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2020/2021

Regional Tourism Policies

Code: 101214 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500894 Tourism OT 4 0
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Joan Carles Llurdés Coit
Email:
JoanCarles.Llurdes@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Teachers

Inmaculada Díaz Soria

Prerequisites

There are not prerequisites.

Objectives and Contextualisation

This 4th year optional subject does not need any specific requirement. It is only necessary to follow tourism news and some of the knowledge that the student must have learnt in previous years of the degree. Regional Tourism Policies follows some of the ideas of other geographical subjects of this bachelor’s Degree, like Regional Geography, Regional Tourism Resources and Cultural Heritage (all of them compulsory). It also shares some points with four other optional subjects: Tourism Products, Tourist Destinations and Public Promotion, Tourism and Sustainability and Tourism Related Topics. Regional Tourism Policies focuses on the sectoral and territorial nature of tourism regulations. It is mainly a theoretical subject, although it provides a practical approach through different activities. Depending on the student’s choices, it can also be connected to the Bachelor’s Degree Final Project.

Through the contents of this subject, students will be able to:

  1. Understand tourism phenomenon from a territorial and evolutive approach, in order to better understand current tourism policies.
  2. Identify resources and localization factors of tourism in a territory.
  3. Understand different tourism policies in a context where tourism has become an important activity from an economic, social and environmental point of view.
  4. Study different practical cases of policies applied to different geographical scales.
  5. Realize how sometimes there is a serious difference between theory and reality, between planning and practice.

Competences

  • Behave responsibly towards the environment.
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the tourism phenomenon from the perspective of sustainability and quality management.
  • Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  • Identify and evaluate the elements of a tourism system and how they interact with and impact the environment.
  • Innovate in tourism: both in planning and commercialisation and in the management of organisations.
  • Manage the concepts, instruments and functions related to the planning and commercialisation of tourist destinations, resources and spaces.
  • Negotiate with different bodies on tourism development projects for particular areas and regions.
  • Plan and manage activities on the basis of quality and sustainability.
  • Plan, organise and coordinate a work team, creating synergies and showing empathy.
  • Use communication techniques at all levels.
  • Work in a team.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse elements of advanced geography, of regional tourism resources, and of existing methodologies and techniques and impacts of the tourism system.
  2. Behave responsibly towards the environment.
  3. Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  4. Identify and assess the social impact of tourism.
  5. Identify and evaluate the new forms of tourism: ecotourism, cultural tourism, etc.
  6. Identify and relate tourism resources and regional resources.
  7. Identify public entities' policies on tourism regulation and planning.
  8. Identify the environment as a tourist heritage and determine its characteristics.
  9. Identify the factors that determine tourism development.
  10. Plan and manage activities on the basis of quality and sustainability.
  11. Plan, organise and coordinate a work team, creating synergies and showing empathy.
  12. Single out the most suitable instruments for applying sustainable tourism policies.
  13. Use communication techniques at all levels.
  14. Work in a team.

Content

The contents of the subject follow this structure:

1. Introduction to concepts and contents of the subject

  • 1.1. Basic concepts.
  • 1.2. Relationship between tourism and territory, how tourism transforms the territory, evolutionary models, impacts, etc.
  • 1.3. Summary of essential concepts.

2. Tourism as a controversial sector in front of certain tourism models

  • 2.1. Tourism as a controversial sector.
  • 2.2. Landscape as an element of territorial incompatibility between tourism and other economic sectors.
  • 2.3. Examples of controversial tourism models (e.g. theme parks, cruise tourism, etc.).
  • 2.4. Examples of “new” tourism proposals (e.g. proximity tourism).
  • 2.5. Summary of essential concepts.

3. Tourism land planning

  • 3.1. Basic notions of a process of tourism land planning.
  • 3.2. Examples of tourism planning at different geographical scales.
  • 3.3. Summary of essential concepts.

4. Tourism policies in the last decades

  • 4.1. Where do we come from and where do we go?
  • 4.2. National tourism policies.
  • 4.3. Future perspectives (e.g. tourism in a postCOVID-19 context)
  • 4.3. Summary of essential concepts.

Methodology

Different methodological approaches will concurrently be carried out:

  1. Theoretical approach:  The professor will provide theoretical explanations to introduce and engage students in the topics illustrated through the contents of the subject. The presentations will be available on the virtual campus, so traditional note taking won’t be needed. Whenever necessary, the sessions will have audiovisual support (videos, students’ presentations, etc.). Depending on the situation (health crisis COVID-19), the sessions might be partially or completely online.
  2. Practical approach: Different activities will be proposed in relation to the theoretical part of this subject. These activities will have to be carried out off the strict teaching schedule. The activities will have to be submitted directly to the virtual campus Moodle to be graded.
  3. Moodle virtual campus: This platform will be used as a complement of information, as an alternative means of communication between the student and the professor and for some of the activities. Some extra material will be available on this platform, such as links to recommended papers, topics and contents, calendar, titles of the different activities, etc. This online tool will give access to all the content of the subject, so the student can follow it even if it is not possible to regularly attend in person to the sessions.
  4. Tutoring approach: Some hours will be dedicated to directed activities (depending on the instructions of the professor over the semester) to make progress with the proposed activities (physical presence is not required in this case). Throughout the semester, the professor will be available for a tutorial per activity (the length will depend on the needs), so the student can express his or her doubts and ask any question. These tutorials will be complementary to the weekly hour dedicated to students. Just like in point #1, depending on the evolution of the health crisis situation, these tutorial hours might be online.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Orals presentations 15 0.6 3, 6, 7, 10, 14
Theorical sessions 43 1.72 9, 6, 10
Type: Supervised      
Tutorship sessions 14 0.56 9, 6, 5
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation and elaboration of exercises 17 0.68 3, 9, 6, 5, 7, 13, 11
Study 30 1.2 3, 9, 6, 5, 7

