This assignment will take the place of a final exam, you can use all of Finals Week before you must turn it in. It is due NO LATER THAN Friday, Dec. 8th, at 11:59pm. In the Intro to Module 4, I asked you to review the Anthony Bourdain material to get familiar with him and his programs. Now I’d like you to research more on the destination and write a report as outlined below.
First, please find a Parts Unknown episode in a city, country or region that interests you, or perhaps one that is high on your bucket list(s). Some are found via the pay per view services, but you should be able to find one for free (start with YouTube). Choose one of the Parts Unknown segments that Anthony Bourdain became famous for. Twelve seasons of the show were produced from 2013 to 2018. It must be an international destination, outside of the U.S.A.
Review the seasonsLinks to an external site. and search for destinations within the seasons. If you choose a city destination you should present your paper on the country that the city is located within. I have found several of his shows on YouTube.Links to an external site.
Next, you should look at the selected destination from the point of view of Anthony Bourdain and his crew. Review what they saw on their journey as they put together that particular show in that particular destination. Food is obviously the first focus, so gastronomy tourism should be a part of your report, but you should also look carefully at what, in addition to food, you think will be of interest to American tourists going to the destination. As you do this, determine what types of SUSTAINABLE tourism can and should be promoted in the U.S. market.
Review the video in detail and take notes of all that is featured. Cities, countryside, restaurants (especially!) culture, arts, music, industry, beaches, weather, whatever you will find in the segment. Then begin to look at all else that is not shown that would likely be of interest to tourists inspired to travel to the destination as a result of watching the show. Look at the tourism infrastructure including how to get there from the U.S., accommodations, transportation, museums, sports, excursions and other activities. All the while, consider what forms of tourism are the most sustainable, and will help the destination avoid overtourism.
The Premise: You have been hired by the country’s DMO to help prepare the destination for the new level of tourism that will potentially be coming from the U.S. following the publicity of the show. They are worried that the publicity will cause them to become another Venice, Barcelona or Amsterdam. They are asking you to tell them:
- What types of Americans are likely going to want to come visit the destination (demographics)? Will they be older, younger, come as individuals, couples, families, special groups?
- Will they be influenced by more by social media, television, guidebooks, or travel agents? In other words, they’re not all going to come because of Anthony Bourdain.
- What negatives will need to be addressed to make Americans feel more comfortable with the destination?
- What are Americans going to want to do in our country? Can it be considered a sustainable form of tourism with a minimum of negative impacts? (perhaps not via huge cruise ships?)
- Where will you recommend that they stay? Should there be a variety to accommodate different types of tourists?
- Where will they eat? (maybe not same places that Bourdain has featured?).
- How will they get around to see places of interest? Can sustainable modes of transportation be used? Is it a walkable destination? Is there plenty of public transportation that is easy to use?
- What activities present in the destination will likely interest them?
Here’s how to write it up:
Introduction: Set up the scenario; give the reader (me) an idea of what’s coming. What did Anthony Bourdain and crew present in their show on the destination? What important tourism elements did they not present that you feel would be important for Americans?
Geography. Describe the location (how far from U.S.?), major geographic features, natural wonders & attractions, climate, etc.
Demography. People, culture, language, customs, religion, foods, etc. Is there a significant number of people in
the U.S. whose families originally came from the destination country so that heritage tourism could be important?
Transportation & hotel infrastructure. What are the transportation options to get from the U.S. to the destination and what are the accommodation options when they get there. What U.S. tour operators offer programs to the destination?
Tourism infrastructure. Beyond what you include in section three, what excursions are currently offered by inbound travel companies, incoming tour operators and DMCs? Think about buses, boats, river rafting/kayaking, trains, etc. Think about internal air options like domestic flights, helicopters, hot air balloons. List a few tourism companies that operate in the destination and offer these options.
Tourism statistics for the destination. Include WTO statistics on geographic origin of current tourists, segments of tourism currently being served, destinations within the destination currently getting the largest numbers of visitors, etc. Is there a history of Americans travelling to the destination and what is it?
Sustainability of the destination. With shows like Bourdain’s promoting the destination, more Americans will want to come. This should be great for creating jobs and business opportunities but how can the destination avoid getting overrun by mass tourism? How can the destination share its culture with American tourists without losing its authenticity? Please give them your best recommendation based on the material you’ve learned in this and other courses.
Conclusion: Summarize your recommendations to the DMO:
References: List all reference materials consulted in the preparation of this paper. All URLs should be hot-linked so that I can open them directly from the paper.
Use as many concepts and terminology as possible/practical from the course materials. Photos and graphics are not required but you certainly may include them if you think it helps explain/show what you are trying to get across.
You may choose to submit a Word document or a PowerPoint. Just write what you have to write. Impress me that you have done your research and can relate this destination to the U.S. outbound tourism market.
There is no minimum or maximum number of pages or slides, and I don’t care what font you use, but do address as many of the items mentioned above as you can. I am more interested in the kind of content you choose to present and less on perfect writing in English and flashy graphics. I am available for consultations with you via Zoom, just message me via Inbox to set up a time.
Since this will take the place of a final exam, you can use all of Finals Week before you must turn it in. It is due NO LATER THAN Friday, Dec. 8th, at 11:59pm.
