Resort
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A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation. As a result, people tend to seek out a resort for holidays or vacations. Generally, a resort is distinguished by a large selection of activities, such as food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping.
A resort can commonly refer to two specific but similar places:
- towns in which tourism or vacationing is a major part of the local activity but are usually not run by a single company (for example Aspen, Colorado)
- vacation centres, usually run by a single company, which attempt to provide for all or most of a vacationer's wants while staying there (for example Walt Disney World Resort).
The term resort is sometimes misused to identify a hotel that does not meet the requirements of a resort. However, a hotel is frequently the central feature of a resort.
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Types of resorts
Destination Resort
A resort is sometimes called a destination resort. This is a common usage when the facility provides food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping within the facility so that customers have no need to leave the facility once they arrive. Commonly these facilities are of higher quality then would be expected if one were to stay at a hotel or eat in a town's restaurants.
Walt Disney World Resort and Aspen are examples of this, as are many of the larger hotel casinos in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Golf resort
Spa resort
Ski resort
See Ski resort
Seaside resort
See Seaside resort
All-inclusive resort
An all-inclusive resort is a resort that, besides providing all of the common amenities of a resort, charges a fixed price that includes most or all items. At a minimum, most inclusive resorts include lodging, unlimited food, drink, sports activities, and entertainment for the fixed price.
Pros and cons of all-inclusive resorts
A frequent critque of all-inclusive resorts is that they do not help the local economy or that they damage the local environment. People who hold this view usually cite the fact that most resorts are located in relatively remote areas away from major local population centres, making it hard for the people staying there to see any local sights or patronize local business. They also say that most resorts are owned and run by large multinational corporations, such as Sandals or Hedonism Resorts thus diverting money away from local companies.
Proponents of all-inclusive resorts point to the fact that these resorts usually bring large numbers of visitors to the country, who must travel through local airports and towns to arrive at the resort. They also state that the resorts provide jobs in areas that are economically impoverished and away from the major centres.
Historical resorts
The most famous resort of the ancient world was Baiae, Italy, which was popular over 2,000 years ago.
See also
Sources
Dictionary.com.fr:Station touristique