Welcome to the course "Understanding Travel and Tourism"! Tourism is one of the world's major industries and, therefore, a major contributor to the economies of many countries. It is also a major cultural phenomenon of contemporary society. While acknowledging the economic importance of tourism, this course is also concerned with tourism as a social and cultural study. It provides you with a body of knowledge on which to base further study in the field of travel and tourism. We hope that you enjoy the course content and the kinds of tasks you are set for assignment work. Please read the course website carefully, which provides you with information about the content and organisation of the course.
本课程的教学目的旨在让学生初步了解旅游学所研究的对象以及基本理论架构，对旅游学基本知识有个总体把握。具体地讲，主要包括以下几个方面：1、使学生对旅游业有初步认识，了解旅游业基础知识及理论，为学生学习其他专业知识奠定基础；2、使学生了解旅游业各构成要素的特征或运作过程，进一步加深学生对旅游业的理解；、3、培养学生分析专业问题的能力，把握旅游学特定的研究方向。通过本课程学习，学生有机会了解本学科国际发展前沿，不仅为学习其他专业课程提供必要的基础理论知识，而且帮助学生开拓国际化视野。
课程考核方式借鉴了国外的考核方法，做了大胆的改革；一改死记硬背的传统模式，非常灵活地分阶段将课程考核贯穿于整个教学过程中，新颖的考核方式不仅能够检查学生的专业理论知识掌握情况，而且锻炼了学生的创造性和批判性思维能力以及理论联系实践的运用能力。
作业一 & 二：简答题Short Answer Assignment I & II（15%）
Students are required to demonstrate their understanding of various definitions of tourism and other terms commonly used in tourism theory. (1000 words)
作业三：小组项目汇报 Group Presentation（15%）
The purpose of this assignment is for students to integrate the knowledge gained from this course. Students are required to describe marketing activities to support the development of a new experience-based product for a tourism or hospitality organization. (20 minutes)
作业四：微电影拍摄 Course Review（10%）
The students are required to shoot a micro film in groups to demonstrate what they have gained from this course. (10-15 minutes)
考核方式：课程论文 Course Paper（60%）
The purpose is for students to integrate the knowledge gained from this course to demonstrate the importance of tourism as an economic, environmental and sociocultural force in today’s globalized world. (2500 -- 3000 words)
成绩要求：总评60分（含60）以上为合格。
大学英语四、六级水平、西方经济学、管理学原理
Chapter 1: Introduction to Tourism Management
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Define tourism from a holistic perspective and appreciate its status as one of the world’s most important economic sectors; critique the factors that have hindered the development of tourism studies as an academic field; explain why tourism is currently a field of study rather than an academic discipline; understand the differences between the multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and post-disciplinary approaches; identify the contributions of each the four ‘platforms’ to the evolution and maturation of tourism studies.
Contents：
1. Introduction
2. Definition of tourism
2.1 The phenomenon of tourism
2.2 Characteristics
2.3 The importance of tourism
3. Tourism as an academic field of study
3.1 Obstacles to development
3.2 Current status
3.3 A sequence of tourism platforms
3.4 Universities and VET providers
Questions：
1. Lack of respect for tourism, or appreciation of its magnitude, are among the factors which have hindered the acceptance of tourism as a legitimate topic of academic inquiry. What is the best way of changing these perceptions of tourism? How could the improvement of these perceptions help to overcome the remaining obstacles discussed in the “Obstacles to development” section?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages, respectively, of a multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and post-disciplinary approach toward tourism studies?
3. Why is theory so important to the development of an academic discipline? How can theory be made more interesting for students and practitioners?
Chapter 2: The Tourism System
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Describe the fundamental structure of a tourism system; assess the external forces that influence and are influenced by tourism systems; outline the three criteria that collectively define tourists; explain the various purposes for tourism-related travel, and the relative importance of each; evaluate the importance of origin and transit regions within the tourism system; explain the role of destination regions and the tourism industry within the tourism system.
Contents：
1. A system approach to tourism
2. The tourist
2.1 Spatial component
2.2 Temporal component
2.3 Travel purpose
2.4 Major tourist categories
3. Origin region
4. Transit region
5. Destination region
6. The tourism industry
Questions：
1. What are the main external natural and cultural environments that interact with the tourism system? What can destination managers do to minimize the negative impacts of these systems?
2. Why is it important to make formal distinctions between the “tourist” and other types of travelers?
3. Why is it important for destination managers to have a good understanding of the transit regions that convey tourists to their businesses and attractions?
Chapter 3: The Evolution and Growth of Tourism
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Describe the main characteristics and types of premodern tourism; explain the basic distinctions and similarities between premodern and modern tourism; identify the role of Thomas Cook and the Industrial Revolution in facilitating the modern era of tourism; outline the growth trend of international tourism arrivals since 1950; discuss the primary factors that have stimulated the historical and contemporary demand for tourism; identify the social, demographic, technological and political forces that also influence tourism demand.
