GEO-32306 Tourist Experiences

Course

Credits 6.00

Teaching methodContact hours
Individual Paper3
Lecture17
Tutorial7
Excursion (one day)4
Course coordinator(s)dr. K Doughty
Lecturer(s)dr. K Doughty
Examiner(s)dr. K Doughty

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

GEO-30306 Concepts & Approaches to Tourism, Society and Environment, GEO-31806 Tourism & Sustainable Development

Continuation courses:

GEO-30806 Research Methodologies for Tourism, Society and Environment, GEO-31306 Tourism and Globalisation

Contents:

This course examines the conceptualisation and management of the tourism experience in the context of the broader developments of contemporary tourism. The course is meant for MLE students and others interested in exploring the construction and production of tourism experiences from a range of social science perspectives. The search for worthwhile experiences is a main driving force for tourism. Therefore, to understand tourism, an understanding of tourism experiences is crucial. For example, tourism attractions and popular tourism regions are often shaped by experiential themes, for instance cultural heritage, thrills and adventure, sand-sun-sea, particular leisure activities, romanticism, natural heritage, meeting people, et cetera. As a consequence, it is not surprising that a large amount of attention has been paid in the tourism literature to particular perspectives on the tourist experience, including typologies of tourists, issues related to authenticity, commodification, image and perception, to name just a few. As tourism has continued to expand both in scope and scale, and as tourists' needs and expectations have become more diverse and complex in response to transformations in the world of tourism (and the world at large), so too have tourist experiences. This course will provide students with a broad overview of social science conceptualisations of the tourist experience, from the seminal tourism scholars to more recent attempts to analyse its ever-increasing diversity and complexity, as well as more applied approaches to manage the tourist experience. Students will explore through lectures, discussions and an excursion how these ideas have been, and can be, applied to understand a range of contemporary tourism experiences.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- distinguish different theories, concepts, and approaches to the development of tourism experiences and their impact on relations between tourism, people, and place;
- assess needs and opportunities for policy interventions in relation to the sustainable development of place-based tourism experiences;
- create a conceptual framework to develop a scientific argument regarding research on tourist experiences.

Activities:

- lectures;
- writing an essay.

Examination:

- written exam (50%);
- assignment (50%).
An average mark of 5.5 or higher for all components constitutes a pass.

Literature:

Course outline available, literature to be announced.

ProgrammePhaseSpecializationPeriod
Restricted Optional for: MTOLeisure, Tourism and EnvironmentMScA: Tourism & Development3WD
MTOLeisure, Tourism and EnvironmentMScD: Tourism & Experiences3WD
MTOLeisure, Tourism and EnvironmentMScC: Tourism & Global Change3WD