Saturday, September 11

Resort town

Resort town,

The majority of shops in downtown Jackson, Wyoming cater to tourists.

A resort town, sometimes called a resort city or resort destination, is a town or area where tourism or vacationing is a primary component of the local culture and economy. Most resort towns have one or more actual resorts in or nearby, although some places are considered resort towns merely because of their popularity among tourists.

Typically, the economy of a resort town is geared almost entirely towards catering to tourists, with most residents of the area working in the tourism or resort industry. Shops and luxury boutiques selling locally-themed souvenirs, motels, and unique restaurants often proliferate the downtown areas of a resort town.

Resort town economy

If the resorts or tourist attractions are seasonal in nature (such as a ski resort), resort towns typically experience a on-season where the town is bustling with tourists and workers, and an off-season where the town is populated only by a small amount of local year-round residents.

In addition, resort towns are often popular with wealthy retirees and people wishing to purchase vacation homes, which typically drives up property values and the cost of living in the region. Sometimes resort towns can become boomtowns due to the quick development of retirement and vacation-based residences

However, most of the employment available in resort towns are typically low paying and it can be difficult for workers to afford to live the area in which they are employed. Many resort towns have spawned nearby bedroom communities where the majority of the resort workforce lives.

Resorts towns sometimes struggle with problems regarding sustainable growth , due to the seasonal nature of the economy, the dependence on a single industry, and the difficulties in retaining a stable workforce.

Examples of resort towns

Asia

Nabran, Azerbaijan,Sanya, China,Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt,Dahab, Egypt,

Matheran, India,Bali, Indonesia,Eilat, Israel,Okinawa, Japan,Langkawi, Malaysia,

Sabah, Malaysia,Cebu, Philippines,Panglao, Philippines,Santosa, Singapore,

Phuket, Thailand,Pattaya, Thailand,Ko Samui, Thailand,

Africa and Surrounding Islands

Jerba, Tunisia,Swakopmund, Namibia,Plettenberg Bay, South Africa,

Las Palmas, Spain (EU),Maspalomas, Spain (EU),Playa del Inglés, Spain (EU),

Playa de las Americas, Spain (EU),

America

Canada

Whistler, British Columbia,Kimberley, British Columbia,Banff, Alberta,

Jasper, Alberta,Mont-Tremblant, Quebec,Barrie, Ontario,

Collingwood, Ontario,St. Andrews, New Brunswick,

Niagara Falls, Ontario,

Mexico

Cancún, Quintana Roo,Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur,

Los Cabos, Baja California Sur,Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco,

Rocky Point, Sonora,Mazatlán, Sinaloa,,

United States

Bull Shoals, Arkansas,Laguna Beach, California,Long Beach, California,Monterey Bay, California,

Santa Cruz,Santa Monica, California,South Lake Tahoe, California,Sun Valley, Idaho,Aspen, Colorado,

Vail, Colorado,Destin, Florida,Daytona Beach, Florida,Destin, Florida,Miami Beach, Florida,

Orlando, Florida,Palm Beach, Florida,Panama City Beach, Florida,Ocean City, Maryland,

Cape Cod, Massachusetts,Mackinaw City, Michigan,Branson, Missouri,Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri,

Las Vegas, Nevada,Laughlin, Nevada,Atlantic City, New Jersey,Ocean City, New Jersey,

Ruidoso, New Mexico,East Hampton, New York,Lake George, New York,Montauk, New York,

Ocean Beach, New York,Southampton, New York,Hershey, Pennsylvania,Rincon, Puerto Rico,

San Juan, Puerto Rico,Hilton Head Island, South Carolina,Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,

Gatlinburg, Tennessee,Pigeon Forge, Tennessee,Moab, Utah,Park City, Utah,Saint George, Utah,

Stowe, Vermont,Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin,Jackson, Wyoming,Door County, Wisconsin,Bar Harbor, Maine,Lake Geneva, Wisconsin,

Europe

European Union

Coastal towns of Spain, for example Benidorm, Malaga (with Marbella etc). Also Balearic Islands (Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza) and Canary Islands (Tenerife, Gran Canaria)

Coastal towns of Italy, for example Amalfi, Capri, Taormina, Porto Cervo, Sorrento, Portofino and Italian Riviera. Also alpine resorts such as Cortina d'Ampezzo

Coastal towns of Portugal, for example Lisbon (mainly suburbs: Cascais and Sintra), Faro and Algarve region

Coastal towns of France on the Mediterranean Sea, example Cannes, Saint Tropez, Nice and the French Riviera. Also alpine resorts. Corsica island.

