HSIE TEACHERS - HSC GEOGRAPHY: ECONOMIC ACTIVITY

Linkages
Linkages are the interactions and relationships between tasks, functions, departments and
organisations. These interactions allow and promote the flow of information and ideas in achieving
the objectives of the tourism business. In this sections we will examine the components of a supply
chain to examine the different linkages that are part of the Great White Bear Tours business. Below is
a very basic supply chain for a business. We have to think about this chain in terms of our case study
Great White Bear tours.

To understand the linkages of the tourism business we must consider the supply chain for the
enterprise. In tourism, the supply chain is made up of the suppliers of all the goods and services that
contribute to delivering the tourist product to the consumer. This could include transport and trips,
accommodation, souvenir producers and sellers, restaurants and bars, food production and waste
disposal. Let's consider the supply chain for a single day trip to see polar bears. Raw materials would
include the staff, the environment and the vehicles. The manufacture part of the chain can refer to the
way these raw materials are processed. In a very basic way in this case it could refer to designing the
tour, marketing it and setting up a booking system. This is shown in the diagram below.
Intern
al and
extern
al
linkag
es

The
syllab
us
asks
us to
addres
s both
intern
al and
extern
al
linkag
es.
Examp
les of
intern
al
linkag
es
includ
e
emplo
yees,
custo
mers
and
the
organi
sation
al
struct
ure of
the
busine
ss.
Extern
al
factors
includ
e
compe
titors,
govern
ment,
suppli
ers,
and
transp
ort.

Intern
al
linkag
es
(withi
n the
busin
ess)
Emplo
yees

Great
White
Bear
Tours is a
family-
run
business
that
hires
approxim
ately 14
people,
some of
which
are
family
member
s and
several
are long-
term
locals.
Profiles
of
employe
es show
that
many are
intereste
d in
outdoor
activities,
adventur
e and
have
backgrou
nds in
conserva
tion or
governm
ent
employm
ent
(police,
teacher,
rangers,
etc.)
Some
long-
term
employe
es live in
other
locations
(someti
mes
quite a
distance
away)
and
return to
Churchill
during
polar
bear
season,
resulting
in a
continual
flow of
people
into and
out of
the town
based on
the
season.
Some
employe
es gain
other
employm
ent in
the off-
season.
Click to
read Me
et the
Staff info
rmation
from
White
Bear
Tours.
Click to
examine
professio
nal
profiles
of Great
White
Bear
Tour staff

Churchill
is a
remote
location
and the
tourism
industry
is
seasonal
- based
on times
when
polar
bears
will be
around
the
town.
People
are
strugglin
g to earn
a
livelihoo
d in the
town
and
some are
moving
to larger
towns
and
cities in
search of
jobs. The
se
factors
can
result
in labour
shortage
s
(difficulty
attractin
g staff)
and
access to
quality
training
for staff
by
external
providers
can be
limited
(limited
flow of
ideas).
The
seasonal
nature of
the work
can
make it
difficult
to get
employe
es to
commit
 to the
job due
to having
to find
alternati
ve
sources
of
income
in the
off-
season.
The
advantag
es of
employm
ent in
this type
of
business
is the
opportu
nity to
work
with
unique
wildlife
and
engage
with a
passion
in
conserva
tion.

Questions:
Describe how a job associated with the tourist industry in Churchill be preferable to traditional
employment.
Explain how expertise in conservation, or government employment could be an advantage in this
tourism enterprise.
Describe the seasonal nature of tourism employment in Churchill. When would most employees be
needed.
Analyse the challenges in gaining employment through tourism in Churchill.

Customers
In 2014, nearly 80% of tourists to northern Manitoba (the state in which Churchill is located) came
from within Manitoba. Approximately 10% came from other areas of Canada, while a similar amount
came from the United States of America. Less than 1% of overnight visitors came from outside of
Canada and the United States. (Source: Northern Manitoba Tourism Strategy)

Questions
Describe where the majority of tourist who use GWBT originate from.
Create a marketing plan for GWBTs. What strategies could GWBTs implement to increase the
number of customers from outside Canada and the United States?
Research current tourism figures to Northern Manitoba or Churchill. Describe the flow of people into
the region.
Technology - social media
Great White Bear Tours promote the business through social media. This enables them to create a
connection with prospective customers, while effectively communicating information about the
business and what it offers.
Great White Bear Tours - Facebook
Great White Bear Tours - Youtube