Assessment

The CONTINUOUS assessment of Regional Tourism Policies is based on the following system:

  1. Four activities over the semester observing the corresponding deadlines (which will be announced in advanced). These activities represent 40% of the final grade (10% each activity). They are optional although… (see conditions to pass the subject).
  2. An oral presentation with focus on a paper (to choose from a list) represents 20% of the final grade. It is optional although… (see conditions to pass the subject).
  3. An exam of theoretical notions, including both the topics explained in the sessions and the oral presentations, represents 40% of the final gradeThis exam is compulsory.
  4. The attendance to the (in person or online) sessions will be considered as a “reward” in the final grade. This only applies when the student has regularly attended and when the “reward” might provide a significant change of the grade in his or her academic record.

The student will have to achieve the following conditions to pass the subject:

  1. A minimum of 50% of the final test will be required. Otherwise, the student will have to attend the final evaluation. WARNING, this exam is compulsory so not doing it means that the student cannot pass the subject in any ulterior opportunity (he or she will not be allowed to take the final evaluation nor the re-evaluation).
  2. The activities are optional. However, not to do them will imply that these partial grades won’t be added to the final grade. On the final evaluation, these activities can be improved, oran activity that hasn’t been done before can then be delivered.
  3. The oral presentation, as the other activities, is also optional. However, not to do it will imply that this partial grade won’t be added to the final grade. It also means that there won’t be an ulterior opportunity to do it. The oral presentation must be done during the teaching calendar.
  4. Finally, all the delivered activities must use the basic skills required in a Bachelor’s Degree (like oral communication or the abilities to synthesize, to argue an opinion, to properly write and to prepare formal presentations). Therefore, the professor will have the final say on the evaluation and will value whether the activity meets these basic requirements.

Warning (1): The official calendar published by the establishment includes two different dates: one for the final evaluation and another for the re-evaluation. The final evaluation allows to retake the exam (always when the continuous assessment has been done during the semester) and/or the four activities. Regarding the re-evaluation test (and following UAB regulations), it is important to remember that:

  1. The professor will decide of the modality, which in this case it will be an exam.
  2. Only those students whose final evaluation is equal or greater than 3,5 and below 5 will be able to access to the re-evaluation. It is not a test to improve the final grade.
  3. The final grade of the student attending the re-evaluation will not exceed 5 in the record.

Warning (2): In this subject there is no option to take an exam at the end of the semester (as the only evaluative exercise) to try to pass the whole subject, without havingdone any other activity before.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Exam 40% 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 12, 8, 9, 6, 4, 5, 7
Exercises 40% 18 0.72 1, 2, 3, 12, 8, 9, 6, 4, 5, 7, 10, 14
Oral presentation 20% 10 0.4 1, 3, 12, 8, 4, 7, 13, 11, 14

Bibliography

This subject does not follow any specific manual. The list of bibliography may differ depending on whether the subject group is in English or Spanish-Catalan. A list of papers directly related to the evaluation will be provided during the semester. This is an overview of the basic bibliography of this subject:

 

Anton, S.; González, F. (eds.) (2005). Planificación territorial del turismo. Barcelona: Ed. UOC.

Costa, C. (ed.) (2014). European tourism planning and organisation systems: the EU member states. Buffalo: Channel View Publications.

Edgell, D. L. (ed.) (2008). Tourism policy and planning: yesterday, today and tomorrow. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Fletcher, R.; Murray, I.; Blanco-Romero, A.; Blàzquez-Salom, M. (2020). Tourism and Degrowth. Towards a Truly Sustainable Development. Oxford: Routledge.

Hall, C.M. (2000). Tourism Planning: Policies, Processes and Relationships. Harlow: Prentice Hall.

Jenkins, J.M. and Dredge, D. (eds.) (2011). Stories of practice: tourism policy and planning. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Pub. Company.

Jeuring, J. and Diaz-Soria, I. (2019). Proximity and Intrarregional Aspects of Tourism. Oxford: Routledge.

Lemelin, H.; Dawson, J.; Steward, E. (2017). Last Chance Tourism. Adapting Tourism Opportunities in a Changing World. Oxford: Routledge.

Mason, P. (2020). Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management. 4th Edtion. Oxford: Routledge.

Pechlaner, H.; Innerhofer, E.; Erschbamer, G. (2019). Overtourism. Tourism Management and Solutions. Oxford: Routledge. 

Smith, M.; MacLeod, N. and Hart Robenson, M. (2010). Key concepts in Tourist Studies. London: SAGE.

 

Some other digital documents and links to different websites will be provided through the virtual campus (Moodle).