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2020/2021

Geography of Tourism

Code: 101607 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2501002 Geography and Spatial Planning OT 3 0
2501002 Geography and Spatial Planning OT 4 0
2502758 Humanities OT 3 0
2502758 Humanities 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:
Asunción Blanco Romero
Email:
Asuncion.Blanco@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Angels Pérez Mateos

Prerequisites

None specifically. Just having a general idea of what is happening today in everything related to the field of tourism and the various related problems, the most relevant cultural resources, what is done at a tourist level, the news in general, geography, etc. In other words, to have a little general culture and to follow minimally the news, general and also tourist.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The subject aims to offer a brief exposition of what is meant by tourism from the geographical point of view.

This implies, among other aspects, analysing the situation of contemporary tourism and the latest trends (and how tourism is included in them), the geographical areas that "bet" stronger for this option, local development strategies through cultural tourism, the management of heritage and cultural resources, etc. However, it is intended that these questions, which will be deployed in a much more specific way throughout the semester, will be exemplified, as far as possible, through case studies close to the student (Catalans and Spaniards).

That is why, although it is not necessary to have a precise knowledge of the tourist activity in general, it would be advisable for the student to have certain previous skills in terms of "general" geographical knowledge.

The forecast is that a large part of the materials explained in the classroom will be available on the Moodle platform, as well as others that will be published in a complementarily (e.g. newspaper articles, specialized magazines, congress announcements, etc.).

GOALS

  • The student must be able to understand the current general cultural tourism reality, within the context of his or her country, and see how this tourism is a growing activity, both economically and socially.
  • The student must be able to relate the concept of local development to the growth of cultural tourism, and understand how it has a major role.
  • The student should be able to understand the most basic mechanisms of cultural resource management, territorial planning, and the positive and negative impacts that can be derived from its development. The student will not be asked, however, to end up being an expert in the development of cultural tourism products.
  • The student must be able to insert the subject knowledge to the Catalan and Spanish realities, being these the two closest.
  • The student should be able to seek for relevant data in the Internet, and other sources of information (libraries, libraries, Internet, etc.) to configure a part of their own collection of materials, which will also serve as part of the evaluation of the subject.
  • The student must be able to synthesize the information and present it properly, according to what will be requested (report, work, exam, etc.).

Competences

    Geography and Spatial Planning
  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Mastering the different forms of management and acquisition of geographic information as interpretation tools of territory, and maps and Earth observation imagery in particular.
  • Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
    Humanities
  • Identifying the characteristics of a space and a territory in order to manage the resources for its local and territorial development.
  • Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Carrying out oral presentations using an appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  2. Describing spatial relationships of the physical, economic, social and cultural diversity of territories on different territorial scales.
  3. Describing the main economic, social and cultural contemporary problems in the world.
  4. Distinguishing the different acquisition methods of geographical information as interpretation tools for the economic, social and cultural variables.
  5. Drawing up innovative proposals.
  6. Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
  7. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  8. Posing problems about physical, economic, social and cultural diversity of territories applying knowledge of regional geography.
  9. Posing problems related to the management of resources and territory.
  10. Summarising characteristics of a written text according to its communicative purposes.

Content

The contents of the subject are divided into three large blocks, two that could be described as more theoretical and a third with a much more practical character. The blocks are:

  • Linkages between tourism, heritage and territory: conceptual and contextual framework, type of resources and tourist modalities, the derived impacts and the relationship of heritage and culture with endogenous development, etc.
  • Strategic and territorial planning: strategies for local development through tourism, heritage management, elaboration of cultural tourism products, impacts of tourism and their mitigation mechanisms, etc.
  • Case studies: analysis of specific cases related to urban tourism, heritage tourism, the revitalization of rural areas, new tourism, etc.

A) Introduction to tourism.

  1. Tourism in its context. Where are we coming from and where are we going to? From Grand Tour to contemporary tourism.
  2. Cultural tourism.
    1. A few previous questions.
    2. Why is it growing?
    3. What is it? A few definitions.
    4. Cultural tourism typologies.
    5. Typologies of cultural tourism resources.
    6. Modalities of cultural tourism.

B.1) Cultural tourism and its role in local (endogenous) development.

  1. Introduction to local development.
  2. Economic impact of heritage tourism in local economies and considerations on these effects.
  3. Strengths and opportunities of cultural tourism.
  4. Weaknesses and threats of cultural tourism.
  5. Difficulties and criteria to develop cultural tourism products.

B.2) Cultural tourism and strategic planning.