Contents：
1. Premodern tourism
2. Early modern tourism (1500-1950)
3. Contemporary tourism (1950 onwards)
4. Factors associated with increased tourism demand
4.1 Economic factors
4.2 Social factors
4.3 Demographic factors
4.4 Transportation technology factors
4.5 Political factors
5. Future growth prospects
Questions：
1. Why is Thomas Cook referred to as the father of modern mass tourism? Why did it take more than a century for Cook’s innovations to translate into a pattern of mass global tourism activity?
2. Do you believe that people have a basic human right to travel? If so, how far should these rights extend? What are the implications for destinations?
3. What technological innovation(s) is most likely to constitute the next major breakthrough in air transportation, as per the future in figure 3.7?
Chapter 4: Tourism Destinations
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Describe and explain the relative status of the advanced economies and emerging economies as tourist destination regions; identify the major generic factors that attract or ‘pull’ visitors to tourist destinations; discuss the extent to which destination managers and other tourism stakeholders can influence these pull factors; describe and explain the status of tourism in each of the world’s major regions, and assess the pull factors that have contributed to these patterns; account for the tendency of tourism at all scales to develop in a spatially uneven pattern and discuss the implications of this tendency.
Contents：
1. Global destination pattern: Advanced and emerging economies
2. Pull factors influencing a destination
2.1 Geographic proximity to markets
2.2 Accessibility to markets
2.3 Availability of services
2.4 Availability of attractions
2.5 Cultural and spiritual links
2.6 Affordability
2.7 Peace, stability and safety
2.8 Positive market image
2.9 Pro-tourism policies
3. Regional destination patterns
4. Internal destination patterns
Questions：
1. How much is spatial imbalance evident in tourism at the international, national, subnational and local level? Why does this imbalance occur? What are the managerial implications of this imbalance at all four levels?
2. Why strategies could be implemented in order to increase China’s share of global stayover tourism to 1 per cent of the total (i.e., about 10 million tourists per year)?
3. What lessons for other emerging tourist destinations can be learned from the experience of Malaysian medical tourism?
Chapter 5: The Tourism Product
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Divide tourist attractions into four major types and their attendant subtypes; discuss the management implications that pertain to each attraction type and subtype; identify the various attraction attributes that can be assessed in order to make informed management and planning decisions; assess the major contemporary trends affecting these sectors; describe the growing diversification and specialization of products provided by the tourism industry; discuss the implications of the concepts of integration and globalization as they apply to the tourism industry.
Contents：
1. Tourist attractions
1.1 Natural sites
1.2 Natural events
1.3 Cultural sites
1.4 Attraction attributes
2. The tourism industry
2.1 Travel agencies
2.2 Transportation
2.3 Accommodation
2.4 Tour operators
2.5 Merchandise
2.6 Industry structure
3. Case study: Contemporary tourism heritage as heritage tourism: evidence from the Gold Coast and Las Vegas
Questions：
1. How has the image of mountains changed since the early 1800s? What have been the implications of these changes for the evolution of alpine tourism?
2. What are the implications of low-cost airlines for the competitiveness of traditional full-service airlines?
3. What effect does horizontal and vertical integration have on the structure of tourism systems? How is this effect influenced by globalization?
Chapter 6: Tourist Markets
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Outline and summarize the pattern of the major tourist market trends since 1950; describe the process that culminates in a decision to visit a particular destination; explain the need for, and the evaluative criteria involved in, the practice of market segmentation; discuss the strengths and limitations of major segmentation criteria, including country of origin and family lifestyle; differentiate between allocentric, midcentric and psychocentric forms of psychographic segmentations; analyze the various dimensions of motivation as a form of psychographic segmentation; discuss the types and importance of travel-related behavioral segmentation.
Contents：
1. Tourist market trends
1.1 The democratization of travel
1.2 The emergence of simple market segmentation and multilevel segmentation
1.3 Niche markets and “markets of one”
2. The destination selection process
3. Tourist market segmentation
3.1 Geographic segmentation
3.2 Sociodemographic segmentation
3.3 Psychographic segmentation
3.4 Behavioral segmentation
Questions：
1. To what extent do you believe that tourists in a given destination are obliged to behave in a manner that does not offend conservation local residents? Why? To what extent should local residents be willing to compromise their own norms to satisfy tourists? Why?
2. What strengths and weaknesses are associated with “country of residence” and “region of residence” as criteria for identifying tourist market segments?
