Earlier in the semester we talked about our heritage, about international destinations we have visited or would like to go to. I noticed a number of home stays with family in the lists of some of your international travels, and others did not have the similar experiences. As much as I have traveled around the globe, I have yet to travel to the places my family came from, but I do have a plan!
In this extra-credit assignment you will plan a multi-generational, international Heritage Tourism family trip. The trip you plan will be for you and your (future) children or grandchildren to the foreign destination of your parents and ancestors’ origin, basically the one you indicated in your Intro Discussion Board 1. I asked you to think about the different countries of origin for your mom’s/dad’s branches of your family (e.g where your parents, grandparents or earlier generations came from). If you know exactly which two countries those are, just pick one and go with it. Do not try to do both as you don’t have time this semester; just pick one and go with it.
If you have ever taken a DNA, ancestry-type test, take any country from any region that appeared in that ancestry report. If it says you came from a certain region of Europe, for example “Eastern Europe” and you do not know which country they came from, just pick one that you think it might be, or that appeals to you. If you are of African American descent and do not know exactly which part of the African continent your ancestors came from, feel free to pick any African country that interests you. Some ancestry DNA reports I’ve seen have shown a region of Africa such as “Nigeria-Cameroon-Congo” so if that were the case, you could pick any of those. If you are of Afro-Caribbean descent, then you could pick either the Caribbean country or any African country that appeals to you. If you are 100% Native American or First Nations then you should pick the U.S. state or Canadian province of the traditional tribal areas of your ancestors.
The idea of this exercise is to create a trip to take your (future) kids and/or grandkids to learn all about where youcame from, ethnically, culturally, historically.
First: establish clearly the destination. Provide a discussion on the history and in particular the cultural history of the country and the region. Plan where specifically you will take them within the country so they will fully understand your/their family history and culture. It can be one location, or as many as you think you would want your kids to learn about to be able to understand their heritage. The category for this trip obviously will be heritage and cultural tourism.
Second: Choose the medium you would like to use for your presentation. You can choose to write a Word document or, if you prefer, you can choose to prepare a PowerPoint or Prezi or video presentation about the country and your trip.
Here are the items you should investigate and report on:
- What organizations are involved in your destination in the area of tourism you picked? You should cite at least one website of a DMO – Destination Marketing Organization (e.g. Visit Britain or Tourism Australia) for the country or region or city.
- Cite also a Tour Operator or DMC – Destination Management Company that will be assisting you with your travel program.
- What do you need to know in terms of cultural do’s, taboos or differences?
- How will you get to the destination country? Is air travel the best way?
- How will you get around within the destination? Train, boat, bus, car, taxis, ride-share or combination? Think about everything you will need from the airport to the place you will stay and all other locations you plan to visit.
- That brings up where will you stay? Hotel? Cruise ship? Eco-lodge? Campground? The family home of your relatives?
There is no minimum or maximum length for this assignment, it’s totally up to you. Remember you just have this week and next so get started researching this week and writing/finalizing next week. No font or spacing requirements.
