Controversial tourism-related issues

Read the text and write an essay about one of the questions formulated at the end (250 words).

Travel industry in denial

The travel industry seems to deny all the major issues that will soon confront it - from climate change to human rights through overfull destinations. It may be worthwhile to take a critical look at our industry, our place in it and our opportunities today and tomorrow.

On one hand:

• Global warming has the potential to close international leisure tourism down completely
• The refugee problem is set to escalate to many millions, maybe billions as global warming escalates and harvests fail
• Wars & insecurity are already inflicting damages on tourism in destinations such as Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia - there will be more. Yet tourism continues to flow to destinations with serious human rights problems
• The recent UN report on food security outlines an enormous upcoming global food problem
• The travel industry powers on overfilling destinations to the detriment of citizens, wasting resources and creating homelessness problems
• And the industry's access to the market is pay-walled by a few big internet businesses including Priceline, Google, Tripadvisor and Facebook leading to commoditisation and leakage of value

On the other hand:

• A number of sustainable destination are politicising their visitor economies using them for economic, social, cultural, environmental regeneration - and promoting real disintermediation
• The marketplace is recognising the value of their holiday time and commitment and looking for better real value
• Clever long-sighted tour operators are re-creating themselves to offer even more valuable experiences
• As a larger and larger proportion of the world's population become more and more aware of the advantages of living lifestyles of health and sustainability, the market moves on
• More initiatives are being created to offer clients/visitors holidays that are really socially-aware.
• There are more and more major movements at the periphery of tourism including Slow Food and Amnesty International which will have an impact on tourism

Here are ten questions we should ask ourselves:

1. What can be done about/how can we benefit from the overflowing of destinations?
2. How can we gain sustainable market advantage from heightening real customer value/experience?
3. Given that the airlines appear now to have avoided any real action on climate change until 2027 - how can we adjust to avoid this massive time bomb?
4. How can we identify and avoid destinations that may be subject to security problems and human rights issues?
5. How can destinations get sufficient political power to make choices about the nature of their visitor economies and its advantages/disadvantages?
6. How can we adopt forms of marketing that engage directly with our clientele and identify and fulfill their needs without paying for access/losing ongoing control?
7. Which are the destination brands of the future, and why?
8. What is the future of cruising given its enormous per passenger/mile emission record, human rights issues and its obvious terrorism target potential?
9. Is our own activity truly sustainable economically, environmentally, culturally and socially? If not, how can it be?
10. What is the role of the workforce who makes it all happen in destinations? How can we meet the need for sustainable approaches to their recruitment, reward, development and management?

Adapted from: http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2024512

Research project - Stage 3

SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, and it is an essential component of your project. The following links will help you to find out more about how to do it:

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm

http://esl-educate-school-learn.blogspot.com/2012/02/swot-analysis.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_6AVRGLXGA

The data you collected in the second stage will help to design this part of the project. The analysis can derive from customer reviews, opinions or information from press articles, where both internal aspects (strengths and weaknesses) and external aspects (opportunities and threats) will be drawn from. Remember to mention your information sources.

You can post the text on this blog, as in the previous stages.

Women in tourism

Watch these videos. They illustrate different roles of women within the tourism industry:

-Las Kellys: https://youtu.be/MBBDSPT879Q

-Celebrity Cruises: https://youtu.be/vux_5Hyb_wQ

Write/record an essay/oral report for your portfolio in reply to the following questions:

1. How can tourism contribute to gender equality?

2. Which are the most pressing issues that affect women in the tourism industry?

3. Is education and training equally provided for tourism managers and employees?

4. Are women represented in tourism policies and in this sector's decision-making spaces?

For more information, you can also read UNWTO's Global Report on Women in Tourism: 

https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284420384

Research project - Stage 2

Once you've chosen your product, you must find 80-100 customer reviews from one or several sources -preferably the more recent, the better. It is very important to discard irrelevant comments.

Next, you ought to represent the customer reviews through at least two graphs, one of which must necessarily be a line graph or a bar chart. The reasons underlying those opinions must be analysed statistically. You'll refer to these data in subsequent stages of your project and need to mention your information sources.

You should post the text of your statistical analysis (excluding graphs) on this blog. Don't forget to use the specific vocabulary for describing graphs and charts you learned at the beginning of the academic period! You can also check this website: 

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/advanced-c1-writing/describing-graph-trends-over-time

Research project - Stage 1

This project is an improvement plan based on a study of an existing tourist product that is close enough for you to investigate first hand: a hotel, a theme park, a holiday package, etc. You must study the product, draw its real downsides and, using these downsides as a starting point, design an improvement plan. Continuous assessment students must carry it out in pairs, while final assessment students must do it individually.