Coastal towns of Greece and particularly of its islands, for example Faliraki on Rhodes, Kavos on Corfu

Coastal towns of Cyprus, for example Paphos

Coastal towns of Croatia, for example Split, Rijeka, Dubrovnik

Gibraltar, overseas territory of UK

Malta

Monaco

Bulgaria: Varna, Sunny Beach

Romania: Mamaia, Neptun, Predeal, Sinaia, Vama Veche

Poland: Świnoujście, Ustka-Rowy-Łeba region, Sopot, Międzyzdroje, Ciechocinek, Wisła, Szczyrk, Ustroń, Brenna and Istebna within Silesian Beskids, Zakopane, Krynica, Szczawnica, Szklarska Poręba, Karpacz

Lithuania: Druskininkai, Juodkrantė, Nida, Palanga

England: Blackpool, Newquay, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, Skegness, Lincolnshire Southend and many coastal resorts, especially along much of the South Coast

Rest of Europe,Alanya, Turkey,Antalya, Turkey,Bodrum, Turkey,Marmaris, Turkey,

Rest of Turkish Riviera,

Bečići, Montenegro

Coastal towns of the former Yugoslav states - Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and the town of Neum in Bosnia and Hercegovina,

Sochi, Russia,

Ukraine, Crimea, Feodosia, Yalta, Eupatoria, Alushta, Gurzuf,

Ukraine, Kherson, Skadovsk,

Ukraine, Odessa, Ochakov, Nikolaev,

Oceania

Guam, Micronesia

Saipan, Micronesia

Queenstown, South Island, New Zealand,

Thredbo, New South Wales, Australia,

Wanaka, South Island, New Zealand,

Luxury resort,

A luxury resort is an expensive vacation facility which is fully staffed and has been rated with five stars. Luxury resorts often boast many visitor activities and attractions such as golf, watersports, spa and beauty facilities, skiing, natural ecology and tranquility. Because of the extent of amenities offered, a luxury resort is also considered a destination resort.

Golf resort

Golf resorts are resorts that cater specifically to the sport of golf, and include access to one or more golf course and or clubhouse. Golf resorts typically provide golf packages that provide visitors with all greens and cart fees, range balls, luxury accommodations and meals.

Accommodations

Accommodation in the resorts may take the form of hotel-like rooms or private spacious villas. Golf resorts are typically located in areas with great natural scenery and they may also offer other nature-based activities such as backpacking, fishing as well as health spas and beauty clinics etc.

Packages

It is possible for golfers to purchase vacation packages for some of the finest golf resorts and golf courses all over the world. Destinations include golf resorts in states like Florida, Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, and California, cities like Las Vegas, Pinehurst, and Myrtle Beach, and renowned international golf travel destinations like Ireland and Scotland, where the game was born. Most countries in the world now host golf resorts of one type or another.

Condo hotels are typically high-rise buildings developed and operated as luxury hotels, usually in major cities and resorts. These hotels have condominium units which allow someone to own a full-service vacation home. When they aren’t using this home, they can leverage the marketing and management done by the hotel chain to rent and manage the condo unit as it would any other hotel room.

Legal conflicts

The U.S. Government is very strict about the type of advertising that can be done vis-a-vis condo hotel projects. Some condo projects have advertised themselves as real estate investments, but since the value of these condos as a real estate investment is not entirely clear the U.S. Government currently disallows use of this reference when advertising condo hotels.

Condo hotels have been criticized in California for allowing developers to skirt laws designed to protect public access to beaches. Because such a facility has hotel rooms, it can be classified as a public accommodation, even though the majority of the units are privately held, and the facility does little to accommodate the public.

