Tourism and the Changing Face of the British Isles

A week on a beach, a day at a spa, a hike in the hills – tourism is taken for granted today, but over the past 500 years, it has played a significant role in the shaping of modern Britain. Holidays were once effectively limited to a handful of wealthy people, but by the 20th century a day at the seaside had become almost universal. In the process quiet villages have becoming busy spa towns, new resorts have been created around Britain’s coast and largely unspoilt areas of the countryside have…