University of Technology SydneyHandbook 2008

27708 Destinations in Tourism Systems

Faculty of Business: Leisure, Sport and Tourism
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Postgraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

This subject introduces the tourism industry. It identifies and systematically analyses the various sectors of the industry in terms of their functional, structural, operational, and interrelational attributes. It also examines the nature of the interrelationships between the tourism industry and the significant environments with which it interacts. It provides an understanding of the specific context within which intra-industry management, and public sector policy aimed at the overall management of tourism, are practised.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

  1. Demonstrate the ability to recognise and appropriately apply or respond to the differing roles of tourism industries in tourist destination regions
  2. Analyse and describe tourism industries' functional, structural, operational, and interrelational features and roles in relation to the management of the tourist attraction phenomenon
  3. Analyse and describe the roles and impacts of tourism industries within tourism destinations' economies, and societies
  4. Investigate, apply current relevant theory to, and develop solutions to management, public sector policy, or marketing strategic issues in one or more tourism industry sectors in ways that are sensitive to a tourism destination's broader environments.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject develops both macro- and micro-approaches to systematically analysing various economic, management, and marketing features of destination-based tourism industries in terms of their functional, structural, operational, and interrelational attributes and their linkages to markets via the tourist attraction process. In addition, the subject examines the nature of the interrelationships between tourism industries and the significant environments with which they interact and the ethical and managerial issues they involve.

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject is presented via one two-hour lecture session per week, supplemented by seminar discussions, and student field research and project workshops. Seminar discussions are based on prescribed readings and discussion questions supplied by students and the lecturer.

Content

  • Physical, perceptual, and quantitative perspectives on the dimensions of TDRs; their functions in tourism systems; the causal conditions for their development and growth; their physical and structural attributes; environmental issues in TDRs and issues relating to resident populations.
  • Orthodox approaches in tourism studies to the attraction phenomenon: their strengths, their weaknesses, their fallacies, and their pitfalls when applied to deeper level explanation and understanding of the nature of highly industrialised (and other) tourism systems.
  • An empirically based, explanatory account of the functional, structural, operational, and interrelational attributes of the tourist attraction phenomenon defined as a process.
  • Functional, structural, operational, and interrelational analysis of:

    • local tour operators, and inbound tour operators; their integration with tour wholesalers as the principal TTGR-based linkage via amalgam product formation, and promotion and distribution
    • the TDR-based promotion and distribution specialist sector; integration with TTGR-based branch offices, tour wholesalers, and retail travel agents as the principal TTGR-based linkages via the establishment and management of specific information flows (promotion) and sales/purchase facilities (distribution)
    • the accommodation sector (aka hospitality); and ancillary services and goods providers
    • the TDR-based organisations that attempt to coordinate tourism; business travel markets as specialised and distinctive forms of travel.

Assessment

Essay (Individual)30%
This essay is designed to assess students' understanding of the foundational ideas and theories that underlie conceptualisations of destinations and their tourism industries. This addresses objectives 1-2.
Assignment (Group)30%
This study and report involves the analysis of, and the development of responses to a current strategic issue in a specific tourism industry in a specific tourism destination. It is designed to assess student's abilities to apply the subject's concepts and techniques to empirical cases. This addresses objectives 3-4.
In-class test (Individual)40%
This test, consisting of multiple choice questions, will test students' knowledge of the key concepts and their understanding of the relevant theories and their ability to apply the theories to industrialised tourism management decisions. This addresses objectives 1-4.

Recommended text(s)

Leiper, N. (2003), Tourism Management, (2nd ed.), Pearson Education Australia, Sydney.

Indicative references

Cooper, C., Fletcher, J., Gilbert, D. and Wanhill, S. (1998), Tourism: Principles and Practice, (2nd ed.) Addison Wesley Longman, Harlow, Essex, UK

Pearce, P., Morrison, A., and Rutledge, J. (1998), Tourism: Bridges Across Continents, McGraw-Hill Book Company Australia, Sydney

Weaver, D. and Oppermann, M. (2000), Tourism Management, John Wiley and Sons Australia, Brisbane.