The Snowdonia National Park is an area of spectacular natural beauty, but it’s also a business and so is marketed. Marketing text books talk about the marketing mix – the “four Ps” – but how do these apply to a national park?

The Snowdonia National Park is an area of spectacular natural beauty, but it's also a business and so is marketed. Marketing text books talk about the marketing mix - the "four Ps" - but how do these apply to a national park?

PRODUCT: The first P is for product. Snowdonia's main product is the countryside experience - timeless, free of charge. But there other attractions here, too, which are part of the product - for better or worse.

ATTRACTIONS: Attractions include the Snowdon Mountain Railway, the state-of-the-art visitor centre on top of Snowdon and the Welsh Highland Railway - a magnet for railway enthusiasts and casual tourists alike.

GREEN BUSINESSES: But there are also a growing number of smaller, "green" businesses which are capitalising on the area's environmental appeal. These include Treetop Adventure and Hafod Elwy Hall Hotel, which aspires to be sustainable in every corner of its operations.

PLACE: The next P in the marketing mix is P for place. This isn't the place as in the scenery, but place as in how you get there. 50 years ago most people came by train - but the car now rules, with millions driving here every year. Is there a chance they might be tempted back to the train?

PROMOTION: Wales is promoted by means of TV advertising produced by Visit Wales, the Welsh tourist board. But the main marketing tool used to promote Snowdonia is one of the oldest - leaflets in the tourist information centres. But the internet and social networking are now becoming more important.

HOT SPOTS: You promote places to make them popular but what about places that are TOO popular? The hot spot of Beddgelert village, for example, is overrun with tourists. The council seems eager to spread tourism around - but is it a good idea to promote the parts the tourists don't reach?

PRICE: The last of the four Ps of the marketing mix - price. With price, value for money is key. Does Snowdonia deliver more for the same money than the Lake District, for example? Exchange rates can have a big impact on prices, too, from the foreign visitor's point of view.

BUT IS IT WORKING? But who is marketing Snowdonia exactly? And is it working? The council wants more QUALITY tourists - but is Snowdonia delivering quality customer service, food and accommodation? And is the area's precious environment threatened by over-marketing?

Duration: 27 mins (approx)
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS

This is a film about the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. It's a beautiful place but is its beauty also its biggest threat, attracting more tourists than it can sustain?

NATIONAL PARKS: Snowdonia is the second largest of Britain's national parks. The national parks were established after years of campaigning by an act of parliament in 1949. The basic idea was to protect the countryside so everyone could enjoy it.

THE VISITOR CENTRE: The jewel in Snowdonia's crown is Mount Snowdon - the biggest mountain in England and Wales. On top of the mountain is a brand new visitor centre. Some people think it's wonderful. Others think it has ruined the mountain.

TOURISM: Tourism is vital to the economy of Snowdonia. It once had a slate industry but this is now mostly defunct. Agriculture is the only other significant industry in Snowdonia, but it provides few jobs.

TRAFFIC: But with tourism comes traffic, congested narrow roads and the pressure to build more car parks. Buses ease the problems, but the Welsh assembly government has actually axed services. Some people argue for a radical approach - closing the park to all traffic.

WELSH HIGHLAND RAILWAY: The Welsh Highland Railway is one of Snowdonia's outstanding new tourist attractions. Steam enthusiasts love it, but residents in the village of Beddgelert, one of the main stops along the line, are up in arms. It's too noisy and dirty, and instead of easing traffic problems, it actually increases them, by attracting more visitors.

HOLIDAY HOMES: Another problem in Beddgelert and across Snowdonia is the growing numbers of holiday homes. Around 50% of Beddgelert's houses are owned by people from outside. Local people can't afford to live in the area any more and are moving away.

