Study at Home: Learn about special interest tourism. Builds an understanding of opportunities in such things as business tourism, festival tourism, cultural tourism, environmental tourism, senior tourism, food and wine tourism and much more.
Travel to natural attractions has a very long history, and has probably occurred since humans first developed a sense of aesthetics, may even earlier. Travel to these destinations was often arduous, and required determination, courage, a level of fitness, and sufficient wealth to allow the traveller to purchase food, labour, accommodation, transport and other materials for long periods. Today’s traveller, on the other hand, can reach most destinations easily and quickly, and services and facilities are usually readily available at the site or nearby, and he or she need not be fit or wealthy.
With travel to natural sites easier than ever, and travel more generally affordable, the main concern in developing and maintaining natural sites is manage tourism in order to avoid damage to very attraction that draws people there. This issue is discussed further in the lesson on environmental tourism, but it is a significant issue for all kinds of tourism that attracts travellers to places where they can enjoy the sights, smells, sounds and delights of nature.
Student Comment (M. Soares, Angola):
"This has given me insights into world wide tourism, and it helps me to understand how we can develop our tourism without too much damage"
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
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Sectors of the Tourism Industry
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Scope of the travel product (natural & cultural, events & sites)
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Types of Tourism
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Accommodation Types
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Resorts and Hotels
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Camping
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Back packers
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Cruise
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Special interest accomodation
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Cultural Tourism
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Museums
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Art galleries
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Theatre
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Indigenous tourism
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Historic parks
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Cultural vs Heritage tourism
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Religious Tourism
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Events & Festivals
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Concerts
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Exhibitions
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Performances
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Seminars
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Environmental Tourism
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Natural Attractions
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Nature Based Tourism
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Definitions
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Wildlife Tourism
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Sustainable Tourism and Ecotourism
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7. Health & Adventure Tourism
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Health Tourism
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Adventure Tourism
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Walking Tours
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Cycle Tours
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Soft vs Hard Adventure Tourism
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Rock Climbing
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Space Tourism
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More Special Interest Tourism
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Food & Wine Tourism
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Senior Tourism
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Sex Tourism
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Visitor Management & Contingency Planning
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Effects of Tourism on the Host Community
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Managing Visitors
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Planning for Contingencies
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Common Problems with Visitor Services
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Risk management (safety, financial, etc)
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Packaging a Tour
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Planning the Itinerary;
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Costing
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Presenting the Package
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Reviewing the Package
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
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To analyse tourism industry, to determine the various sectors which service tourism and travel.
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To differentiate between different types of tourism on a variety of bases, including: demographics, geography, economics, and culture.
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To compare a variety of different accommodation services provided in the tourism industry.
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To describe the operation of heritage and cultural tourism, including: historical, architectural, indigenous, and artistic attractions.
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Evaluate the tourism potential of events and festivals.
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To describe the management of passive natural tourist attractions, including wilderness areas, beaches, rivers, wildlife etc.
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To describe the operation of different types of tourism facilities that have a significant focus on health and fitness, including Health Resorts, Walking Tours and Cycling.
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To describe a variety of other types of special interest tourism, including food tourism, senior tourism and sex tourism.
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To plan and manage the number of visitors to different types of tourism facilities and develop appropriate contingency plans.
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To plan a package holiday incorporating a variety of accommodation and attraction options.
What You Will Do
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Visit travel agencies or information centres
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Search the internet
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Write to a government travel authority/department
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Visit a local or regional tourist centre
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Study travel pages in a newspaper for both articles and advertisements
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Visit a library, bookshop or news stand and look at travel magazines
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Conduct interviews or surveys
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Attend events
Flexible Study with ACS Distance Education
ACS Distance Education is unique. We allow you to choose how you study, where you study, what you study, how much you study, and when you study.
- Work fast or slow –you choose the intensity of study
- Start, pause or restart according to changing demands of work, family or lifestyle.
- Study this course by itself; or combine with others for a qualification
- Mix and match modules so you only study what you want or need to learn -We allow you to construct your own “tailor made” certificates or diplomas
- Options in assignments allow you to focus on things with greater interest to you.
- Study electronically (online or using a CD); or using printed notes.
- Use (or don’t use) supplementary services for extra learning want –unlimited access to tutors, an online student room, social media, bookstore, etc
- Orientation video and student Manual at the start of your course will provide a clear guide to how you can study and get all sorts of support no matter where you live
