HOS-100 Introduction to Tourism
This course is designed to provide an overview of the Tourism Industry. The student will be exposed to the various components which comprise Tourism. There will be opportunities for the student to observe the Tourism Industry thorough field experiences. This course provides the basis for further study in the Hospitality Programs. Students enrolled in this course, as an elective, will have the opportunity to explore another business-related field as a career option.
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Course Outline
Course Description
This course is designed to provide an overview of the Tourism Industry. The student will be exposed to the various components which comprise Tourism. There will be opportunities for the student to observe the Tourism Industry thorough field experiences. This course provides the basis for further study in the Hospitality Programs. Students enrolled in this course, as an elective, will have the opportunity to explore another business-related field as a career option.
Credit Hours
3Semester(s) Course Will Be Offered
Fall, Spring
Course Learning Outcomes
- Differentiate between a community and a destination.
- Compare and contrast the different types of visitor markets.
- Explain the economic impact tourism can have on a destination.
- Delineate the component parts of the Tourism Industry.
- Explain how destinations market and promote their unique attributes.
Topic Outline
- 1. Introduction to tourism
- The essence of tourism is having experiences, and to have them, visitors must physically travel to the location (destination) that can provide them.
- 2. The importance of unique experiences
- Visitors want experiences that are unique. Without experiences, there is no visitorship, no economic impact, and no need for support services (hotels and restaurants). Visitors are invited guests responding to a receptive, unique place, which results in economic impact.
- 3. The three bases for experiences
- a. Natural: based on the existing geography and ecology
- b. History and culture: based on significant past events, people, and artifacts
- c. Commercial: based on man-made attractions
- 4. Destinations
- A place that has decided to identify, preserve, package, and promote its uniqueness for economic development.
- 5. Visitor trends
- a. Time poverty (competition for time)
- b. National and state park attendance
- c. Importance of shopping
- d. Popularity of biking and hiking vacations
- 6. Sustainable tourism
- Achieving growth without depleting or damaging the natural and built environment, while preserving the culture, history, heritage, and arts of the local community.
- 7. History of tourism
- Travel used to be for the upper class; now it is open to all ("class to mass"). Peace and security are crucial for visitors to travel to destinations.
- 8. Destination marketing organization (DMO)
- An organization responsible for developing and promoting a marketing plan for a specific destination, region, state, or country.
- 9. Sense of place
- a. Primary ways to develop a sense of place
- i. Natural attraction (e.g., Niagara Falls)
- ii. Create it (e.g., Niagara-on-the-Lake, themed around the Shaw Festival, which celebrates George Bernard Shaw)
- 10. Occupancy tax (also known as room tax, transient tax, or bed tax)
- A tax, in addition to state sales tax, on an occupied sleeping room in a lodging facility. Funds collected are used for tourism promotion (DMO budgets) and stadium and convention center operations, and may be used for a community's general budget.