WELSH LANGUAGE: A major knock-on effect is the threat to the Welsh language. Snowdonia is the heart of Welsh-speaking Wales, but as more young people move away, the language is bound to suffer

THE BIGGEST THREAT OF ALL? But the National Park's ex-ecology officer, Rod Gritten, says there is a much bigger problem facing Snowdonia: climate change. Hundreds of years of intensive grazing has robbed the mountains of their trees and soil erosion is releasing carbon into the atmosphere, increasing global warming. Radical action is needed now, argues Gritten, before it's too late.

Duration: 27 mins (approx)
Year: 2009
DVD - VHS

Tourism is a huge global industry. It's having a major impact on the economy, culture and environment of many different countries. These four films explore important examples from across the world.

CHINA: High up in the Himalayas, a poor Chinese community has called itself "Shangri-La" and is looking to tourism to boost its economy. Visitor numbers are climbing as people from all over the world come in search of the fictional utopia -- but both the wildlife and culture of the region are under threat.

USA: Alaska's sleepy fishing villages all but died when the gold rush ended 100 years ago. Now they're being overwhelmed by hordes of cruise ship tourists. Tourism has revived the economy of the area, but critics fear the impact on Alaska's environment and culture.

NEPAL: Every year 300,000 people come to Nepal to trek in the famous mountaineering country of the Everest National Park.

But with them come deforestation, soil erosion and piles of rubbish. The government is imposing bigger fees on the mountaineers - but will this solve the problem?

AFRICA: Gorillas are under threat - and many of their problems are caused by humans. But in the heart of Central Africa, ironically, tourism is helping to keep them alive. Eco-tourists pay high prices for expeditions to see this endangered species. Visitor numbers and the time spent with the gorillas are tightly controlled.

DUBAI: Dubai once depended on income from its oil. Now tourism in this desert kingdom is booming. But what about the cultural price and the impact on the environment? Developers have built a ski-resort in the desert, complete with 6,000 tons of real snow. Is this the face of modern tourism?

Antigua looks like a paradise island -- but for the locals it’s another story. They suffer from poorly paid jobs, all-inclusive hotels and cruise ship holidays..

Duration: 31 mins
Year: 1998
DVD - VHS
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Antigua looks like paradise but not for the locals. It suffers from an over-reliance on tourism. This threatens the environment, culture and economy. Most tourist jobs are poorly paid and most of the hotels are foreign owned. Cruise ship holidays, all-inclusive hotels and a new holiday development all promise to make matters worse.

Customers' feedback: “Recommended to all my colleagues.” P Hargreaves, Amersham & Wycombe College.

Duration: 31 mins
Year: 1998
DVD - VHS

For 40 years the beautiful Island of Ruegen was behind the “Iron Curtain”. How is it coping with life after the fall of the Berlin Wall?

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 1999
DVD - VHS
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For 40 years the beautiful Island of Ruegen was behind the “Iron Curtain”. The state controlled people's holidays and visitors came to Ruegen all year round because there were few other options. But when the Berlin Wall fell, people expected prosperity. In reality it's brought too much traffic, too much building and high unemployment. Now the island is looking for “sustainable tourism”. What's the way forward - “quality tourism” or a less elite approach?

Duration: 26 mins
Year: 1999
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Too much development, too much traffic and too little water. What’s the way forward for tourism in Majorca?

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 2000
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Majorca has given millions of people cheap holidays and brought prosperity for Majorcans — but at a cost. There is heavy hotel development on the coast and there are outsiders buying second homes inland. There's too much traffic and not enough water.

Farming has declined, leaving people dependent on tourism. Traditional culture is disappearing.

The authorities have pulled down ugly old hotels and are promoting “sustainable tourism”. But can such initiatives succeed?

Customers' feedback: “Excellent video showing problems of mass tourism and more sustainable options.” L Bussel, Teesside University Business School.

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 2000
DVD - VHS

Does tourism benefit developing world countries? Gambia is making money – but little stays with local people.

Duration: 32 mins
Year: 2001
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Gambia seems ideal for holidays. With plentiful sunshine and long, white beaches, tourism has become a major source of income. But tourism in a developing country is a double-edged sword.

