Bournemouth became the popular holiday resort it is today when the eminent physician Dr Granville recommended its mild sunny climate for those with poor health. Until 1811 the area had been undeveloped until the local squire built a summer house there (where the Exeter hotel now stands). His investment was the beginning of a massive expansion of the resort and the town's population grew from only 695 to 59,000 in only 50 years. Few resorts can match its six miles of sandy beaches and magnificent 100 foot cliffs. Lifts and walks connect the beaches with the streets and there is an excellent range of sporting venues, cinemas, theatres, shops and restaurants.

The Broadstone Golf Club is a private Members' Club, originally founded in 1898 by Lord Wimborne. The original course - known as the Dorset Golf Club - was laid out by Tom Dunn and was played to the east of the now disused Somerset and Dorset railway line and was part heathland and part parkland. In 1914, H S Colt was commissioned to redesign the course. Holes 6, 7 and 8 were incorporated in existing land and holes 10 to 16 were laid out to the west of the railway line, thus changing the full 18 holes to heathland. The course has remained largely unaltered to this day, apart from modifying the 9th hole from a par 4 to a par 5.

Situated 8kms north of Bournemouth city centre, Bournemouth Airport handles 500,000 passengers per year. The recently renovated terminal serves scheduled flights to France, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Italy, as well as to Ireland and the Channel Islands. Holiday charter destinations include Austria, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Sardinia, Majorca, Menorca and the Canary Islands, plus Barbados and New York in the Americas. It is anticipated that passenger traffic will double due to the recent arrival of low-cost carrier Thomsonfly.com. Three car parks at the airport can accommodate 1,500 vehicles. Car park 3 is nearest the terminal, and is used primarily for short stays and collecting arriving passengers.