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Geography for Travel Agents, 2
This article is excerpted from:
=============================================
THE HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENT
=============================================
A Newsletter for Those on the Cutting Edge
of the Travel Distribution System
http://www.hometravelagency.com
GEOGRAPHY
FOR TRAVEL AGENTS: Bodies of Water
In the last issue, we discussed the major types of land
masses travel agents need to be familiar with; this month, we’ll
dip into bodies of water. Fortunately, there aren’t too many
of them and most of them are pretty self-evident.
Oceans are the largest bodies of water. In fact, it
might be said that the earth is covered by just one ocean, since they
are all connected. Of course, folks didn’t realize that at first
and, even if they did, it is likely the oceans would have been given
different names anyway. The Atlantic and Pacific are the best known,
with the Indian Ocean a distant third in the minds of most Americans.
For travel agents, the Pacific is probably the most
prominent ocean, thanks to the presence of Hawaii and the many islands
of the South Pacific. The Atlantic has Bermuda, Iceland, the Canaries,
and some other island groups, but for the most part this is an ocean
to fly over en route to the many attractions of Europe.
At the opposite end of the spectrum are rivers and lakes,
which are fresh water bodies (as opposed to the "salt sea")
and are found on continents and islands. For a travel agent, it’s
helpful to know that New York, Paris, New Orleans, and many other
cities are on major rivers. This will suggest activities to recommend
to your clients as well as interesting ways of arriving in and departing
from these cities. Lakes are often magnets for tourism. Think of Lake
Tahoe (U.S.), Lake Louise (Canada), Lake Como (Europe), and Lake Victoria
(Africa). Larger lakes, like the United States’ Great Lakes,
are cruising areas in their own right or crisscrossed by ferry traffic.
Lakes are, by definition, surrounded by land, although
they can be connected to oceans by rivers or canals. Just to make
things confusing, some lakes are called seas (the Caspian Sea, for
example).
And speaking of seas, this is one of the more confusing
terms applied to bodies of water. What is the difference between a
sea and an ocean? It’s a matter of convenience, I think. A sea
is simply a smaller subsection of an ocean, typically set off by island
groups. The Caribbean and the North Seas are examples of this in the
Atlantic; the South China Sea is an Asian example. Of course, some
seas are almost entirely surrounded by land while still connected
to an ocean, making the distinction more dramatic. The Mediterranean
and Baltic Seas are good examples. Then there are seas that are connected
not to an ocean but to another sea, such as the Black Sea (connected
to the Mediterranean) and the Sea of Azov (connected to the Black
Sea). Because of their proximity to islands and continental land masses,
seas make ideal areas for cruise ship itineraries.
That leaves gulfs, bays, and fjords (pronounced "fyords"
or "fee-ords" depending on who’s speaking). These are
all salt water indentations into land masses, differentiated primarily
by their size and shape. Gulfs are larger than bays and the indentations
more gentle and open to a larger body, such as a sea or ocean. Bays
tend to be smaller and more circumscribed by land. Good examples of
each that can be seen on the same map are the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa
Bay. From a tourism standpoint, gulfs are more associated with long
stretches of beach while bays make good harbors for cruise ships and
sites for major cities. Think Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, again.
Fjords are long, narrow bays, typically hemmed in by
high hills or cliffs. For many people Norway is synonymous with fjords
although this geographical feature can be found elsewhere, including
Chile and New Zealand. Fjords are important for tourism because their
striking natural beauty makes them natural magnets for cruises and
excursions.
And that’s it! Simple wasn’t it? Geography
can seem a daunting subject (it’s a big world, after all), but
when you concentrate on the key things you, as a travel agent, need
to know, it gets a lot easier to manage.
If any of the things mentioned in this article apply
to your current or planned travel business, you might want to spend
some time with a good atlas or set of maps to delve a little deeper.
For example, if you are active in selling cruises, why not invest
a little time familiarizing yourself with the major rivers of Europe
and the companies that offer cruises on them?
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