Despite swelling numbers of visitors, little money ends up with local people. Holidays are run by foreign tour operators and tourists stay mostly in the foreign-owned hotels, eating imported food.

Is community tourism - for example getting people to spend money locally - the best hope for the future?

Customers' feedback: “Deals with conflicting issues of tourism in developing countries exceptionally well.” Simon Chapman, Warwick School.

Duration: 32 mins
Year: 2001
DVD - VHS

Brazil now actively promotes the Amazon to tourists to bring money and jobs to locals.

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 2002
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Brazil now actively promotes the Amazon to tourists to bring money and jobs to locals. But how will tourism affect this environmentally vital area? And what form will tourism take?

One option is “nature tourism”. In the Amazon Ariau Towers, walkways give visitors a unique view of the rainforest and wildlife. But this is not necessarily eco-tourism.

Critics question the effects on the local economy and wildlife.

A more sensitive approach is taken at Mamiraua. Here a solar-powered floating lodge minimises visitor impact and trained local people work as guides.

Customers' feedback: “An excellent resource.” G Davies, St Cyres High School

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 2002
DVD - VHS
DVD - VHS

Thailand seems the ideal tourist destination. But what don't they tell you in the holiday brochures?

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 2003
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Beautiful beaches, wonderful scenery and friendly people — Thailand seems the ideal tourist destination. But what don't they tell you in the holiday brochure?

The Thai tourist authority is pushing “ecotourism”, which, in theory at least, doesn't damage the environment. Ecotourists take rafts down river, ride elephants in lush green spaces, visit Buddhist temples and tribal hill people whose lifestyles haven't changed for hundreds of years.

But critics say the hill people are treated like “human zoos”.

There are worries, too, about cruelty to elephants. But the most notorious problem is sex tourism - which includes men, women and children.

The Thai economy is now critically dependent of tourism spending - but how much has been lost in the rush to exploit the visitor invasion? And are local people getting their fair share?

Customers' feedback: “Shockingly good, hard-hitting, thought provoking and excellent for promoting discussion.” Rachel Hanham, Burntwood School.

Duration: 25 mins
Year: 2003
DVD - VHS

A study of the Cardiff Bay regeneration project. Is the new Cardiff Bay a good or bad thing for the people of Cardiff?

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 1998
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A study of the Cardiff Bay regeneration project. Cardiff was once a major international port, but the decline in the coal and steel industry led to a decline in the docks. Unemployment soared and Cardiff docks became a depressed area.

Then in the 1980s the Government began a series of urban regeneration schemes across Britain. After London Docklands, Cardiff became one of the most high-profile of the new schemes.

The old industrial areas were demolished and a new area of offices and leisure facilities, called Cardiff Bay, was planned. A quango called the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was set up to guide the regeneration project, promising boom times to come.

The single most expensive part of the regeneration scheme was a barrage across the mouth of the Bay. The aim is to create a freshwater lake to provide a glamorous setting for the new development.

The authorities claim the Cardiff regeneration scheme has been a success. But many in Cardiff are unhappy about it. The barrage, built across the bay, cost too much, they claim and is bad for the environment. The jobs created are badly paid and residents complain of a lack of consultation.

Customers' feedback: “Good general introduction.” Dr J Roberts, Taunton School.

Duration: 30 mins
Year: 1998
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Is the Lake District in danger of being destroyed by too much tourism? Issues include over-development, traffic congestion and noisy motor boats.

Duration: 45 mins
Year: 1997
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The Lake District is one of Britain’s most popular national parks. But is it in danger of being destroyed by too much tourism? Some view the area's expanding tourism businesses as “blots on the landscape” - others see them as vital to the local economy. Traffic congestion is a major problem. There's a battle over a bypass, and an ongoing dispute over motor boats using Lake Windermere.

Customers' feedback: “Definitely very useful.” Penny Spooner, Fairfax School

Duration: 45 mins
Year: 1997
DVD - VHS
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