle.

A lot of people can also afford more time off and 'second holidays' and short breaks which still attract a lot of people to British seaside towns and a lot of young people and students are able to take short holidays and to discover the town's nightlife. A lot of seaside towns boast large shopping centres which also attract people from a wide area and a lot of day trippers still come to the coastal towns but on a more local scale than during the 19th century.

A lot of coastal towns are also popular retirement hotspots and many older people take short breaks in the autumn months.

In contrast, the fortunes of Brighton, which has neither holiday camps nor end-of-the-pier shows, have grown considerably, and, because of this, the resort is repeatedly held up as the model of a modern resort. However, unlike the "Golden Miles" of other British resorts, the sea is not Brighton's primary attraction: rather it is a backdrop against which is set an attitude of broad-minded cosmopolitan hedonism. The resulting sense of uniqueness has, coupled with the city's proximity to London, led to Brighton's restoration as a fashionable resort and the dwelling-place of the affluent.

Other English coastal towns have successfully sought to project a sense of their unique character. In particular, Southwold on the Suffolk coast is an active yet peaceful retirement haven with an emphasis on calmness, quiet countryside and jazz. Weymouth in Dorset offers itself as 'the gateway to the Jurassic Coast', Britain's only natural World Heritage Site. Newquay in Cornwall offers itself as the 'surfing capital of Britain', hosting international surfing events on its shores.

Torbay in South Devon is known is also known as the English Riviera. Consisting of the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, the bay has 20 beaches and coves along its convert|22|mi|km|0|sing=on coastline, ranging from small secluded coves to the larger promenade style seafronts of Torquay's Torre Abbey Sands and Paignton Sands. Paignton Pier extends into the sea from the popular seafront.

Irish seaside resorts

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has a number of seaside resorts. The premier Northern Irish seaside resort is PortrushFact|date=February 2007, often consideredWho|date=July 2007 as Northern Ireland's equivalent of Blackpool. Portrush is situated on the north coast of Northern Ireland and has two sandy beaches, a world-famous golf course, [Ranked as the third best course outside the United States by "Golf Digest" in 2007 [http://www.golfdigest.com/planetgolf/] ] Royal Portrush Golf Club, amusements, bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Other Northern Irish seaside resorts are Newcastle, located on the east coast at the foot of the Mourne Mountains and Bangor which has a coastal path with stunning views over Belfast Lough. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland and the marina has on occasion been awarded the "Blue Flag" for attention to environmental issues.

Other quieter and more scenic coastal townsFact|date=February 2007 are Ballycastle and Portstewart, both on the Northern Irish north coast.

Republic of Ireland

Irish Riviera

The Irish Riviera features the pretty seaside resorts of Youghal, Ardmore, Dungarvan, Cobh and Ballycotton. These are a group of resort towns and villages all set close to the sunny south coast of Ireland. Each town has its own character with its own attractions, places to stay, places to eat, traditional Irish pubs and beauty spots. Youghal has been a favoured holiday destination for over 100 years and is right in the centre of the south coast of Ireland. The town is situated on the banks of the majestic Blackwater river as it reaches the sea. Youghal is well known for its beaches, having been, until 2008, the only town in the Republic of Ireland with two beaches awarded EU Blue Flag status. [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Youghal&action=edit&section=4 ] Dungarvan is a thriving seaside market town nestled beneath the mountains in the centre of the Irish south coast. Kinsale is often described as a food lover's and yachting town—a great base from which to explore the Irish Riviera. There is a very diverse range of restaurants and a vibrant nightlife. Kinsale is also home to a large and active creative community and there are numerous art galleries, record and book shops and several excellent delicatessens. Cobh is a perfect base for a wide variety of leisure and sport activities including fishing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, powerboating and of course walking and golf.

County Clare

Lahinch is a bustling seaside resortFact|date=February 2007, and is very popular for holidaymakers because of its long beach, golf links, promenade, and Seaworld (a leisure complex). Lahinch is extremely popular with surfers.

Ballyvaughan is a village and small port on the southern shores of Galway Bay and is a convenient centre for exploring the fascinating and scenic surrounding countryside.Fact|date=February 2007

American seaside resorts

American seaside resorts developed along the New England coast in the late 19th century with the Mid-Atlantic region developing slightly later. Southern seaside resorts did not develop until the 1890s. In Florida, the community of Cocoanut (now Coconut) Grove began development as a resort town in the 1880s with the building of the Bayview House (aka Peacock Inn) which closed in 1902. Visitors to the greater Miami area then flocked to Camp Biscayne (in Coconut Grove), the Royal Palm Hotel and other resort hotels in Miami, and in smaller numbers to the keys, particularly to Long Key where the Long Key Fishing Camp was particularly active in the 1910s.

References

Further reading

* — Geoghegan looks at the economy of British seaside resorts and considers a possible resurgence in their popularity.
*cite web|work=British History|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk./history/british/victorians/seaside_01.shtml|title=The Victorian Seaside|author=Professor John Walton|date=2001-03-01|publisher=BBC — Walton looks at the Victorian traditions that underpin British seaside holidays.

See also

*Donkey rides
*List of seaside resorts in the UK
*Luxury resorts
*Pier
*Punch and Judy
*Seaside postcard
*Ski resort
*Tourism

External links

* [http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/enjoying/tourism/blueskies Blue Skies Project] — mostly in PDF format. Research and conclusions of North Somerset District council, involving the identity crisis and re-branding of Weston-super-Mare. Indicative of the need for English resorts to adapt.
* [http://www.britishresorts.co.uk British Resorts and Destinations] - British group of mainly seaside resorts