Develop and monitor culturally appropriate tourism activity. D2.TCS.CL5.08 D2.TTG.CL3.07 Trainee Manual

Transcription

1 Develop and monitor culturally appropriate tourism activity D2.TCS.CL5.08 D2.TTG.CL3.07

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3 Develop and monitor culturally appropriate tourism activity D2.TCS.CL5.08 D2.TTG.CL3.07

4 Project Base William Angliss Institute of TAFE 555 La Trobe Street Melbourne 3000 Victoria Telephone: (03) Facsimile: (03) Acknowledgements Project Director: Project Manager Chief Writer: Subject Writer: Editor: DTP/Production: Wayne Crosbie Jim Irwin Alan Hickman Sandra Lunn Jim Irwin Daniel Chee, Mai Vu, Cindy Curran The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August The Member States of the Association are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. The ASEAN Secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia. General Information on ASEAN appears online at the ASEAN Website: All text is produced by William Angliss Institute of TAFE for the ASEAN Project on Toolbox Development for Tourism Labour Divisions for Travel Agencies and Tour Operations. This publication is supported by the Australian Government s aid program through the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program Phase II (AADCP II). Copyright: Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) All rights reserved. Disclaimer Every effort has been made to ensure that this publication is free from errors or omissions. However, you should conduct your own enquiries and seek professional advice before relying on any fact, statement or matter contained in this book. The ASEAN Secretariat and William Angliss Institute of TAFE are not responsible for any injury, loss or damage as a result of material included or omitted from this course. Information in this module is current at the time of publication. Time of publication is indicated in the date stamp at the bottom of each page. Some images appearing in this resource have been purchased from stock photography suppliers Shutterstock and istockphoto and other third party copyright owners and as such are non-transferable and non-exclusive. Clip arts, font images and illustrations used are from the Microsoft Office Clip Art and Media Library. Some images have been provided by and are the property of William Angliss Institute. Additional images have been sourced from Flickr and SXC and are used under Creative Commons licence: File name: TM_Dev_monitor_cult_appr_tour_activity_291015

5 Table of contents Introduction to trainee manual... 1 Unit descriptor... 3 Assessment matrix... 5 Glossary... 7 Element 1: Research the culture Element 2: Develop culturally appropriate activities Element 3: Implement culturally appropriate activities Element 4: Monitor culturally appropriate activities Presentation of written work Recommended reading Trainee evaluation sheet Trainee self-assessment checklist... 69

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7 Introduction to trainee manual Introduction to trainee manual To the Trainee Congratulations on joining this course. This is one part of a toolbox which is a resource provided to trainees, trainers and assessors to help you become competent in various areas of your work. The toolbox consists of three elements: A for you to read and study at home or in class A Trainer Guide with Power Point slides to help your Trainer explain the content of the training material and provide class activities to help with practice An Assessment Manual which provides your Assessor with oral and written questions and other assessment tasks to establish whether or not you have achieved competency. The first thing you may notice is that this training program and the information you find in the seems different to the textbooks you have used previously. This is because the method of instruction and examination is different. The method used is called Competency based training (CBT) and Competency based assessment (CBA). CBT and CBA is the training and assessment system chosen by ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) to train people to work in the tourism and hospitality industry throughout all the ASEAN member states. What is the CBT and CBA system and why has it been adopted by ASEAN? CBT is a way of training that concentrates on what a worker can do or is required to do at work. The aim is of the training is to enable trainees to perform tasks and duties at a standard expected by employers. CBT seeks to develop the skills, knowledge and attitudes (or recognise the ones the trainee already possesses) to achieve the required competency standard. ASEAN has adopted the CBT/CBA training system as it is able to produce the type of worker that industry is looking for and this therefore increases trainees chances of obtaining employment. CBA involves collecting evidence and making a judgement of the extent to which a worker can perform his/her duties at the required competency standard. Where a trainee can already demonstrate a degree of competency, either due to prior training or work experience, a process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is available to trainees to recognise this. Please speak to your trainer about RPL if you think this applies to you. What is a competency standard? Competency standards are descriptions of the skills and knowledge required to perform a task or activity at the level of a required standard. 242 competency standards for the tourism and hospitality industries throughout the ASEAN region have been developed to cover all the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to work in the following occupational areas: Housekeeping Food Production Food and Beverage Service Front Office 1

8 Introduction to trainee manual Travel Agencies Tour Operations. All of these competency standards are available for you to look at. In fact you will find a summary of each one at the beginning of each under the heading Unit Descriptor. The unit descriptor describes the content of the unit you will be studying in the and provides a table of contents which are divided up into Elements and Performance Criteria. An element is a description of one aspect of what has to be achieved in the workplace. The Performance Criteria below each element details the level of performance that needs to be demonstrated to be declared competent. There are other components of the competency standard: Unit Title: statement about what is to be done in the workplace Unit Number: unique number identifying the particular competency Nominal hours: number of classroom or practical hours usually needed to complete the competency. We call them nominal hours because they can vary e.g. sometimes it will take an individual less time to complete a unit of competency because he/she has prior knowledge or work experience in that area. The final heading you will see before you start reading the is the Assessment Matrix. Competency based assessment requires trainees to be assessed in at least 2 3 different ways, one of which must be practical. This section outlines three ways assessment can be carried out and includes work projects, written questions and oral questions. The matrix is designed to show you which performance criteria will be assessed and how they will be assessed. Your trainer and/or assessor may also use other assessment methods including Observation Checklist and Third Party Statement. An observation checklist is a way of recording how you perform at work and a third party statement is a statement by a supervisor or employer about the degree of competence they believe you have achieved. This can be based on observing your workplace performance, inspecting your work or gaining feedback from fellow workers. Your trainer and/or assessor may use other methods to assess you such as: Journals Oral presentations Role plays Log books Group projects Practical demonstrations. Remember your trainer is there to help you succeed and become competent. Please feel free to ask him or her for more explanation of what you have just read and of what is expected from you and best wishes for your future studies and future career in tourism and hospitality. 2

9 Unit descriptor Unit descriptor This unit deals with the skills and knowledge required to Develop and monitor culturally appropriate tourism activity in a range of settings within the travel industries workplace context. Unit Code: D2.TCS.CL5.08 D2.TTG.CL3.07 Nominal Hours: 70 Element 1: Research the culture Performance Criteria 1.1 Identify sources of information about the selected community and culture 1.2 Research the selected culture 1.3 Identify the aspects of specific cultures that may be suitable for cultural activities 1.4 Describe the interpretive approach to guiding 1.5 Consult with the relevant community to identify relevant cultural issues 1.6 Confirm research and knowledge with the selected community Element 2: Develop culturally appropriate activities Performance Criteria 2.1 Agree on appropriate cultural tourism activities with the selected community 2.2 Consider the impact of cultural tourism activity on the community 2.3 Design tourism activities that are acceptable and sensitive to the selected culture and community 2.4 Seek funding and support for the proposed activities 2.5 Modify activities on the basis of feedback from the relevant community 3

10 Unit descriptor Element 3: Implement culturally appropriate activities Performance Criteria 3.1 Provide notice to the community of intention to begin the activities 3.2 Supply identified support and resources to the community 3.3 Initiate the activities in accordance with the established and approved implementation plans Element 4: Monitor culturally appropriate activities Performance Criteria 4.1 Monitor the activities and actions of people 4.2 Amend activities where appropriate 4.3 Obtain feedback from customers and guide staff regarding the cultural tourism activity 4.4 Communicate with the specific community regarding their experience with the cultural tourism activity 4.5 Appraise the prepared plans for the cultural tourism activities 4