  1. What is the strategic planning?
  2. Justifications for strategic planning.
  3. Strategic planning difficulties.
  4. Phases for a Strategic Planning process.
  5. Examples of strategic planning (local scale).

B.3) Cultural tourism. Itineraries, routes and circuits.

  1. Introduction. Basic concepts.
  2. Preparation of itineraries. Main aspects to consider.
  3. Types of itineraries. A possible modelling.
  4. Some examples of itineraries.

C.1) First case study: Tourism in urban and heritage destinations.

  1. Introduction. Basic concepts (risks, questions, challenges, problems).
  2. Impacts of cultural tourism in heritage spaces.
  3. Heritage and tourism planning and management.
  4. Some examples of the inclusion of heritage resources in national management plans.

C.2) Second case study: Industrial heritage tourism.

  1. Introduction.
  2. Characteristics of the industrial heritage tourism.
  3. Objectives to be achieved.
  4. Growth factors.
  5. What is industrial heritage tourism and main elements of interest.
  6. Difficulties of expansion of industrial heritage tourism.
  7. Some examples in Catalonia and Europe.

C.3) Third case study: New forms of tourism

  1. Introduction.
  2. Characteristics of the so-called "new" tourisms.
  3. Growth factors.
  4. Diversity of the new tourisms.

Methodology

Guided activities: face-to-face sessions to explain the syllabus and for the revision in the classroom of the exercises carried out throughout the course.

Supervised activities: review of the exercises proposed as an evaluation tool and that will be available in the virtual platform of the subject.

Autonomous activities: everything that should be done on behalf of students in preparation for the subject. It includes the consultation of diverse material (articles, reports, etc.) available in the virtual platform of the subject, as well as specialized bibliography, both the most general and the one that incidentally is quoted. It should be said that it should be clear from the outset that, as can be seen, the teacher does not follow any tourism manual, despite the existence of several excellent ones in the market. Any suitable material may be used, such as newspaper articles, press magazines, etc.

Evaluation activities: specified in the corresponding section.

In this subject not allowing a sexist use of language in the students’ oral and written contributions.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Debates 6 0.24 3, 10
Explanations of the contents 32 1.28 3, 2, 4, 6, 1, 7, 9, 8, 5, 10
Explanations of the practical exercicis 2 0.08 3, 2
Oral exposition by the students (study cases) 2 0.08 3, 2
Type: Supervised      
Practical exercises 8 0.32 3, 2, 4, 6, 1, 7, 9, 8, 10
Type: Autonomous      
Individualized tutoring and study work. 82 3.28 3, 2, 4, 6, 1, 7, 9, 8, 5, 10

Assessment

The evaluation of the subject is specified as follows:

  • A written test, which weight in the final grade is 45%. It’s individual and compulsory. A minimum mark of 5 must be obtained.
  • 3 practical activities with an eminently practical nature, on specific issues included in the syllabus. Their weight in the final mark is 10% each (30%).
  • 1 oral presentation of the practical activity number 3, through a discussion pannel that will be explained at the time. It accounts with 15% of the final mark.

These practical activities have an optional character (but they cannot be recovered if they have not been submitted).

  • The remaining 10% will be stablished on attendance and participation in the class, which will be counted once the semester has officially begun.

Requirements for evaluation (1st call):

  • To obtain a minimum grade of 5 in the written test, in order to average with the other parts of the assessment. In case of not fulfilling this requirement, this note cannot be compensated with another and it will be submitted to the recovery process.
  • There is no obligation of a minimum score in the 3 practical activities and the one obtained will be added to the others for the final grade of the subject. This means that they cannot be done, with the risk, however, that after the rest of the notes are not enough to pass the subject. Keep in mind that the optionality of the practices has a "price": they will be delivered within the established period (to be announced at the beginning of the course) and when it has finished they will not be admitted.

Requirements for recovery:

  • Failure to complete the written test will mean that the student must submit to the recovery. That is, in spite of the "mathematical" possibility that the student passes having delivered the practices and attended all the classroom sessions, it will not be so without such proof.
  • In case that the minimum grade required in the written test is not obtained, the affected person will need to submit to the recovery. The rest of the notes will be saved for the final grade.
  • As for the practical activities, only the recovery (or improvement of grade) of one will be accepted, as long as it has been delivered within the established term throughout the semester. That is to say, in the case of practices, re-evaluation does not imply being able to deliver one that has not been done before.
  • On the other hand, no other "alternative" evaluation mechanism is foreseen (presentation of a paper, reading reviews, etc.).
  • The oral presentation cannot be re-evaluated or recovered.