Location

While not intended as a complete list, the most popular locations in the U.S. for condo hotels include: Aspen, Chicago, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, the Las Vegas metropolitan area, New York City, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Orlando, Florida. Condo-hotels are also found at ski resorts and international destinations, such as Jaco, Costa Rica. Investors spent an estimated $250 million on condo hotels in 2006, with much of that spending concentrated on resort areas.

Costs

Note that analyzing the economics of a condo hotel unit is extremely difficult because of the challenge of getting accurate information about the potential income stream. Developers uniformly do not provide important data or estimates for room rates or occupancy levels for fear of coming under U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations on investments, as opposed to real estate regulations.

Financial considerations

The primary factors that contribute to the financial outcome in ownership are rental revenue, appreciation or depreciation, lending and tax deductions.

Rental revenue is shared with the management company, and owners typically pay no upfront fees for management, which includes the marketing and reservation of the units. Typical monthly fees for units in the rental pool include FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment) reserve and resort fee(s). Although the revenue splits between owner and management company do vary from project to project, most hover around 50 percent. Most condo hotels, and especially branded hotels like Westin or Ritz-Carlton, are strategically located in resort economies or popular urban destinations, which allow for high nightly rates and consistent year-round occupancy. Rental income from hotel guests is at the mercy of travel patterns and may decline.

Many condo hotels, especially the branded condo hotels, have seen double-digit growth, and have out-performed traditional condos or single family homes in the same resort market. Condo hotels units are fee simple deeded real estate, and can be bought and sold like other forms of real estate. Because of the lack of resale data available for many of the emerging markets where pre-construction condo hotels can be found, experts heed caution when considering a condo hotel purchase for investment purposes alone. Just like traditional real estate, appreciation is never guaranteed. This very scenario most recently occurred in Las Vegas. Several of the more notable condo hotels have sold for less in the resale market than during pre-construction.

Financing is generally costlier than for a primary residence. Mortgage rates may be a full point higher, and in the past this was especially true because financial institutions were unfamiliar with the condo hotel concept. Pre-construction purchases require a significant down payment, and buyers won't see financial return or be able to use their unit until the hotel is completed and ready for operation. Furthermore owners may have to purchase extra insurance to protect against liability claims and some types of damage or loss.

Additional tax benefits may be obtained through condo hotel ownership. If the condo hotel is used for non-primary residence or residential rental, owners may be able to accelerate the depreciation on their condo hotel unit from 39 years, down to 27.5, 15, 7, and even 5 years. Condo hotel tax laws determine this, and affect individuals on a case-by-case basis, as each potential buyer’s tax situation is different.

Homeowner's association fees and services

As with most condominiums, owners of condo-hotel units are required to pay homeowner's association fees, commonly referred to as HOAs. The fee and services can vary a great deal. Factors causing a fluctuation are the hotel’s star rating and operation level, and its physical location. A property located on the ocean, for example, can experience coastal weather regular basis, which in turn can increase the need for more regular maintenance to the exterior of the building. Along those same lines, a property located in a ski resort must weather powerful winter storms and must also deal with snow removal services.

Exceptions aside, many of the fees and services found in HOAs are fixed and fluctuate very little from project to project. Services such as these usually include general unit utilities, common area utilities, individual room and building reserves, grounds maintenance, exercise area use fees, security, pest control, mechanical repair costs, safety alarm systems, parking area maintenance, pool area maintenance, and owner management and administrative services. Items related to hotel guest impact are generally not included in the HOA fees, these would include housekeeping, and costs related to hotel staffing and operation.

The 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 Ramsgate 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 transport 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.

Recreational fishing and leisure boat pursuits can be big business these days, and traditional fishing villages are often well positioned to take advantage of this. For example, Destin on the coast of Florida, has evolved from an artisanal fishing village into a seaside resort dedicated to tourism with a large fishing fleet of recreational charter boats. The tourist appeal of fishing villages has become so big that the Korean government is purpose-building 48 fishing villages for their tourist drawing power.

British seaside resorts

Southport's Marine Lake

The Grand Pier and donkey rides at Weston-super-Mare England

Llandudno Pier

As the nineteenth century progressed, British working class day-trippers travelled 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, Southport, Bridlington, Cleethorpes, Morecambe and Skegness) shared in the success of this new concept, especially from trade during Wakes weeks. The concept 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.