11 Assessment matrix Assessment matrix Showing mapping of Performance Criteria against Work Projects, Written Questions and Oral Questions The Assessment Matrix indicates three of the most common assessment activities your Assessor may use to assess your understanding of the content of this manual and your performance - Work Projects, Written Questions and Oral Questions. It also indicates where you can find the subject content related to these assessment activities in the (i.e. under which element or performance criteria). As explained in the Introduction, however, the assessors are free to choose which assessment activities are most suitable to best capture evidence of competency as they deem appropriate for individual students. Work Projects Written Questions Oral Questions Element 1: Research the culture 1.1 Identify sources of information about the selected community and culture 1.1 1, Research the selected culture Identify the aspects of specific cultures that may be suitable for cultural activities , Describe the interpretive approach to guiding 1.3 5, Consult with the relevant community to identify relevant cultural issues 1.6 Confirm research and knowledge with the selected community Element 2: Develop culturally appropriate activities 2.1 Agree on appropriate cultural tourism activities with the selected community 2.2 Consider the impact of cultural tourism activity on the community 2.3 Design tourism activities that are acceptable and sensitive to the selected culture and community 2.4 Seek funding and support for the proposed activities 2.5 Modify activities on the basis of feedback from the relevant community

12 Assessment matrix Element 3: Implement culturally appropriate activities Work Projects Written Questions Oral Questions 3.1 Provide notice to the community of intention to begin the activities 3.2 Supply identified support and resources to the community 3.3 Initiate the activities in accordance with the established and approved implementation plans Element 4: Monitor culturally appropriate activities 4.1 Monitor the activities and actions of people Amend activities where appropriate 4.2, Obtain feedback from customers and guide staff regarding the cultural tourism activity 4.4 Communicate with the specific community regarding their experience with the cultural tourism activity 4.5 Appraise the prepared plans for the cultural tourism activities 4.4, , ,

13 Glossary Glossary Term Abstract learning Artefact Aspect Auditory Brainstorming Cessation Charismatic Code of Practice Commencement Communication channels Consultation Contextualising Cultural tourism Curiosity De-brief Debt financing Dynamic learning Explanation This involves the learner using their imagination (mental imagery) to improve behaviours and actions that must be done to get to the goal Help create a picture of what a culture thought was important and what its major crafts or work was A part or feature of something Involves the transfer of information through listening Group creative activity by gathering a list of ideas to find a solution to a problem Something that comes to an end Having a stage presence will inspire people to listen to you Codes of practice relate to the agreed procedures that a company will abide by and require its staff to demonstrate The start of something Different ways of communicating; discussion, questioning, forums, interviews Discussion about an idea Instead of a tour being general in nature with information that is broad the tour should encompass the local perspective Cultural tourism relates to a particular country and region s culture: it highlights the diversity and uniqueness which distinguishes it from other cultures A strong desire to know or learning something Team members reflect on an experience or event and identify areas for improvement Where the lender provides the capital with an expectation that the capital is returned within a set time period The discovery of things in a self-directed way that motivates them to learn 7

14 Glossary Term Elders Empathetic Engagement Equity financing Facilitation Grant Hint Implementation Interpretive guiding Legislation Limitation Media Modify Negotiating Peak body Promise benefit Ratify Remedial action Research Restrictions Explanation Respected members of a community Put yourself in the other persons shoes and feel what they are feeling Building of relationships through trust and honesty This is a type of risk capital where the providers are entitled to a higher return on their investment Guiding the participant to obtain knowledge and information Designed so that the provider has no expectations that the funds will be repaid or the lender will make a profit Creates interest and stimulates thinking Putting something into practice The means by which tour guides turn factual information into something more meaningful The laws of a country A restriction on something A means of mass communication via TV, internet, books, magazines, brochures Make changes Find a way over or through an obstacle Association of industries or groups with allied interests Selling the benefits before the features of a product Give formal consent Fixing something so that it works again Searching for and gathering information to enable you to evaluate information and make informed decisions Something that limits your ability to do something 8

15 Glossary Term Social institutions Stakeholder Standard Operating Procedure Strategy Sustainable tourism Symbols Symbolic actions Visual Voice modulation Explanation Relate to family: the nuclear family, the extended family, parental roles, marriage and courtship and female/male roles Someone who has an interest in the business Businesses use policies and procedures as a way of ensuring that all employees are doing the same thing to the same standard A plan of action designed to achieve a long term goal As a tourist visiting a place and trying to make a positive impact on the environment, culture and economy Used to convey ideas and beliefs and may take the form of words, sounds, gestures or visual images May be literature and language The use of seen or observed things This is the tone of the voice and the natural rises and falls in tone in normal speech 9

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17 Research the culture Element 1: Research the culture 1.1 Identify sources of information about the selected community and culture Introduction Cultural tourism relates to a particular country and region s culture: it highlights the diversity and uniqueness which distinguishes it from other cultures. When we look at cultural tourism one definition is: Cultural tourism embraces the full range of experiences visitors can undertake to learn what makes a destination distinctive its lifestyle, its heritage, its arts, its people and the business of providing and interpreting that culture to visitors. (Source: Commonwealth of Australia Creative Nation, 1994) Culture and cultural tourism plays a critical role in building the visitor economy. Tourists not only want to visit monuments and sights, but they also want to consume the way of life of the areas visited so as to collect new knowledge and experiences. History and culture are strong influences on the tourist s choice of holiday destination. Cultural tourists can be classified as a function of their motivation to visit a destination and their depth of cultural experience. Let s look at the classification of these tourists. Classification Purposeful Sightseeing Casual Incidental Opportune Description Cultural tourists want to learn other s culture of heritage. This is a major reason for visiting a destination and this type of cultural tourist has a deep cultural experience. Learning about the other s culture of heritage is a major reason for visiting a destination, but this type of tourist has a shallower, entertainment-oriented experience. Cultural tourism reasons play a limited role in the decision to visit a destination and this type of cultural tourist engages the destination in a shallow manner. Cultural tourism plays little or no meaningful role in the destination decision making process, but while at the destination, may participate in cultural tourism activities, having a shallow experience. Cultural tourism plays little or no meaningful role in the decision to visit a destination, but while there, participates in cultural activities and encounters a deep experience. Source: Adapted from Beesley, Lisa, The potential role of cultural tourism on the Gold Coast, pg. 2 CRC for Sustainable Tourism P/L 11

18 Research the culture It s important to understand the cultural tourist market when deciding on the activities you will be developing, as it will enable you to design activities around this market or to influence an emerging market. But before we can develop and monitor cultural tourist activities we need to research the culture and use a number of sources of information to do this. Community and culture Culture can mean different things to different people and the range of activities that comes under the cultural tourism umbrella is very broad. Culture can be described as the socially constructed and learned ways of behaving and believing that identify individual and distinct social groups. Culture is how people in a community live. It includes their ideas, language, religion and history. All cultures are alike in some ways because all people have the same needs. For example all cultures need food and shelter. The kind of food and shelter will depend on their culture. Community will include: Any community that is in the vicinity of a tour group while the tour is being conducted Domestic or foreign, small or large, nearby or remote cultural sites Towns/villages, including individual homes and/or buildings, significant sites, galleries, cultural centres, ceremonies, activities and natural sites. Strong, vibrant communities have a diverse range of cultural activities that regularly bring the community together. It is this that the cultural tourist wants to experience. Sources of information There are many sources of information to assist you in researching cultures and communities. You may already know what your cultural tourism activity you are going to develop is and these sources of information can be used to provide additional knowledge. Some sources will enable you to gather generic information and others are specific to the culture and community. This is a sample of the sources available to assist you. Sources of information General media Print based such as books, magazines or brochures/flyers that enable you to access information on a range of community and cultural activity topics and they can be used to gather ideas. Libraries, good book stores, newsagencies, tourist information centres and travel agencies can provide these. Electronic information can accessed on the internet or via an e-book or e-brochure. The use of smartphones, tablets and laptops mean that people can access information at the press of a button or touch of a screen. The beauty of this medium is that information is instant and portable. 12