According to UAB regulations, in order to participate in the recovery process, a minimum grade in the average of the subject must have been obtained. This rating will equal or exceed 3.5. (These conditions are adapted to the regulations on the evaluation of the UAB in Article 112. The recovery http://www.uab.cat/doc/Modificacio_normativa_academica_CG120717).

Plagiarism

The copying or plagiarism of material, both in the case of works and in the case of exams, constitute a crime that will be sanctioned with a zero to the activity. In the case of recidivism, the entire subject will be suspended.
Let's remember that a "copy" is considered a work that reproduces all or most of the work of one or the other company / a. "Plagiarism" is the fact of presenting all or part of a text of an author as its own, without mentioning the sources, be on paper or in digital format. See UAB documentation on "plagiarism" at:
http://wuster.uab.es/web_argumenta_obert/unit_20/sot_2_01.html.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

Procedure for Reviewing Grades Awarded

On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (originalweighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
3 practical activities 30% 10 0.4 3, 2, 4, 6, 1, 7, 9, 8, 5, 10
Attendance and active participation in class 10% 0 0 6, 1, 7
Oral presentation of the third practical activity 15% 6 0.24 6, 1, 10
Written essay 45% 2 0.08 6, 7

Bibliography

The teaching team of the subject does not follow any specific manual.

For specific information on any question of the subject, the student should consult directly with the teaching team that will provide references in the form of press articles, academic journals, web, books and reference manuals, etc.

Throughout the course, each subject will be provided with the appropriate bibliography through the Moodle platform for this specific subject.

 

Basic bibliography

Bravo, P. (2018). Exceso de equipaje. Por qué el turismo es un gran invento hasta que deja de serlo. Editorial DEBATE. 

Cañada, E. & Murray, I. (2019). Turistificación global. Perspectivas críticas en turismo. Editorial Icaria. 

 

Complementary bibliography

Atchison, C. & MacLedod, N.E. (2002) Leisure and tourism landscapes: social and cultural geographies. Routledge, Londres.

Blanco-Romero, A.; Blázquez-Salom, M.; Cànoves, G. (2018). “Barcelona, Housing Rent Bubble in a Tourist City. Social Responses and Local Policies”. Sustainability, 10(6), 2043. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su10062043.

Boniface, B. & Cooper, C. (2012) (6th ediition) Worldwide destinations. The geography of travel and tourism. Routledge, Londres.

Bravo, Pedro (2018). Exceso de equipaje. Debate.

Cànoves, G.; Blanco-Romero, A.; Prats, J.M. I Villarino, M. (eds.). (2017). Turismo de interior en España. Productos y dinámicas territoriales. València: Publicacions de la Universitat de València. Colección de Desarrollo Territorial, número 19.

Crouch, D. (ed) (1999) Leisure/tourism geographies: practices and geographical knowledge. Routledge, Londres.

Gormsen, E. (1997). “The impact of tourism on coastalareas”. GeoJournal, 42 (1), p. 39-54.

Hall, C.M. & Page, S.J. (2005) The geography of tourism and recreation: environment, place, and space. Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon; New York.

Ionnides, D. I Debbage, R. (1998). The economic geography of the Tourism industry. Londres: Routledge.

Jurdao, F. (ed) (1992) Los mitos del turismo. Endymion, Madrid.

Mowforth, M. i Munt, I. (2009) (3ª ed) Tourism and sustainability: new tourism in the Third World. Routledge, Londres.

Murray, I.(2012). Geografies del capitalisme balear: poder, metabolisme socioeconòmic i petjada ecològica d'una superpotència turística. Departament de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de les Illes Balears.

Rullan, O. (2008). "Reconversión y crecimiento de las zonas turísticas. Del fordismo al postfordismo". Troitiño, M.A.; García, J.S. i García, M. (coord.). Destinos turísticos: viejos problemas, ¿nuevas soluciones?. Conca: Ediciones de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, p. 587-624.

Sharpley, R. i Telfer, D.J. (ed) (2002) Tourism and development. Concepts and issues. Channel View Publications, Clevedon.

Shaw, G. i Williams, A.M. (2004) Tourism and tourism spaces. SAGE, London.

Urry, J. (1990) The tourist gaze. Sage, London

Vera, F.; López, F.; Marchena, M. I Anton, S. (coord.) (2011). Análisis territorial de turismo y planificación de destinos turísticos. Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia.

Williams, S. (1998) Tourism Geography. Routledge, London