3. What difficulties are associated with the operationalization of psychographic segmentation criteria?
Chapter 7: Tourism Marketing
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
List and describe the key characteristics of services marketing and explain how these are different from goods marketing; identify the strategies that can be adopted to address imbalances between tourism supply and tourism demand; explain when and why market failure occurs in tourism marketing; describe the role of destination organizations in tourism marketing; outline the rationale for and the stages involved in strategic tourism marketing; define the basic components of the 8P marketing mix model; explain the pricing strategies that tourism businesses can use to set prices; identify the costs and benefits associated with the various forms of media that are used in tourism promotion.
Contents：
1. The nature of marketing
2. Services marketing
2.1 Intangibility
2.2 Inseparability
2.3 Variability
2.4 Perishability
3. Managing supply and demand
4. Market failure
5. Strategic tourism marketing
6. Marketing mix
6.1 Place
6.2 Product
6.3 People
6.4 Price
6.5 Packaging
6.6 Programming
6.7 Promotion
6.8 Partnerships
Questions：
1. Why is “emotional labor” especially important in the tourism industry? What negative types of emotional labor should be avoided by frontline employees? Why?
2. How could a manager prioritize the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in a SWOT analysis in terms of devising management and marketing strategies?
3. What are relative strengths and weaknesses associated with television and the internet (including social media) as product promotion channels?
Chapter 8: Economic Impacts of Tourism
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Outline the main positive and negative economic impacts of tourism and describe how each negative impact acts as a counterpoint to one or more of the positive impacts; explain the concept of the tourism multiplier effect and describe the circumstances under which a high or low multiplier effect is likely to occur; identify the circumstances under which a destination is more likely to experience negative rather than positive economic impacts from tourism; discuss the negative consequences of revenue leakages for a destination and explain where and why they occur; explain the fluctuating patterns of demand that characterize tourism and the economic implications of these fluctuations for destinations.
Contents：
1. Economic benefits
1.1 Direct revenue
1.2 Indirect revenue
1.3 Economic integration and diversification
1.4 Employment (direct and indirect)
1.5 Regional development
1.6 Formal and informal sectors
2. Economic costs
2.1 Direct financial costs
2.2 Indirect financial costs
2.3 Fluctuations in intake
2.4 Competition with other sectors
2.5 Employment problems
Questions:
1. Under what circumstance is a destination likely to have a low income multiplier effect and a high income multiplier effect? How can destinations with a low income multiplier effect increase this statistic?
2. Are governments in emerging economies such as Thailand and Indonesia justified in favoring the formal tourism sector over its informal sector counterpart? Explain your reasons.
3. How does the tourist bubble effect contribute to a low multiplier effect? How practical is it to modify the tourist bubble so that a higher multiplier effect results?
Chapter 9: Sociocultural and Environmental Impacts of Tourism
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Describe how tourism can promote both traditional culture and the modernization process; explain commodification and its positive and negative consequences, and understand how tourism can contribute to this process; differentiate between destination frontstage and backstage and discuss their implications for the management of tourism; identify the circumstances that increase or decrease the probability that destination will experience negative sociocultural impacts from tourism; describe the potential positive and negative environmental consequences of tourism for destinations; discuss the utility of ecological foot printing as a means of measuring environmental impact.
Contents：
1. Sociocultural benefits
1.1 Promotion of cross-cultural understanding
1.2 Incentive to preserve culture and heritage
1.3 Promoting social wellbeing and stability
2. Sociocultural costs
2.1 Commodification
2.2 The demonstration effect revisited
2.3 The relationship between tourism and crime
2.4 Factors contributing to the increased likelihood of sociocultural costs
2.5 Resident reactions
3. Environmental benefits
4. Environmental costs
4.1 Environmental impact sequence
4.2 Ecological foot-printing
4.3 Management implications of sociocultural and environmental impacts
Questions:
1. Is commodification always a negative impact of tourism for destinations? Why? What strategies can a destination adopt to minimize its negative effects while maximizing its benefits?
2. Is an allocentric tourist more likely to be the victim of crime in a destination than a psychocentric tourist? Explain your reasons.
3. Why has climate changed emerged as such a high profile public issue? How much should the developers and managers of a tourism facility be required to take responsibility for the generation of emissions that help to induce climate change?
Chapter 10: Destination Development
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Outline the destination cycle as described in the Butler sequence; explain how different elements of the tourism experience --- psychographic segmentation --- can be incorporated into the destination cycle; critique the strengths and limitations of the Butler sequence, and of the destination cycle concept in general, as a device to assist destination managers; categorize the factors that contribute to changes in the destination cycle, and assess the extent to which destination managers can influence these factors; describe how the destination cycle concept can be accommodated within the pattern of tourism development that occurs at the national scale.
Contents：
1. Destination cycle
1.1 The Butler sequence
1.2 Application and critique of the Butler sequence
2. Factors that change the destination cycle
2.1 Internal-intentional actions
2.2 External-unintentional actions
2.3 Internal-unintentional actions
2.4 External-intentional actions
3. National tourism development
3.1 Spatial diffusion
3.2 Effects of hierarchical diffusion
3.3 Effects of contagious diffusion
3.4 Model of national tourism development
Questions：
1. Why are “ideal types” such as the Butler sequence extremely useful to managers, even though they seldom if ever describe real-life situations?