19 Research the culture Sources of information Internet and social media Elders and key people within the selected community Colleagues Formal training Modern technology has changed how you source information and do business. As mentioned above this gives you instant access to a huge amount of information, as long as you have Wi-Fi. Social media enables people to interact and converse online. You may be able to communicate with communities directly online using social media or post a question that enables you to gather information. Social media encompasses Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and Foursquare. Online travel review sites, forums and blogs such as Trip Advisor, Lonely Planet, Virtual Tourist, Blogger and Wordpress all enable you to either communicate directly with communities or read a plethora of valuable information that will inform you. You will also be able to post questions and get opinions that will guide you to make valuable decisions. When we use elders or other key people in a community as a source of information it is very important to ensure we respect the culture, land and elders or key people. They can be an invaluable source for us where we may: Learn about the culture by talking to people and reading different texts Consult and ask to use community/cultural resources and references. Ask for advice and do things the right way and not the wrong way. This is an excellent way for you to obtain information. Ask people you work with or are a part of your network to share their knowledge ask questions or their opinion or about their experiences. Training can be internal or external but structured, formal training can provide direct information about cultures and communities. Elders or community leaders can be involved in the training so the information is valuable as it comes directly from them. You can ask questions, run ideas past them and get them involved in your activity. 13

20 Research the culture 1.2 Research the selected culture Introduction Now that we have sourced the information we need to do thorough research to ensure we develop a culturally appropriate tourist activity. Researching is searching for and gathering information to enable you to evaluate information and make informed decisions. The more research you undertake, the more informed you are and the better prepared you will be for everything that can and will happen. Different types of research There are various types of research you can conduct on your selected culture. Research Desk-top research Experiencing the culture first hand How do we do this? Desk-top research involves collecting information from existing sources. These can be both internal and external sources. This is a good starting point as you can use the resources you already have. This means that information is readily available and it is also a cost effective way of gathering information. You can also gather an incredible amount of information online. You can go specifically to a targeted website that relates directly to the community or related culture. Alternatively if this approach is not successful you can do an internet search using a search engine such as Google, Bing or Safari. This can be effective research if you search for relevant key words otherwise it can be time consuming trying to find applicable information. An example may be that you wish to develop a hot air ballooning tourist activity around the temples in Myanmar. There are thousands of temples and you are unsure of the region. So you can do a search on temples in Myanmar or hot air ballooning temples Myanmar and see what comes out of that search. You may find that Bagan Archaeological Zone is identified which has four main settlements that would be ideal for this tourist activity. This is a good place to explore further and the power of desk-top research. Nothing beats experiencing the culture first hand and some of the best research you can do. This means eating the food, visiting the sites, travelling on local public transport, talking to locals, buying arts and crafts, experiencing the festivals and ceremonies. Travel review sites like Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet will enable you to read information about other people s experiences and then incorporate these into yours. Experiencing the culture enables you to trial some of your ideas, ask questions and talk to some key people. An example may be that you wish to organise trekking tours in the north of Lao between the borders of China and Vietnam. You may want to hike in the mountains, explore the hidden villages, stay in the local villages, go caving and river cruising and visit waterfalls. That way you get to experience firsthand the ethnic diversity, village life and local landscape. You will also get to experience some of the challenges you will face in developing a cultural tourist activity that is safe and mindful of the local culture and communities. 14

21 Research the culture Research Talking to elders and designated people within the specific community Talking to colleagues Undertaking training courses How do we do this? Seeking advice and talking to elders and designated people in the community is a vital part of your research you will undertake. You can use your other forms of research to gather your information then you can use the elders and other relevant community people to confirm your research and provide additional insight. In this way you are using them in a consultative and advisory capacity. Your colleagues may have direct knowledge of the culture as they may have experienced this themselves or know someone that has. Structured talks may take the form of staff meetings or focus groups that enable discussion, questioning and brainstorming. You may want to undertake training relating to the culture, cultural sensitivity, languages or specific to the tourism activity. You may also be able to attend training within the actual community in which you would like to develop the tourism activity. Cultural awareness training is a significant foundation on which to develop understanding and respect, leading to the development of trust, without which successful community relationships will not flourish. You may want elders or key people in the community to attend training with you so they can also be exposed to the content and what you are doing/what you want to do. You may also want to try and have a community elder as a mentor that can guide you in your tourism activity development, planning and marketing it. This mentoring will go hand in hand with the training you may undertake. The research you undertake will enable you to be more aware, understanding and appreciative of the culture and community, as this will guide the development of your tourist activity. 15

22 Research the culture 1.3 Identify the aspects of specific cultures that may be suitable for cultural activities Introduction Aspect means a part or feature of something. If we are going to develop a culturally appropriate tourist activity we need to learn about the various aspects of the specific culture. Aspects of specific cultures These are some aspects of specific cultures that may guide the choice of your cultural tourism activity you are going to develop. Aspects of specific cultures Art, dance and music Storytelling, including legends and histories Tools and implements More information A lot of cultures will have a long and rich history of art, dance and music that have the distinctive characteristics of their culture. Traditional music plays an important role in the local life that expresses feelings and encourages and communicates to people to have a happy and better life. Music ranges from ritual, chamber, ensemble and folk. The art of dance ranges from folk, royal, ritual and religious. Traditional fine arts may take on other cultures influences and can include sculpture, painting, pottery and ceramics, architecture, crafting and casting. An example of cultural activities around art, dance and music could include the art performance of Vietnam including Tuong singing, Then singing, Cai Luong performance, Chau Van singing, Cheo singing, Water Puppetry, Hue s Royal Court Music. These are stories told and passed through the generations of a culture. They are a set of traditional beliefs held by the people of the country, a region or a community. An example of cultural activities around legends could include tours of Sentosa (Singapore) and the storey of the origins of its original name of Pulau Blakang Mati. Tools and implements include those items used for agriculture and household management. They show how a culture lived and currently live. They include many items but some may be ploughs, harrows, mallets, sickles, axes, hand mills, winnowers, sieves, shearers, skinners, hand hoes, chisels, saws, hammers and shovels. An example of cultural activities around tools and implements could include tours of a working farm or farm museums where these tools and implements were once used. An historical tool and a modern tool could be display for comparison. 16

23 Research the culture Aspects of specific cultures Foods Artefacts Symbols and symbolic actions Rituals, rites, ceremonies and celebrations Heroes, significant figures and individuals Beliefs, assumptions, values and attitudes More information Tours based on food can be diverse as there are so many different cuisines and produce and often the food of one culture may be influenced by food from another culture. Food is seasonal and also regional so any tourist activities must consider this. Food tasting, wine and beer tasting, markets, street food, tea and coffee plantations, farms, cooking classes, artisan craftsman as just some activities that tours could be based on. An example of cultural activities around foods could include cooking class where participants learn how to cook local Malaysian food. The participants meet at the fresh produce market and buy all of the ingredients, learning about the different types of food available, and then they go to a kitchen, cook the fresh produce and eat it. Artefacts are made by humans and are typically of cultural or historical interest. Artefacts help create pictures of what a culture thought was important and what its major crafts or work was. Some examples of artefacts are statues, jewellery, pottery, arrowheads and coins. An example of cultural activities around artefacts could include the national museum, sculptures and objects from the temples of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Symbols are used to convey ideas and beliefs and may take the form of words, sounds, gestures or visual images. Symbolic actions may be literature and language. An example of symbols could include using the Merlion (heraldic sea-lions) to market your cultural tours of Singapore or the elephant to market your cultural tours of Thailand. Brunei uses four feathers in their flag that symbolises justice, tranquillity, prosperity and peace. These can be used to market your cultural tours of Brunei. Rites or rituals are often ceremonies (usually religious) and fall into 3 main categories: - Rites of passage where individuals will change their social status, such as weddings, baptism, graduation. - Communal rites where communities come together to celebrate or worship. - Personal devotion including prayer and pilgrimages. An example of cultural activities around rituals, ceremonies and celebrations could include taking tours of the Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Indonesia. These are people that have had a significant influence on the culture of a country. They may be war heroes, politicians, TV personalities, musicians, activists, religious leaders, sportsmen, artists etc. An example of cultural activities around prominent figures could include taking tours to the wax museum or the Kranji War Memorial in Singapore. Tourist activities must consider the beliefs, assumptions, values and attitudes of the particular culture. It s important to be respectful of these and ensure the tour group is aware of these prior to undertaking the tour. Elders and other community leaders will be helpful in explaining these and working with you on developing a tour that is appropriate and respectful An example of developing a cultural activity in Myanmar around beliefs, assumptions, values and attitudes would include being respectful of taking photos that may embarrass others, no pointing with the foot, wearing decent clothing when visiting religious sites, tucking away your feet, not touching others on the head and no public kissing to name a few. 17

