British Industry, Tourism Research

Industrial tourism centers on the protection and the development of industrial relics, displays the prospects for modern industrial production and provides special experiences for tourists. Judging from its connotation, it should include industrial heritage tourism as well as factory sightseeing tourism.Industrial heritage tourism is to transform the original industrial machinery, production equipment and workshops at the old deserted site of the factory by means of protection and recycling to a new way of attracting modern people to learn industrial culture and civilization, at the same time combining the functions of sightseeing, recreation and tourism. Factory sightseeing tourism refers to tourists'visit of the working assembly, producing process and the working scene at the sites of the existing factories.Originating from Britain, industrial heritage tourism flourished gradually during the historical process of industrialization and counter-industrialization, along with the development of industrial archeology and the protection of industrial relics. On the other hand, the development of industrial heritage tourism sparked the upsurge for modern industries to exploit factory sightseeing tourism. Britain is one of the pioneering countries to develop industrial tourism, whose occurrence and prosperity is closely related to Britain's social industrialization. First taking place in Britain, the industrial revolution brought good fortune for this country to take the lead in stepping into industrialization; whereas it also brought disasters to plunge it into entanglement of complex social problems. Ever since the 20th century, counter-industrialization happened to a large scale in Britain, resulting in the bankruptcy of traditional manufacturing industries. This industrial recession produced a vast deserted industrial land. With the upgrading of people's viewpoints, these deserted industrial lands with single and obsolete use but strict logic aroused increasing publicity for their historical values, reprocessing potentials and sightseeing characteristics. Hence the transformation, renewal and development of these lands captured public concern. Under this social background, industrial heritage tourism was born in Britain. Subsequently, factory sightseeing tourism grew prosperous step by step. Having gone through the stages of rise and development in the 1980s and 1990s respectively, the British industrial tourism has grown into maturity steadily. This thesis makes investigations into British industrial tourism from a historical perspective and introduces new concepts on industrial tourism. Setting in the economic recession experienced by Britain ever since the 20th century, this paper explores the significance for the old industrial bases in the Northeast of China to draw lessons from Britain's practice of industrial tourism during its all-round rejuvenation and regulation of its economy, society, culture and environment. Hence, the author puts forward the topics for further discussion, which holds great theoretical values and academic significance.Viewing the development of world tourism in the long history of the world and the rise of industrial tourism in the development of world tourism, this dissertation combines these two processes and tries to explore their similarities, deducing the internal drive for the rise and prosperity of the British industrial tourism. After referring to abundant materials concerning the British industrial tourism, this thesis begins with investigations into its characteristics, and makes comprehensive analysis of the six positive aspects that deserve our careful study in the course of developing and managing British industrial tourism, that is, definite objectives, rich products, promising market, flexible time and prices, effective management and reasonable makeup of the sales volume. Meanwhile, this paper also analyzes the disadvantages of British industries tourism. This is where the theoretical value of this dissertation lies in.At the present, the situation with the old industrial bases in Northeast China is similar to that of Britain around the rise of industrial tourism. Taking industrial tourism as the advantageous industry for provinces in Northeast China, fusing industrial tourism into the transformation of the old industrial bases there and learning from Britain hold great significance to thrive Northeast China and speed up the development of its industrial tourism, especially at the critical moment that the Party Central Committee and the State Council put forward the strategic decision to thrive these places. The government should fully realize the importance to develop these industrial bases, guide actively and upgrade concepts. At the same time, it should cooperate with enterprises, lay great emphasis on traditional industrial tourism projects, make clear the target market, focus on the unity of profits, image and social benefits, suit measures to local conditions and stagger development. This accounts for the reasons why this thesis holds great significance for reality.