TLH307: In Many Cities, The Urban Environment has Only Recently been Re-Discovered as a Tourist Destination: Urban Tourism Assignment, UoS, Singapore

Introduction

In many cities, the urban environment has only recently been re-discovered as a tourist destination. Tourist arrivals in cities are constantly growing and increasingly more research has been undertaken to investigate the phenomenon of urban tourism. The module will provide students with an insight into the characteristics of urban tourism with particular reference to relevant post-industrial cities and world cities. We will also look at tourism development in cities such as Las Vegas, York, and New York. Topics covered will include: looking at urban tourism as an academic subject; the development of cities; the representation of cities; globalization and the development of urban tourism in post-industrial cities; types of urban destinations; types of urban tourists; place-marketing and urban regeneration; social, economic, cultural and environmental costs and benefits of urban tourism; urban tourism and new tourism trends; creative quarters and urban tourism; city culture (s) as a tourism resource.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

1. To define and discuss the characteristics of visitors to urban destinations.
2. To identify and critically evaluate the nature and role of specific components of the visitor product provided by urban destinations.
3. To critically debate management and marketing features distinct to urban sites.

Skills

4. To conduct independent research
5. Skills of analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and application in dealing with concepts and data in the fields of urban tourism, as well as to present research results in a professional and creative way.

Assessment

The assessment for this module is 100% field report research into an aspect of urban tourism. Although you may formulate your project together, and can gather your data as a group, this is where the group work ends. You must write up your research report individually and independently of your other group members.

Urban Tourism Field Report

The final report is an individual assignment based on your field notes and the data collected in the week 9 fieldwork visit.  It should include, as a minimum:

1. An introduction to urban tourism
2. Discussion of relevant literature: both urban tourism and literature that relates to your chosen topic
3. Methodology
4. Results and discussion
5. Conclusions

Possible Themes

Cultural Tourism/; Urban regeneration; Tourist Bubbles / Enclavic Space; Serious Leisure / Special Interest tourism; Shopping tourism; Authenticity; Special Events/Festivalisation: Typologies of tourists: Accessibility: Social Class: Gender: Race: Age: Religion:

Questions:

1. What do you know about the city and as an urban tourism destination?
2. What information do you need to find out about the city prior to our visit?
3. Which Tourism literature area(s) will be most central to your project?
4. Any specific books or journal papers that you are familiar with?
5. Specific places, areas, districts, streets in/on which your research will be based:
6. What do you think are the main motivations for the kinds of activity on which your project is focused?
7. Identify groups of people you are likely to encounter. What are their broad socio-demographic characteristics?
8. How do you think tourist behavior or motivation might vary with demographic characteristics?