While Great White Bear Tours can shape their social media presence to promote their business,
review sites such as Trip Advisor are reliant on the views of customers.
View the Great White Bear Tours reviews on Trip Advisor
View the Great White Bear Tundra Lodge reviews on Trip Advisor.
Organis
ational
linkage
s and
flows
Vertical
integra
tion
refers
to
when a
busines
s owns
anothe
r
busines
s
somew
here
along
the
supply
chain
(for
exampl
e if a
grocery
store
also
owned
the
farms
that
supply
the
store).
Benefit
s of
vertical
integra
tion
include
that
the
busines
s has a
secure
source
of raw
materia
ls,
access
to new
busines
s
opport
unities,
reduce
d costs
and
improv
ed
quality
of
inputs,
and
removi
ng
supplie
rs and
inform
ation
from
compe
titors.
Great
White
Bear
Tours is
a
family-
run
busines
s, set
up by
Don
and
Marilyn
Walkos
ki.
While
Don
still
owns
and
operat
es
GWBTs,
he has
also
founde
d Anyth
ing
Custom
which
speciali
ses in
weldin
g and
fabrica
tion.
Anythin
g
Custom
has
built all
of the
custom
-built
Polar
Rovers
for
GWBTs.

Questi
ons:
Describ
e why
it may
have
been
difficult
to
purcha
se or
get a
busines
s to
repair
polar
rovers
in
Churchi
ll.
Define
vertical
integra
tion
and
explain
how it
helps a
busines
s.
Exter
nal
linka
ges
(busi
ness
to
busin
ess
relati
onshi
ps)

Comp
etitor
s
450,0
00
peopl
e visit
north
ern
Manit
oba
each
year,
many
of
which
visit
Churc
hill.
Howe
ver,
there
are a
range
of
touris
t
activi
ties
that
visitor
s can
partic
ipate
in
once
there.
Comp
etitio
n
come
s in
the
forms
of
other
polar
bear
tour
opera
tors,
tour
opera
tors
conce
ntrati
ng on
belug
a
whale
s, the
Auror
a
Borea
lis,
photo
graph
y
tours,
etc. Fr
ontier
s
North
opera
tes a
simila
r and
comp
eting
set of
polar
bear
tours.
Altern
ate
tours
or
touris
t
activi
ties in
Churc
hill
includ
e Park
s
Cana
da
Visito
r
Centr
e, Esk
imo
Muse
um, B
lue
Sky
Exped
itions,
Princ
e of
Wales
Fort a
nd Se
a
North
Tours.

Exami
ne
statis
tics
about
touris
m in
North
ern
Manit
oba
in Cur
rents:
Touris
m,
gatew
ay
optio
ns
could
help
Churc
hill
surviv
e the
loss
of
port.

Gover
nmen
t

North
ern
Mani
toba
Touris
m
Strat
egy
Trave
l
Mani
toba
Touris
m
Indus
try
Assoc
iation
of
Cana
da

Provi
nce,
Travel
Manit
oba
launc
h
strate
gy to
boost
touris
m in
Manit
oba's
north.
Touris
m
strate
gy to
play
to the
North
's
stren
gths.
Gov't,
Travel
Manit
oba
to
pump
$35
millio
n into
 north
touris
m.

Questions:
How could the region's tourism infrastructure be improved?
Why do governments have a major responsibility for promoting and regulating tourism?
How could inadequate tourism infrastructure (transportation connections, insufficient promotion, etc)
affect the local tourism industry?
What are some of the ways they regulate and support the tourism industry?
Local businesses and suppliers
Great White Bear Tours has a range of backward linkages with suppliers and other businesses which
enable the business to function. Backward linkages include those with agriculture, fisheries,
construction, transport, utilities and telecommunications. Businesses engaged to develop marketing
strategies, build websites, and create brochures are examples of backward linkages. Flows of goods
into the town are limited, resulting in limited supplies deliveries and a high cost of goods due to
remoteness. Everything needs to be transported from Winnipeg. When the train was in operation
goods were purchased from nearby towns, but this is no longer possible. Prices have to factor in costs
of flying goods in.