24 Research the culture Aspects of specific cultures Language Religion Education Social institutions The environment More information Travellers may want to learn the language so they can learn local expressions and conversation tools together with a grounding to build on the language during their travels. An example of cultural activities around language could include learning Vietnamese expressions and conversation tools that enable you to practice in the streets and markets of Hanoi. Pagodas, churches, temples, mosques, synagogues and shrines all make up religious monuments that tourists will want to visit. An example of cultural activities around religion could include a tour of the religious monuments of Yangon, Myanmar. This could coincide with the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival in February/March each year. Educational tours are experiential and may encompass language, culture, traditions, food etc. An example of cultural activities around education could include sending a group of Indonesian school children on an educational tour of Lao. Social institutions relate to family: the nuclear family, the extended family, parental roles, marriage and courtship and female/male roles. An example of cultural activities around social situations could include staying with a family in a village in Brunei and experiencing the culture and their way of life. The primary focus is to experience natural areas that foster environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation. When developing your cultural tour you might like to deliver a range of environmentally friendly services and products. An example of cultural activities around the environment could include ecotours of the nationally protected areas of Lao. 18

25 Research the culture 1.4 Describe the interpretive approach to guiding Introduction Interpretation is the means by which tour guides turn factual information into something more meaningful. An interpretive approach to guiding commonly uses face-to-face methods and is frequently supported by interpretive media and aids. Interpretation is not information. It s not a visitor centre, a sign, a brochure or the pointing out of attractions as they pop into view. It s not a slide show or a role play. These are merely techniques by which interpretation can be delivered. Interpretation goes beyond focusing on the oldest, the largest or the rarest It leaves people moved, their assumptions challenged and their interest in learning stimulated. Good interpretation is still thought about at breakfast the next morning or over the dinner table the next week. If properly delivered, interpretation not only enriches a tourism experience it provides the foundation for remembering and reliving it (Simon McArthur 1998, Interpretation Researcher) Engaging the participants Interpretive guiding is all about engaging participants. So a successful guide will have the following characteristics: Be enthusiastic show enjoyment and interest in your participants and in what you do Be approachable show friendliness, you are accessible, welcoming and easy to talk to Be self-confident be secure in yourself and your abilities as people will believe and invest in you more if you have a self-confident persona Be flexible things change all of the time to being flexible to adapt to altered circumstances is important; you must also be open minded to do this Be empathetic put yourself in the other persons shoes and feel what they are feeling Have a sense of humour see the funny side of things and have fun, it s infectious Be a good communicator being able to talk to people using positive body language, simple words, no slang or jargon and being able to communicate your message to participants is important in being able to communicate a message Have a professional appearance the way you are dressed and your personal presentation reflects your professionalism Be knowledgeable you need to have knowledge or you will find it difficult to answer questions and be able to pass on information Be charismatic having a stage presence will inspire people to listen to you. 19

26 Research the culture Interpretative guiding should stimulate, provoke and inspire by: Provoking thought as this will stimulate interest and make the participant think a lot Providing entertainment as this will make the experience enjoyable and fun Satisfying the visitors curiosity as your participants are there because they are curious and are eager to learn something Being relevant and interactive so the participant can participate and enjoy the experience. Providing a verbal commentary A commentary is an informative verbal presentation that engages empathy or emotion to participants and help people understand and appreciate what they actually see. Remember that an excellent commentary can turn a tour into a fascinating experience. So it is important that guides have good preparation and presentation skills. When you are preparing and presenting commentary, you should ask yourself What will satisfy my customers. Customers are seeking to enjoy a new experience. The information contained in a commentary must enhance their enjoyment of that experience. A guide s commentary skills influence customer perceptions of the company or site which has provided the tourism product. The verbal commentary must be able to explain and translate the characteristics, significance and features of the tour. Customers are usually satisfied with a commentary when: They receive the right amount of information to meet their needs The information they receive is relevant, correct and up-to-date The information is interesting, entertaining and they learn something new The information is well organised. The guide s voice must consider: Vocal clarity having clear pronunciation so that individual words stand out Vocal pitch and projection this is the volume of the voice so they can be heard by the group Voice modulation this is the tone of the voice and the natural rises and falls in tone in normal speech Theme the theme is the key focal point or idea which the guide has selected to convey about the broad topic and its related issues. Attributing local and cultural meaning An interpretive approach to guiding involves being able to tell a story in a meaningful way. It is very important when doing this that the guide provides participants information and explanations about the place honestly without prejudice. The guide must ensure a factual presentation, making sure to distinguish the truth, stories, legends and traditions. So they must attribute local and cultural meaning to sights and activities. 20

27 Research the culture Facilitating learning, understanding and awareness Learning is engagement that changes perception, belief or behaviour. Facilitation is about guiding the participant to obtain knowledge and information, working collaboratively to achieve objectives. Actively involve visitors by facilitating the individual and groups involvement. Interpretation techniques should encompass all learning styles. People will learn in different ways so unless you can accommodate different learning approaches to your commentary not everyone will be able to learn effectively and walk away from the tourist activity with understanding and awareness. Consider these learning styles: Learning style Visual learning Auditory learning Dynamic learning Symbolic/abstract learning Explanation This involves seeing and reading and the learning involves the use of seen or observed things. These learners have a preference for watching and gaining their information. They will benefit from learning formats with an emphasis on pictures, diagrams, colours, shapes, written material. This involves listening and speaking and the learning involves the transfer of information through listening. These learners prefer discussion, questions, stories and music. Dynamic learning is an engaged and reflective participation in a life creating process that builds new knowledge and enhances (changes) the skills and competence appropriate to the given personal, social and technical context of importance of the learner. These learners like to discover things in a self-directed way that motivates them to learn. This involves the learner using their imagination (mental imagery) to improve behaviours and actions that must be done to get to the goal. So the learner will paint a great landscape in their head before actually taking the brush and painting the picture. In context the participant will think about the site they are visiting and have a mental picture of it and preconceived ideas about what they are going to experience, see and learn. Once they see it their behaviours and perceptions will change to reflect the actual experience. Contextualising the tour Instead of a tour being general in nature with information that is broad the tour should encompass the local perspective. This is called contextualising a tour. Contextualising a tour is all about creating an atmosphere for travellers to engage with local experts; to give them access to places and cultures that might otherwise remain out of sight to the casual visitor; to invite them off the tourist track and into the real life of the people, history and culture that makes these cultural experiences amazing. 21

28 Research the culture Generating respect Unfortunately often tourism can have a negative impact on local communities, customs, history and people when done without respect or consideration. Many tourists fail to research before they go and simple mistakes, which can often be avoided, are often made, causing offence to local people. Tourists are often unwilling to completely immerse themselves in the local culture and this means in order to keep the customs, local communities must adjust to the needs of the tourist. However with a little consideration much of the problems can be solved. So educate people to appreciate local customs, history and people. Make an effort to meet local people that will give tourists an insight into the way they live and make for a pleasurable interaction that will build respect. Meeting people can reduce negative perceptions and develop appreciation and understanding. Provoking curiosity, thought and encouraging personal reflection Your tours should be interesting in a way that makes the visitor think of new ideas or that changes their attitude to something. They should create curiosity as that draws people towards you, making them want to know more. Telling the visitor everything will satisfy their curiosity but to encourage curiosity, give them a taste and not the whole story. To provoke curiosity follow these steps: Hints hinting will create interest and get us thinking, making us curious. So rather than telling the visitor outright, drop some hints Promise benefit a good sales person will sell the benefits before the features of a product. A benefit is what the visitor will gain by using or participating in the product Partial images showing visitors a part of something will make them want to see the rest. You may show a single picture of the famous Ha Long Bay on a tour of North Vietnam but not all of the seascape, islands, lakes, caves and other interesting things to see in that area Slow reveal this can be done either verbally or in pictures. It is common for a verbal reveal to happen all of the time as visitors can guess what is ahead of them. So pause and show them things slowly so it takes time for them to reflect. Lead them on a journey of discovery. 22