Another area notable for its seaside resorts was (and is) the Firth of Clyde, outside Glasgow. Glaswegians would take a ferry "Doon the Watter" from the city, down the River Clyde to the islands and peninsulas of the Firth of Clyde, such as Cowal, Bute, Arran, and Kintyre. Resorts include Rothesay, Lamlash, Whiting Bay, Dunoon, Tighnabruaich, Carrick Castle, Largs, Millport and Campbeltown. In contrast to the fates of many resorts,many from the Firth of Clyde have continued to enjoy prosperity thanks to their becoming middle-class commuter towns.

Some resorts, especially those more southerly such as Bournemouth and Brighton, were built as new towns or extended by local landowners to appeal to wealthier vacationers. The south coast has many 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 transport. 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 theatres 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, 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 with its pier and Brixham, the bay has 20 beaches and coves along its 22-mile (35 km) coastline, ranging from small secluded coves to the larger promenade style seafronts of Torquay's Torre Abbey Sands and Paignton Sands.

Northern Ireland has a number of seaside resorts, such as Portrush, situated on the north coast, with its two beaches and a world-famous golf course, Royal Portrush Golf Club. Other Northern Irish seaside resorts are Newcastle, located on the east coast at the foot of the Mourne Mountains, Portstewart, and Bangor. 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.

Irish seaside resorts

Irish Riviera

The "Irish Riviera" features the seaside resorts of Youghal, Ardmore, Dungarvan, Cobh and Ballycotton, all set close to the south coast of Ireland. Youghal has been a favoured holiday destination for over 100 years, situated on the banks of the 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. Dungarvan is a seaside market town beneath the mountains in the centre of the Irish south coast. Kinsale is often described as a food lover's and yachting town, with a diverse range of restaurants, as well as a large and active creative community with numerous art galleries and record and book shops.

County Clare

Lahinch is a seaside resort, popular because of its long beach, golf links, promenade, and Seaworld (a leisure complex). Lahinch is also popular with surfers. Ballyvaughan is a village and small port on the southern shores of Galway Bay.

American seaside resorts

Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California, 1908.

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 Miami, 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 in Downtown Miami, and other resort hotels in Miami, as well as in smaller numbers to the Florida Keys, particularly to Long Key where the Long Key Fishing Camp was particularly active in the 1910s.

Some examples of well-known and sought-after American coastal resort towns are:

Miami Beach

Newport Beach

Newport Beach,Carlsbad, California,Corona Del Mar, California,Coronado, California,Dana Point,

California,Laguna Beach, California,Los Angeles, California (Venice district),Montecito, California,

Newport Beach, California,Pebble Beach, California,San Diego, California (La Jolla, Pacific Beach,

Mission Beach and Ocean Beach neighborhoods)Santa Monica, California,Rehoboth Beach, Delaware,

Clearwater, Florida,Daytona Beach, Florida,Fort Lauderdale, Florida,Key West, Florida,Marco Island, Florida,Miami Beach, Florida,Palm Beach, Florida,Panama City, Florida,Saint Augustine, Florida,

Siesta Key, Florida,Tampa, Florida,Martha's Vineyard,Nantucket, Massachusetts,Provincetown, Massachusetts,Petoskey, Michigan,Harbor Springs, Michigan,Charlevoix, Michigan,

Traverse City, Michigan,Mackinac Island, Michigan,Ocean City, Maryland,

Atlantic City, New Jersey,Cape May, New Jersey,Seaside Heights, New Jersey,

Wildwood, New Jersey,Fire Island, New York,The Hamptons, New York,Myrtle Beach,

South Carolina,Galveston, Texas,South Padre Island, Texas,Virginia Beach, Virginia,

Ukrainian seaside resorts

Some examples of Ukrainian seaside resort towns are:

Crimea: Alushta, Eupatoria, Feodosia, Gurzuf, Yalta,Kherson Oblast: Skadovsk,

Mykolaiv Oblast: Ochakov,Odessa Oblast: Odessa,

Profile Facts

Saturday, September 11

Resort town

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Megaresort

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Luxury resort

Luxury resort,

Golf resort

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Condo hotel

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Seaside resort

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