XTO-20306 Tourism Development & Planning

Vak

Studiepunten 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Contents:

This course focuses on planning tourism development. Tourism development and planning have major impacts on the physical environment and the socio-economic status quo of destination areas. Strategic tourism planning and community development are indispensable devices in the tourism planner's toolbox. Tourism planning aims to systematically explore positive and negative impacts of anticipated plans and projects both on the short and long term- from a local, regional and global perspective. Tourism planning is operationally associated with land use planning, environmental planning, water management, economical planning and transportation planning. Integration of aspects is a necessary condition for sustainable tourism development and planning.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- identify discourses, planning systems and roles of planners in planning- relevant for sustainable tourism planning;
- explain and apply a mainstream spatial planning approach in the context of a case of regional planning focused on tourism planning;
- to outline different approaches to tourism planning;
- establish physical and social consequences of tourism development and consequent land use patterns in a regional and local context;
- describe and analyse stakeholder participation and the role of government in regional tourism development and in community development;
- compare international practices in tourism planning;
- develop a personal vision on tourism planning in a specific case.

Activities:

The course takes a time span of seven weeks dedicated to lectures, seminars and an assignment. An average week starts with lectures in the morning and seminar in the afternoon plus self-study and preparation of the assignment. During the plenary sessions in the seminars students will do presentations, discuss scientific papers, perform various sorts of analyses and participate in a visioning exercise. Lectures are used for instruction transfer and explanation of basic knowledge. Seminars are a pivotal forum for the exchange of knowledge and skills.

Examination:

Students are assessed on the results of a group assignment and individual participation in lectures and seminars. The final assignment is the production of a group paper encompassing a vision and strategy for tourism destination management and planning in a selected region. Students will be graded individually by the tutors for the quality of their presentation and critical reflection on assigned jobs.

Literature:

Van der Valk, Arnold (2011). Fundamentals of Spatial Planning: an Instrumental Approach. 50 pages.
To be obtained from N@tschool. Specified in the course outline. All the books and papers will be provided through N@tschool, the electronic e-learning environment.