29 Research the culture Bringing the tour to life When you experience a different culture through learning and participation the visitor will gain a deeper understanding of the people and culture. This will bring a tour to life. Visitors can immerse themselves in the local culture by being given an insight into the history, have a physical interaction with the site or local people, walk among the ruins, taste the local foods, participate in a ceremony or dance. These will all bring a tour to life and will enable the visitor to feel like they are a part of the culture of the country. It will leave a lasting connection to the culture. Participants may also be engaged by using interactive media and aids. This may involve the use of technology where smart devices can provide some interactive and informative information that supports the verbal commentary of the guide. Building relationships Creating respect between the environment and the tour group will ensure that visitors not only minimise the impact on the environment but also feel connected to place they are in. Building the relationship can be done through creating an environment of learning where knowledge is gained through positive interactions, respect and trust. This in turn will enable the group to feel comfortable and connected to the environment. 23

30 Research the culture 1.5 Confirm research and knowledge with the selected community Introduction Cultural tourism brings together many different perspectives: preservation, the arts, museums, local sites, communities, governments and more. By working together, you can accomplish much more than working alone. It is important to involve the community in shaping your tourism activity, as this will enable you to identify relevant cultural issues and develop a culturally appropriate tourism activity. Consulting with the community Before developing a cultural tourism activity you need to find out: Who knows about the natural and cultural places in the area? Who are the indigenous/traditional owners and/or custodians? Who owns the land/s associated with your project? Who manages the land/site? Who has legal responsibility for the land/site? Who lives or has lived at these places? Understanding the interest of each stakeholder helps in planning your activity. This should be identified as early as possible as this will assist you in the steps to take in your planning process. Consulting with the local community may answer a lot of these questions or you may find this out prior by doing research so you know who to consult with first. So when developing your activity ask How can the community be involved in the development of my tourism activity and participate in the ongoing management of it? What to do? Identifying cultural aspects: To be addressed by tourism activity Not to be addressed by tourism activity How we do this? You already have an idea about the cultural activity you wish to develop but until you do all of your research and consult with the community you may not fully understand all of the aspects involved in the activity. Or you know the cultural activity but when you consult with the community they disagree with aspects of your activity. Example 1 you may wish to set up a cultural activity that involves tourists participating in local ceremonies or festivals. When you speak with the community you realise that aspects may be dangerous or confronting for some of the tourists. Example 2 - you may wish to set up an art precinct that focuses on traditional paintings, sculpture, pottery and ceramics. But when you talk to the community some of the artworks are cultural icons and they do not want them displayed for religious reasons. They may agree to certain aspects only. 24

31 Research the culture What to do? Determining cultural issues relevant to the community Gaining the support, cooperation and trust of the community How we do this? This may be done via the research you conducted at the beginning of your project. The internet is a very good source of information however ensure you check any facts prior to going to the community. Talking to people external to the community such as government, business owners and people who have some influence in the community are all good sources of information. There may also be government department such as the Bureau of Statistics that you can research and find out more about cultures from a statistical point of view. Information may relate to education, populations, gender, religion and more. The community itself and senior people, such as elders or aunties and uncles, can provide direct information on the cultural issues within their community. However unless they trust you or you have an existing relationship they may not be forth coming with information. This may take some time especially if there is no existing relationship. Often local communities are distrustful of people from other countries or even other localities within the same country that want to use their land, sites, culture etc. It is wise to begin consulting with the community right from the start. To build community support for your project the community must be well informed. This helps build trust, understanding and support and also enables you to learn more about their culture. Gather information to develop a community social profile, which helps create an effective communication strategy. A community social profile provides an overview of your local community. It gives a summary of what most people are like, what has changed over time and how the community is distinctive. It may also provide other useful information such as community challenges, population and age structure, religion, employment and income, education levels, households and families etc. This can provide a snapshot of the community so you are going into the project well informed. In turn this also builds trust by knowing something about the community before talking to them. 25

32 Research the culture What to do? Establishing channels of communication to facilitate ongoing dialogue with the community Determining the resources and support that the community needs or wants in order to facilitate participation in the activity. How we do this? We don t just consult with the local community once and then develop our tourism activity. It s important to have open and honest ongoing communication mechanisms in place to keep the community informed and provide you with advice on various aspects of your project. You won t get far without community support so respectfully listen to them, ask appropriate questions, come up with solutions to issues and collaborative. Informal discussion/consultation allows you to keep in touch with key people, share ideas and informally gather input over the life of the project. This may be a few quick phone calls or s. Ask the community contact You may decide that daily, weekly, monthly meetings are important. The timeliness of meetings will depend on the stage of your project e.g. in the early stages you may meet more often than in the latter stages. Meetings may be face to face or via technology such as Skype, Viber, FaceTime etc. that means you can be anywhere in the world but still have access to the community via the use of modern technology. Phone, and video communication may or may not be an option, as communities in remote areas may not have access to technology or phones. You may like to develop: Working groups that will study and report on identified questions and make recommendations on its findings Community forums where a panel of experts share their knowledge and perspectives and the audience can ask questions. Community forums are a good way to raise awareness, get the community involved, demand action and get local media attention Advisory groups, as the name suggests, provides strategic advice and support to the business owner and/or local community. They are a safe place to discuss major issues or risks confronting the business. They do not make decisions but provide independent advice. Resources and support can include individuals, organisations, government, landscapes, equipment or anything that is relevant to your project. Develop a plan for assessing the needs and support for your project as it will give you a deeper understanding of the community as each community has its own needs and assets. This plan will also enable you and the community to consider what they currently have in place and how to use them as well as what they need and how to gain them. Developing your plan will involve community members from the very beginning and encourages trust and community buy in and support. You can develop a planning group that has representatives from the community that will assist in determining what is needed. Apart from the community other stakeholders could be involved in determining the resources and support that the community wants and needs. As mentioned above an independent advisory group may be able to assist with determining what resources and support are needed for your project. Government is also an invaluable source but it will depend on the country and the level of government. Local government is often called grassroots as it deals with matters that are close to home and that reflect community needs. So they are a good place to start. Influential people such as business leaders, activists, professional people that care about the community can provide advice or the support and resources needed and also be a part of your planning group. 26

