Changing Places: Torquay Flashcards
What was the population in 1821?
2000 people
What’s the population of Torquay today?
140,000
What year did it grow as a holiday resort?
1830s onwards
What did the Western Morning news describe Torquay as in 1864?
“The most opulent, the handsomest and the most fashionable watering place in the British Isles”- attracting wealthy families, famous writers of the time and royalty.
What year did the railway open?
1848
What did the railway do?
Furthered its reputation as a holiday resort- now attracting mass market via train travel (external force -GWR and the exogenous factor- time/proximity to london drastically reduced)
When did the term ‘English Riveria” first coin?
The boom of tourism during the Victorian period
When did the town start experiencing a decline in tourist numbers?
Since the 1970s
What did the decline in tourist result to?
Subsequent social and economic problems and less favourable place identity.
What are some of the elements that made British holiday makers travel abroad instead?
Cheaper air travels, rise of internet booking and advertisement
However, tourism, leisure and hospitality attract how many visitors per year and how much do they typically spend?
4.5 million a year and spend £145 million per year
How is Torquay today a town of inequality?
- Torbay (as a whole) was within the top 20% most deprived local authority areas in England. Wards like Tomohun fell into the top 10% of most deprived areas.
- however, there is also great affluence, E.g. Cockington with chelston have a much lower index of multiple deprivation scores.
What does 2021 census data reveal?
Higher economically inactive rates than the uk average. The seasonality of tourism will mean this figure will vary and likely to be even higher in off seasons, e.g. winter. This leads to socio-economic issues, such as crime, deprivation, ill health and drug and alcohol related illnesses.