Forward linkages refer to flow-on economic activity that occurs as a result of tourism (for example
increased demand for medical services, real estate purchases, etc).

Click to read First shipment of supplies arrives in Churchill from new winter road.
Click to read What a rail link - and its loss - has meant to Churchill, Manitoba.

Questions
What proportion of the regional economy is related to tourism?
How does tourist spending help the local economy? How might this spending stimulate other
economic activity in the community?
What are the potential benefits of tourism development for the local population?
Examine a tourist map of Churchill by clicking Churchill Tourist Map. List the businesses in the
region which depend on tourism for some or all of their revenue.
Trav
el
inter
med
iarie
s-
agen
ts
and
tour
com
pani
es
Anot
her
way
that
capit
al
and
infor
mati
on
flow
s
withi
n
the
oper
ation
of
Grea
t
Whit
e
Bear
Tour
s is
thro
ugh
distri
buti
on
chan
nels.
Distr
ibuti
on
mea
ns
getti
ng
the
prod
uct
to
the
cust
omer
.
This
refer
s to
book
ing
servi
ces,
trave
l
agen
ts
and
pack
age
tour
com
pani
es.

In
the
first
diagr
am,
a
cust
ome
r
coul
d
book
a
stan
d
alon
e
tour
direc
tly
thro
ugh
the
com
pany
's
web
site.
In
this
way
ther
e is a
direc
t
chan
nel
betw
een
the
com
pany
and
the
cust
omer
.

In
the
seco
nd
diagr
am,
a
cust
ome
r
uses
a
trave
l
agen
t to
book
a
stan
d
alon
e
tour
with
GWB
Ts.
This
allo
ws
the
trave
l
agen
t to
chec
k
date
s
and
avail
abilit
y,
find
out
any
extra
infor
mati
on
or
addr
ess
any
ques
tions
with
GWB
Ts on
beha
lf of
the
cust
omer
. In
this
way
GWB
Ts
does
not
have
direc
t
inter
actio
n
with
cust
omer
, but
relie
s on
the
trave
l
agen
t.
This
is an
indir
ect
chan
nel
of
distri
buti
on.

In
the
third
opti
on,
the
trave
l
agen
t
enga
ges
with
a
pack
age
tour
com
pany
that
may
provi
de
opti
ons
for a
GWB
T
tour
pack
aged
with
acco
mm
odati
on,
visits
to
near
by
sites
and
perh
aps
food
and
drink
. The
Pack
age
tour
com
pany
then
enga
ges
with
Grea
t
Whit
e
Bear
Tour
s. In
this
exa
mple
,
GWB
Ts
does
not
have
direc
t
inter
actio
ns
with
cust
omer
, but
relie
s on
both
the
trave
l
agen
t and
the
pack
age
tour
com
pany
.
This
is an
indir
ect
chan
nel
of
distri
buti
on.

Que
stion
s:
Desc
ribe
the
adva
ntag
es
and
disa
dvan
tage
s of
direc
t and
indir
ect
distri
buti
on
of
the
touri
st
prod
uct
by
Grea
t
Whit
e
Bear
Tour
s.
Trans
port
There
are
limite
d
trans
porta
tion
optio
ns to
get
visito
rs,
and
good
s and
servic
e to
Churc
hill -
no
roads
or
trains
to
trans
port
good
s
from
other
town
s/citi
es,
shipp
ing is
not
availa
ble
durin
g
winte
r due
to ice
cover
age,
and
flight
s are
expe
nsive.
The i
nabili
ty to
travel
by
road
is a
hindr
ance
to
grow
th.

An
all-
weat
her
road
has
been
prop
osed
betw
een
Nanu
vat
throu
gh
Churc
hill to
the
Trans
-
Cana
da
High
way.
If
built,
this
woul
d
allow
freer
move
ment
into
and
out
of
Churc
hill.

Click
to
read
Churc
hill
busin
esses
worr
y
flood
ed
rail
line
could
hurt
busy
touris
m
seaso
n.

Ques
tions
Descr
ibe
how
touris
ts get
to
the
regio
n and
travel
withi
n it.
Analy
se
the
effect
s of
the
train
line
not
being
opera
tional
.

L. Swanson

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