33 Research the culture Cultural issues Cultural issues refer to all aspects of society that influence beliefs, opinions and choices e.g. religion, politics, and economy. You will need to consult with the local community to identify cultural issues relevant to your activity. Listed are some cultural issues you may face. This is by no means exclusive. Cultural issues? Appropriate activities and inappropriate activities Limitations on the use and disclosure of cultural information Restrictions on access to land, buildings, sites and natural attractions Use of appropriate staff to conduct activities as identified by the community Why? We must respect the countries culture: beliefs, opinions and choices. We need to decide what is an appropriate and what inappropriate cultural activity is. This is where getting advice from the local community and other stakeholders is vital in deciding what is fitting and what is not. Some examples are: That women need to cover their legs, knees and heads when visiting temples and shrines Foods that are sacred that must not be eaten e.g. Hindus not eating cows or meat Removal of shoes prior to walking into sacred sites, temples etc. There were recent media reports about some tourists that committed obscene acts in public when they removed some clothing for a dare on Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia. The mountain is regarded as sacred and they were ignorant of the culture, tradition and belief of the local people. Their behaviour was inappropriate. By explaining to visitors that the mountain is sacred and what is and isn t appropriate behaviour can enable a culturally appropriate tourist activity to be developed. Some cultures may pose restrictions on the use and disclosure of their cultural information. This may be to protect their intellectual property and/or their cultural history. So whilst in theory they may agree to your cultural activity there may be restrictions on the information you can provide to the visitor. These restrictions are either incorporated into your cultural tourist activity and explained to the visitor prior or you may need to change aspects of your activity to allow more information to be communicated to the visitor. You may need to gain a licence, permit or permission to visit certain land, buildings, sites and natural attractions. This may be due to restrictions on certain days, times, holidays because of religion, community celebration, health and safety or environmental restrictions. Local communities may be open to your tourist activity but restrict numbers or visitors, days or certain areas of a site to visitors. The community may need to approve of the staff you are going to use to conduct your tours. They may also need to spend time in the community, participating in ceremonies and living like a local before they are approved. Staff may need to be mentored by a local or attend training either in the community or by an approved training provider. The community may restrict who you can use and you may have to use a local community member for all or part of your tourist activity. Appropriate staff may need to go through an accreditation process that involves a combination of all of the above: training, mentoring and spending time in the community. At times appropriate staff may be based on gender as females may only be allowed in certain areas and males in certain areas. In this case you may need both male and female staff on your tour or local male and females for part of your tour. 27

34 Research the culture Cultural issues? The need to maintain and/or promote traditional and/or contemporary values and customs within the activity Accommodating differing negotiation and communication styles that exist between different cultures. Why? One of the challenges for developing a cultural tourist activity is to preserve the current cultures, whilst maintaining traditions and promoting modernisation. Tradition is unavoidable in understanding the present and giving a vision to the future. One of the main reasons a visitor will visit a country or site is to experience the local traditions and cultures. Modernising the experience may happen due to the use of technology to deliver or assist in the effectiveness of the tourist activity. Negotiating over the best course of action can be complicated by tensions between competing interests. Different stakeholders are likely to have different but equally legitimate priorities. At this point it is important to focus on the positive mutual interests that can link your tourism activity and the community and that can form the basis for cooperation. 28

35 Research the culture 1.6 Confirm research and knowledge with the selected community Introduction A lot of research is conducted prior to selecting your cultural tourist activity. This research enables you to gain valuable knowledge about the local culture, community and stakeholders you need to engage to develop your activity. Once you have conducted your research, planned your activity and engaged with whom you need to you are now ready to confirm what you know with the selected community. Confirming research and knowledge Now that your research is complete, you have the knowledge you require to present your cultural tourism activity to appropriate members of the community. These may be community members that you have been working with since day one or a select group of community leaders and elders that have come together for the purpose of reviewing your cultural tourism activity. You will need to outline your research and ideas into a format that is easy to present and understand. It may be something simple like the following: What needs to be done? (Your strategy) Who should be responsible and involved? What is your timeline and milestones? What resources and support are needed? How you're your strategy be monitored and evaluated? You may present your information in several ways: Written document that is presented formally Written document that is ed Written document that is discussed Verbally with some notes outlining your idea and how you will implement it. No matter the way you present your information you need to confirm that the community agrees with your research and plan in order to move into the development phase. 29

36 Research the culture Work Projects It is a requirement of this Unit you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer. You must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion of the project to your Trainer by the agreed date. Discuss with your trainer how you will liaise with the relevant community to complete the assessment tasks for this unit. 1.1 Identify a cultural tourism activity, select the relevant culture for this activity and identify the relevant community. Using different sources of information research the selected culture. Make sure you use different types of research for this project so you gain an accurate insight into the culture Now research the different aspects of your tourism activity and list the aspects that are relevant to your tourism activity Provide details of how you will develop an interpretative guiding approach for your tourism activity Now that you have researched your tourism activity you must consult with the relevant community and identify the relevant cultural issues within the community. Confirm the research you have conducted with relevant community members and make any recommended changes. 30

37 Research the culture Summary Research the culture When researching a culture it is important to: Identify the sources of information about the selected community and culture including the general media, internet and social media, elders and key people in the community, colleagues and attending formal training Research the selected culture by using different types of research including conducting desk-top research, experiencing the culture first hand, talking to elders and colleagues and undertaking training courses Identify aspects of specific cultures that may be suitable for cultural activities including art, dance, music, storytelling, tools and implements, artefacts, foods, symbols, rituals, rites, ceremonies, celebrations, beliefs, assumptions, values, attitudes, language, religion, education social institutions and the environment Describe the interpretive approach to guiding by engaging the participants, providing a verbal commentary, attributing local and cultural meaning, facilitating learning, contextualising the tour, generating respect, provoking curiosity, bringing the tour to life and building relationships Consult with the relevant community to identify relevant cultural issues Confirm the research and knowledge with the selected community 31

38 Research the culture 32

39 Develop culturally appropriate activities Element 2: Develop culturally appropriate activities 2.1 Agree on appropriate cultural tourism activities with the selected community Introduction Agreement of your cultural tourism activity by the local community is important to ensure that you develop a product that is culturally sensitive and appropriate. Once a particular idea or option looks like meeting most people s needs, your next step will be to seek agreement through the necessary formal and informal processes, including the selected community members. Agreement of your tourist activity The process of agreeing on your tourist activity may take some time, as the community may need to reflect on your proposal and talk to additional people that were not involved in the original process. Agreement may depend on certain conditions such as financial, behaviour, dress, accountability, cancellation of the activity etc. The community may also like to trial certain aspects of your proposal over a period of time and then refine it or they may change it or ultimately not go ahead. Agreement may also involve waiting on permissions, permits and licenses to be approved which may also involve government liaison. This may include things like environmental studies, safety approval, building approval that may impact on decisions and timelines. You may also need to renegotiate certain aspects of your agreement that may have changed after the trials or other requirements that were not thought of during the initial research and planning stages. As you obtain agreements and support, make sure you document this for future reference. You can document this on your development plan and it may be documented in a formal contract that you have with the community. Any formal contracts should be reviewed carefully and checked by a lawyer prior to signing it. 33

40 Develop culturally appropriate activities 2.2 Consider the impact of cultural tourism activity on the community Introduction The impacts of cultural tourism activities are the effects on host communities of direct and indirect relations with tourists and of interaction with the tourism industry. We want our tourist activity to be sustainable. We will consider the impacts here. Considering the impact of cultural tourism When researching, planning and developing our tourist activities we need to consider the impacts, both positive and negative, on the communities. Positive impacts must be enhanced to ensure the community benefits greatly from this where the negative impacts must be eliminated or if not possible reduced to a minimum. Whilst this may not always be possible these must be discussed with the selected community and a contingency plan put in place to deal with this. Impact Economic Including The financial costs to, and benefits from, the proposed activity. Why? Tourism activities can: Provide jobs directly through, hotels, restaurants, taxis etc. and indirectly through tourism related businesses e.g. Food agriculture Provide new businesses that are needed to service the tourists e.g. Souvenir shops, cafes Diversify the local economy Increase revenue from tourist sites as more people are visiting or previously there were no charges. These charges can go towards upkeep of the site, wages etc. Alleviates poverty due to money coming into the economy Increase standard of living due to more money, infrastructure being developed e.g. Roads, transport, buildings, bridges, and airports. Some negatives are that: Tourism revenues can be transferred out of the host country Local businesses and products can be excluded. Increase in prices due to demand for basic services and goods from tourists and often this causes raised prices that have a negative impact on the local community whose income does not increase proportionately. 34