The presentation must be 10-13 minutes long and will be followed by a few questions from the panel of examiners, adding up to a total of 15 minutes. Visual support is compulsory and it can be PowerPoint, Prezi etc.

Given the nature of this final project, you should choose a product that isn't too successful, so this way designing an improvement plan will be easier and more realistic. You can check out http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ or similar websites and pick a product which, in sight of the users' opinions, shows a need for improvement. Take into account that you'll need to look for 80-100 customer reviews. You can also choose a product based on your own experience (e.g. a hotel where you work or have stayed). However, you can't analyse Port Aventura, Hotel W, Ryanair, Horta maze, Carmel bunkers, Parc Güell or Tibidabo amusement park. Improvement plans for transport infrastructures aren't advisable either, since they're highly complex. Products shouldn't be repeated.

Post your product description on this blog, mentioning all the sources of information that you've used.

Your elevator pitch

Follow the instructions below.

1. Use the following links to learn how to create and deliver an elevator pitch:

Tips: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/elevator-speech-examples-and-writing-tips-2061976
Tips & example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb0Yz_5ZYzI

2. Record and upload your own elevator pitch on Flipgrid using this link: 

GT students: https://flipgrid.com/61d01d04

TSAVGE students: https://flipgrid.com/f5dfaa6e

3. Watch the videos recorded by your classmates and make constructive comments. Video record your comments and upload them on Flipgrid using the same link. You can follow these guidelines:

-   Comment on your classmate´s communicative skills.

Is the message clear enough?

Is the content adequate? Why/why not?

Is fluency ok? Why/why not?

What is the speaker's attitude? And what about his/her body language?

-   Comment on your classmate´s language skills.

Is the language limited or rather varied?

Identify and comment on at least 3-4 grammar/vocabulary/pronunciation inaccuracies

- Make a general comment on a strong point and a suggestion for improvement.

What is the communication aspect you like the best?

What improvement suggestions would you make to enhance communication?

4. Watch the feedback provided by your classmates on your own videos. You can produce an enhanced version of your elevator pitch if you wish.

How to apply for a job successfully

Read the following tips for job application.

1. Each CV should be adapted to the personality and style of the candidate, and always in line with the sector/post to which it is addressed. It is recommended that it is only one page long and that you include an introductory paragraph (see examples and templates at https://www.canva.com/es_en/). Following a chronological order isn’t a must and you can highlight the most relevant information in bold.

2. It is advisable for the CV to include a Skype user, link or icon of the professional social networks in which the candidate is. In this sense, both the content of the CV and the information included in these social networks (e.g. Linkedin, Hosco or Instagram) should be detailed, relevant and carefully elaborated.

3. The covering e-mail with which you will contact the company or accompany your CV must be accurate (see tips at https://jobs.theguardian.com/article/how-to-write-the-perfect-email-covering-letter/). It’s advisable to use a gmail address with your name and surname.

4. You must attach your CV in pdf, which you should also revise in depth, and provide clear contact details without being too personal (e.g. avoid your date of birth, address, age or marital status). In Spain it’s customary to include a picture of yourself, but not when applying abroad. You can also produce a video CV (see tips at https://www.thebalancecareers.com/tips-for-creating-a-video-resume-2064219).

5. Moreover, you can practice for job interviews by means of recorded video interviews (available at https://www.hirevue.com/, for example). You can record yourself answering to questions.

6. Bearing the interview in mind, you can also work on your elevator pitch, which allows you to introduce yourself and summarise for up to 1.5 minutes some key aspects, such as who I am? what do I look for? and why am I applying? (see tips at https://www.thebalancecareers.com/elevator-speech-examples-and-writing-tips-2061976).

7. Most formal interviews nowadays take place in a relaxed atmosphere. Some interviews include unexpected code switching into English to check oral skills. During the interview you shouldn’t be vague and rather provide specific examples. Some questions you might have to reply to are what do you expect to find here? or why should we choose you instead of another candidate? You can also ask questions.

8. You should have a register of your applications. Be coherent and apply sensibly, for the right post/company. It’s important to have searched for information about the company well in advance, and to be aware of the pros and cons.

Good luck with your job hunt!