TOURISTS AND TOURISM

Credits: 2 (20 hrs. app.) About the Course: Tourism is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy. As global affluence and leisure time increases, the demand for travel and destination facilities increases, not only in degree, but also in kind. Tourism affects most countries and peoples of the world, either as hosts or guests, either positively or negatively. In parallel, while tourism changes individuals and societies, the nature of tourism is changing as well. Despite all these, tourism is still being looked down upon as something that does not require any serious analysis. Words like tourists and tourism are taken for granted; enterprising and employment in tourism are considered to be less skill-intensive; and tourism impacts are treated as negligible externalities. The present course adopts a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to the study of the social phenomenon of tourism. While the overall objective of the course is to generate in the learner a critical consciousness of tourism, it could also become a small but important step in initiating him or her for a rewarding career in the tourism industry. Course Outline: The major components of the course are: Introduction to Philosophies, Principles, and Practices of Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism Tourist Behavior Tourism Impacts Marketing of Tourism Services Tourism Product Development and Management Tourism Entrepreneurship Information and Communication Technologies for Tourism Ecotourism and Tourism Alternatives Travel Agencies and the Management of Tour Operations Accommodation Management Transportation Management Tourism and Special Events Tourism Planning and Policies Tourism Research Methods Cultural Tourism Tourism in India Current Debates in Tourism. Course Requirements Class Participation. On the whole, this course will be conducted as seminars. Students are expected to come to class prepared to talk and with the readings and assignments for that day completed. Most class time will be collaborative learning sessions devoted to discussing the issues and ideas raised in the readings; questions, comments, and responses from students are critical to this discussion. Assignments. Weekly Essay. Each student will be writing a weekly essay (1-2 pages) based on the readings. Essay questions will be handed out to the students the week before they are due and are designed to explore the main theme(s) of the readings Student Presentations. Each student has to identify a theme related to his or her own personal experiences with tourism, apply some sort of hands-on analysis upon it, make a presentation of the same in the class, and lead the subsequent discussion. Final Project. Students will be formed into small groups of two or three and will be asked to conduct a minor research on a tourism issue. In carrying out the research, new knowledge discovery is stressed more than methodological elitism.

Weekend Visit to a Nearby Tourism Destination: This is to offer the student a firsthand experience of tourists and tourism in the knowledge-skillattitude context provided by the formal learning in the classroom. Exams and Grading. Your final grade will be calculated as follows: weekly essays (40%), participation (including projects, debates, tour, etc.) (30%), and final project/paper (30%). Primary Reading: Cooper, C. et al. (1998). Tourism: Principles and Practices. UK: Longman (List of supplementary readings shall be provided to the students enrolled for the course after assessing their academic and professional backgrounds and tastes.) Course Instructor: Babu P George, PhD, Lecturer in Tourism Studies, School of Management, Pondicherry University Email: myselfgeorge@gmail.com Mobile: 91-9245439038