41 Develop culturally appropriate activities Impact Social Cultural Environmental Including Assessment of the potential for, and impacts of, social dislocation. Determining the potential damage, and benefits, that may result to the existing elements of the specific culture. Impact on flora and fauna, pollution, degradation to sites/land, visual amenity of the area, energy and facilities. Why? It will depend on the size and location of your tourism activity as to whether this may impact urbanisation and thus cause social dislocation problems. People may have lived in that part of the city/community for generations and due to the influx of tourists, needs for more businesses, infrastructure, transport etc. local community members are forced out of their homes to make way for urbanisation. This has the obvious impact of people losing their homes, but the impact is also on schools, agriculture, community structure, family relationships and social stress. Growth of mass tourism is often associated with increased crime and can provide opportunities for exploitation of vulnerable members of communities. Tourism can bring about a real sense of pride and identity to communities. By spotlighting their way of life, history and culture, local traditions and cultures may be preserved. Building community pride in their heritage. It can also help raise local awareness concerning the financial value of natural and cultural sites. Tourism may also have the opposite effect where traditional values are eroded by introducing foreign elements which are in conflict with the cultural, historical and religious heritage of the community. Tourism can turn local culture into a commodity where traditions and festivals conform to tourist expectations. Cultural goods may become commercialised due to the demand from visitors to change traditional arts, crafts and souvenirs to suit their expectations and needs. Tourism can provide financial support for the conservation of ecosystems and the management of natural resources. This will make the destination more authentic and desirable to visitors. Most of the negative impacts occur when the volume of visitors is greater than the environments ability to cope. Some consequences include a strain on resources such as water, energy, food and natural habitats. It may also lead to soil erosion, pollution, waste, loss of biodiversity and endangering animals and plants. 35

42 Develop culturally appropriate activities Development of strategies Development of effective and acceptable strategies to manage identified negative and positive impacts. By planning the tourist activity at an early stage mistakes and damages can be prevented thereby avoiding the gradual deterioration of economic, social, cultural and environmental assets. The use of water and energy saving measures, waste minimisation, using environmentally friendly material can all help to decrease the impact on the community. Your strategy development is based on: The information you collected during your research Interviews with stakeholders including the local community The potential objectives and how you are going to reach these objectives Recommendations by engineers and other experts Current legislation Any sustainable tourism strategies the host country already has in place. Your strategy will be part of your action plan for a cultural tourism activity. It needs to be clear and can be used as a useful measure that outlines an efficient and coordinated action. Each tourism activity is unique and therefore each strategy must be sensitive to the activities unique assets and challenges while delivering the goals of the activity. 36

43 Develop culturally appropriate activities 2.3 Design tourism activities that are acceptable and sensitive to the selected culture and community Introduction When we are designing our tourism activities we need to ensure we consider the selected culture and community. This will enable us to develop an activity that is acceptable and sensitive to community needs. Designing tourism activities There are many things to consider when we are designing our tourism activities. This list is by no means all that we need to consider but it will assist you to develop acceptable and sensitive tourism activities. Tourism activities Community engagement Community agreement Obtaining authorisations and permissions What to consider? Encouraging community engagement with and involvement in, the planning and development process is vital as this will ensure that we are developing tourism activities that are sensitive and acceptable to the community. This community engagement may be done in numerous ways such as: - Community meeting or forum - Interviewing and talking to a cross section of the community - Conducting your research and then confirming the details with the community You may need to have this engagement on a regular basis during your development and planning stages to get the tourism activity right. You will also use different approaches to gathering your information so you don t just rely on one source and it creates an opportunity to engage with a greater number of people. Gaining agreement from the community about the nature and implementation of the planned activity is important for you to move forward. This should really be done in stages to enable agreement before moving on to the next part of the project. Agreement may require negotiation skills but ultimately the end result should be win win. It will depend on your cultural tourism activity as to the type of authorisations and permissions you will need. These may require government approval and/or community approval prior to implementing your plan. You will need written confirmation that you are authorised to go ahead with your activity. This written confirmation will protect you in case of a dispute about permissions etc. 37

44 Develop culturally appropriate activities Tourism activities Designing strategies Developing Codes of Practice Implementation plan preparation Staff training Ensuring cultural appropriateness Identifying appropriate behaviour What to consider? Once you have done your research, consulted with experts and the community you will need to cost your project. It is important that when you are designing your strategies and procedures you balance economic viability with cultural appropriateness. You may find after completing a feasibility study that your tourism activity will be very expensive to implement. This will require you to revise what you do so that the balance is appropriate. Some external advice may be sought with a financial advisor or government department that can work with you on balancing the cultural activity and making it financially viable. Codes of practice relate to the agreed procedures that a tour company will abide by and require its staff to demonstrate when conducting a tour that includes a cultural tourism activity. Codes of practice should be developed in conjunction with the community to support the introduction and implementation of identified activities. Developed Codes of Practice may relate to: Involving appropriate persons in the delivery of the activity to tour groups Describing appropriate and inappropriate staff behaviour when presenting a cultural activity Nominating appropriate staff for different cultural activities Providing guidelines for language skill requirements of tour guides Providing guidelines on the use of culturally sensitive information Providing guidelines for negotiation with communities including dispute resolution, contract negotiation and further development of existing activities. You will need to prepare implementation plans for your activity. These are written plans that are presented to the select community for approval. You may need to make changes to your plans after they are presented to the selected community. Staff will need to be trained in relation to the activity, including cultural sensitivity and awareness training that embraces respect for different cultures and stresses the need for staff to demonstrate appropriate cultural sensitivity and respect with tour group customers. Your tourism activity must ensure cultural appropriateness of all activities that are identified and planned. This includes: Conducting trials as this enables you to see your activity in action Obtaining feedback from the community Modifying activities, as required. Appropriate behaviour by tour guides and tour group members will need to be identified during the cultural tourism activities. 38

45 Develop culturally appropriate activities Tourism activities Sharing information to tour groups Developing promotional materials What to consider? When consulting with the community you will determine the nature, scope and detail of information that is to be, or is allowed to be, shared with tour group members as part of the identified activity. Some communities will only want certain details to be revealed, especially if it relates to rituals, traditions or beliefs that are sacred to the community. You will need promotional materials to advertise and promote your tourism activity. Another name for this is collateral. Your collateral may be brochures, flyers, videos, ebooks, catalogues etc. When developing your collateral you will need to design the handout materials that: Is accurate Avoids cultural stereotyping stereotyping is labelling people because of their race, religion, gender, skin colour e.g. all Asians respect their elders Avoids images that are considered taboo to the culture Respects and protects the intellectual property rights and copyright of the community this means that if the community owns images and content that is theirs you must get permission to use it and acknowledge it in the collateral. You will also need to develop your commentary and this is also known as collateral. The same rules apply except that you need to be respectful and sensitive to the community with your choice of words. The community engagement will enable you to develop some excellent collateral that will provide your tourism activity and the local community. Once you have designed appropriate and sensitive tourism activities you are ready to progress to the next stage of your project. 39

46 Develop culturally appropriate activities 2.4 Seek funding and support for the proposed activities Introduction It will depend on your tourist activity as to whether you need funding and financial support or not. It is highly likely that you will, especially if you are looking at the mass tourist market or where construction and infrastructure of some sort is concerned. Whenever funding is sought you will need to have a good business plan that outlines your understanding of the market, the financial analysis of the business including project costs, types of funding sort, risks to investors and lenders and a feasibility study of your project. In addition you may have to prepare an investment brief that describes the logic underpinning an investment and identifies the likely costs, risks, dependencies and deliverables of the proposed solution. Funding options Potential providers of credit and potential investors will have their own priorities, investment criteria, credit evaluation process and risk requirements. There may be a single investor who provides all of the funding or there may be numerous investors and lenders providing a share of the capital each in the form of loans, donations, investments etc. There are two main categories of funding options: PUBLIC: Asking the government and government agencies for assistance and financial support, including the supply of funds such as grants, resources, taxation relief or subsidies. Government grants or subsidies may be available for sustainable tourist activities only, as these types of activities will protect the environment and have the local community as a priority. Other public sources of funding may include the International Financing Institutions (IFI s) such as the World Bank Group and the Asian Development Banks. Most IFI s have a private sector window that provides equity for projects that meet their social, environmental and financial lending criteria. It is common for these lenders to support private sector development and stimulate private investment in developing countries. There is a degree of risk for them but they do support these types of projects. IFI s tend not to support small and medium projects due to the costs involved in processing the loan and managing the investment however they have specialised funds with local partners and sometimes private investors. PRIVATE: Seeking a joint venture partner may enable you to do more with your tourist activity. They may be silent partners that just provide the funding and want a return on investment or they may want a more active role in the activity. As they are private investors there may be more flexibility and fewer restrictions than public funding. Private funding also includes profit and not-for-profit organisations where funds come from non-governmental (NGO) sources e.g. foundations, companies or individuals. The Global Environmental Facility is a partnership between 182 member countries, United Nations agencies, the World Bank, regional development banks such as the Asian 40