2. How does the matrix model complement and overlap with SWOT analysis to better understand and manage the dynamics of destination development?
3. How can the concepts of hierarchical and contagious diffusion complement the destination cycle model in helping to explain the process of tourism development at the national level?
Chapter 11: Sustainable Tourism
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Explain the concepts of ‘paradigm shift’ and ‘paradigm nudge’ and their relevance to contemporary tourism; indicate how conventional mass tourism is related to the dominant Western environmental paradigm; define sustainable tourism and show how this is related to both the dominant Western environmental paradigm, the green paradigm and sustainable development; identify key indicators that gauge sustainability and describe their strengths and shortcomings; list the reasons for the tourism industry’s adoption of the principle of sustainable tourism, and explain the advantages that larger companies have in its implementation; describe the patterns of sustainable tourism practice within the tourist industry.
Contents：
1. A paradigm shift?
1.1 Dominant Western environmental paradigm
1.2 Towards a green paradigm
2. Sustainable tourism
3. Sustainability and mass tourism
3.1 Reasons for adoption
3.2 Practices
3.3 Quality control
4. Sustainability and small-scale tourism
4.1 Alternative tourism
4.2 Manifestations
4.3 Critique of alternative tourism
5. Ecotourism
5.1 Soft and hard ecotourism
5.2 Magnitude
5.3 Location
6. Destination sustainability
Questions：
1. What is meant when it is said that a clash between competing paradigms is likely to result in a synthesis of the two paradigms? How has this synthesis been evident in the tourism sector since 1950?
2. What factors over the next decade might stimulate the further growth of the green traveler segment?
3. How is the broad context model of destination development scenarios potentially useful to the managers of tourist destinations?
Chapter 12: Tourism Research
课时分配：3课时
Learning objectives：
Describe the main types of research that are relevant to the field of tourism studies and outline the circumstance under which each is most suitable; classify any specific research initiative as per its adherence to the main types of research; list the major types of techniques associated with primary and secondary research; understand the advantages of mixing quantitative and qualitative research approaches in the same project; discuss the basic stages of the research process; describe the four main levels of investigation and explain how they complement each other within a comprehensive research project.
Contents：
1. Types of research
1.1 Basic research
1.2 Applied research
1.3 Cross-sectional research
1.4 Longitudinal research
1.5 Qualitative research
1.6 Quantitative research
1.7 Primary research
1.8 Secondary research
2. The research process
2.1 Problem recognition
2.2 Question formulation
2.3 Identification of research methodology or methods
2.4 Data collection
2.5 Data analysis
2.6 Data presentation
2.7 Data interpretation
Qestions：
1. What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research and quantitative research? In what ways can qualitative and quantitative research display a complementary relationship?
2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of web-based surveys as compared to postal surveys? Under what conditions is each the most appropriate method of surveying?
3. What is methodological triangulation and why is it considered desirable?
References:
1. Weaver,D & Lawton, L 2014, Tourism managment, 5th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Qld.
2. Cooper,C,Fletcher,J,Fyall,A,Gilbert,D & Wanhill,S 2010, Tourism: Principles and practice, 4th edn, Pitman Publishing, London.
3. Goeldner,C & Ritchie, J 2012, Tourism: Principles, practices, philosophies, 12th edn, John Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey.
4. 格德纳·里奇. 旅游学（第10版）[M], 中国人民大学出版社, 2008年；
5. 吴必虎，宋子千. 旅游学概论 [M], 中国人民大学出版社, 2009年。
Journal Articles:
1. Boorstin, D 1963, The image, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, pp. 86-125.
2. Cohen, E 1974, ‘“Who is a tourist?” A conceptual clarification’, The Sociological Review, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 527-555.
3. Edensor, T 2000, ‘Staging tourism: tourists as performers’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 322-344.
4. Leiper, N 2008, ‘Why “the tourism industry” is misleading as a generic expression: the case for the plural variation, “tourism industries”’, Tourism Management, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 237-251.
5. McCabe, S 2005, ‘“Who is a tourist?” A critical review’, Tourist Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 85-106.
6. Smith, S 1988, ‘Defining tourism: a supply-side view’, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 179-190.
7. Urry, J 2002, The tourist gaze, 2nd edn, SAGE Publications, London.
Journals:
Annals of Tourism Research
Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research
Current Issues in Tourism
Event Management
International Journal of Tourism Research
Journal of Heritage Tourism
Journal of Sport Tourism
Journal of Sustainable Tourism
Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing
Journal of Travel Research
Tourism Geographies
Tourism Management