Paris is probably the fulcrum of the fashion world and Where Paris led, Britain’s provincial centres have followed, but with an usual Summer Fashion, namely the urban beach, and thery’re springing up across the country.
The Nottingham urban beach uses 300 tons of sand
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Paris was the originator of this Summer Fashion and the first capital city to create a beach for it’s citizens to enjoy during the summer, the Paris Plage, was created in 2002 along the banks of the river Seine, complete with sand and palm trees.
The idea caught on with cities keen exploit the marketing potential of such a innovative idea, such as Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham, Belfast and Bristol all who have been among the cities to create mock beaches for the public.
The latest addition to this list of towns and cities to keen to exploit its potential is Nottingham, The city will debut its beach, featuring 300 tons of sand and converting its Old Market Square into the largest city-centre beach in the UK, No doubt to welcome Sven as Counties new director of Football?
As British cities have regenerated their centres and looked to draw people in, the urban beach has come to be seen as marketing device – helping entice shoppers and tourists alike, many of whom are foregoing their summer holiday abroad by staying at home because of fears of the credit crunch & job security.
According to the ONS, the past year has seen the number of UK residents travelling abroad decreasing by 8%.
David Crouch, a professor of travel and tourism at University of Derby. Says “The urban city beach epitomises this interesting mix, so that it’s near but it’s also eccentric,” he says. “It’s about fun, being together and, of course, in the city, they’re convenient.
According to Dr Caroline Scarles, a lecturer in tourism at University of Surrey “A holiday is seen as an essential element to a lot of people, For people who are not able to go abroad and overseas as they have in past years, ‘staycations’ are something that they can experience in the UK.”
If yo’ve got a city beach anywhere near you, why not take advantage of it while you’ve got the chance, and while yo’re on what about playingthe part and pick up some great <a href=”http://www.summerdress.org.uk/summer-dresses/”>Summer Dresses</a>