47 Develop culturally appropriate activities Development Bank and other lenders are one of the leading providers of financing that includes grants, for projects in the developing world that support environmental conservation. For more information go to Your funding may be a mixture of both public and private sector investment and lending. An example would be that a government will provide private investors with tax breaks, subsidies, guarantees or particular infrastructure in return for the investment. The three main types of project funding are: Grants which come from both the public and private sectors. Grants are designed so that the provider has no expectations that the funds will be repaid or the lender will make a profit. There returns may be social, cultural and environmental Equity financing e.g. cash and in-kind. This is a type of risk capital where the providers are entitled to a higher return on their investment. So if the project fails, the investor loses their money as it is not recoverable Debt financing where the lender provides the capital with an expectation that the capital is returned within a set time period. Seeking commercial sponsorship Commercial sponsorship is another way to provide funding. Sponsorship of your tourist activity allows an organisation to provide financial support in return for increased awareness of their business, brand building and a tendency to purchase the sponsor s goods or services. Sponsorship may be in cash or in-kind in return for access to the potential associated with your tourism activity. Sponsorship is generally done with the expectations of a commercial return. Agency peak body support Peak body agency support is vital if your tourist activity is to succeed. A peak body is an association of industries or groups with allied interests. A peak body is generally nongovernment and is developed as a response to a specified industry need. A tourism peak body may be the host countries regional tourism network and it will have various industry members with a vested interest in the particular industry, in this case tourism. The role of a peak body is to: Drive best practice in line with any host country government initiatives Advance tourism as a priority Provide initiatives for the host countries regional tourism product Increase the host countries regional tourism network so it enables a transfer of knowledge among its members Listen to and support its members. A peak body may be able to provide financial advice to you or suggest various financial institutions and investors for your tourism activity. 41

48 Develop culturally appropriate activities 2.5 Modify activities on the basis of feedback from the relevant community Introduction Gathering feedback from the community enables us to analyse what they are saying to us and make appropriate changes if necessary. This is vital in any collaborative partnership and will allow us to have a quality tourist activity. Modifying our activities At this stage of the project it is timely to gain feedback from the community about the aspects of the project that have been developed to date. Our action plan will enable us to systematically outline our proposal so it is broken into different sections for ease of finding information and reviewing it. We can gain feedback by meeting with the community and discussing our tourism activity in an open forum. This provides an opportunity for the whole community to participate and pose questions, discuss outcomes and give valuable feedback. Another useful approach is to interview individuals from a cross sector of the community that are directly related to the tourism activity or will be impacted by it. We can ask direct questions to get their perspective and dig a little deeper as this is private and conducted in a conversational manner. Meeting with a selection of the community to discuss the project as a whole or sections of the project will enable you to gain specific feedback and ask questions that you may not have been able to with the community as a whole. Feedback is sought at this stage prior to implementation of the project as once it is executed it may be difficult to make changes without considerable expense or impact to the environment or community. This is where our communication and negotiation skills will be vital. We want to clearly articulate the project, timelines, funding arrangements, its outcomes and strategies to be implemented. The community may want to make changes to the project that is not in line with the outcomes or they may want to modify the plan in such a way that the outcomes will be detrimental without them knowing it. Negotiation and problem solving will assist to contribute quality outcomes for all parties. The end result may be that based on feedback from the community our tourism activity will need to be modified. Modifying our activities may involve substantial changes or minimal changes. If there are substantial changes that involve additional funding, building and infrastructure changes the project may need to be modified to accommodate additional timeframes for completion. If the changes are minimal and we can modify the changes quick then this may enable our action plan to stay as is and deadlines can still be met. Either way the action plan needs to be modified to accommodate any changes and approved by all parties being implemented. 42

49 Develop culturally appropriate activities Work Projects It is a requirement of this Unit you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer. You must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion of the project to your Trainer by the agreed date. Discuss with your trainer how you will liaise with the relevant community to complete the assessment tasks for this unit. 2.1 Once you agree on your tourism activity with the community provide a report on how this agreement was sought and if modifications were required Provide details of how you will consider the impact of your tourism activity on the community. In your answer you must consider the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts. What strategies will you use to manage these impacts? 2.3. Develop an action plan outlining your cultural tourism activity. In your plan you must design the tourism activities that are acceptable and sensitive to your selected culture and community Outline how you will fund your project and add it to your action plan Show your action plan to the selected community for feedback and modify the activities based on this feedback. Clearly identify these modifications. 43

50 Develop culturally appropriate activities Summary Develop culturally appropriate activities When developing culturally appropriate tourist activities you: Agree on your tourist activities with the selected community Consider the impact of cultural tourism in terms of economic, social, cultural and environmental factors and develop strategies to manage identified impacts Design tourism activities that are acceptable and sensitive to the community by engaging the community, agreeing with the community, obtain authorisation, design strategies, develop codes of practice, prepare your implementation plan, staff training, ensure cultural appropriateness, identify acceptable behaviours, share information to tour groups and develop promotional materials Seek funding and support for your proposed activities by using public and private funding options Modify your tourism activities based on community feedback 44

51 Implement culturally appropriate activities Element 3: Implement culturally appropriate activities 3.1 Provide notice to the community of intention to begin the activities Introduction Providing notice to the community that your cultural activities are ready to begin should be done in a timely manner and in line with the guidelines as outlined in the agreement or contract you have with the community. Providing commencement notice Once you have everything in place and you are ready to go with your tourism activity you must inform the community that you are ready to commence. This may be done formally in writing or verbally. It is preferable that this is done in writing and a checklist provided so nothing is forgotten. It is common practice to have a notice period so that last minute checks can be done. This must be in line with the agreement/contract but 30, 60 or 90 days is common practice. Your notice should include the following: Day and date of commencement Time of commencement What the community needs to do to be ready for the tour to commence What checks need to be made e.g. equipment is operational, buildings are clean, gardens are well groomed, supplies are in stock, uniforms have arrived, souvenirs are in stock, brochures are printed Staff are trained, ready and rostered to commence Final safety checks are done Final inspections of the site, land etc. There may be other things that you need to notify the community about that are relevant to your tourist activity. It is advisable to personally inspect everything yourself and do the final checks to reassure yourself that you are ready to go. If this is not possible a trusted colleague can do this on your behalf. 45

52 Implement culturally appropriate activities 3.2 Supply identified support and resources to the community Introduction Supplying the support and resources the community needs in a timely manner will ensure your tourist activity is developed in a timely fashion and using the resources you will need to implement the project. Providing training People need to be trained to know what to do, have the product knowledge and to be able to communicate effectively, especially if the community will have active involvement in the activity. Members of the community may have limited education or work experience and some may never have met an international visitor before so it is vitally important that people are adequately trained. Training can be formal or informal. Formal training may involve gaining a government or training college certification e.g. Certificate III in Tour Guiding prior to commencing their job. This may also involve formal compliance training regarding laws and legislation that the host country has in place e.g. responsible service of alcohol. Informal training may be conducted on the job whilst the staff member or community member is going about their everyday duties. Providing resources When implementing our plan we must provide the community with both the financial and physical resources they need. This will be in line with the agreed plan. Financial resources provided to the community may include: Cash so they can provide change to visitors Buying necessary goods or services to be used for the tourism activity Cash for day-to-day expenses. Physical resources provided to the community may include: Machinery and equipment such as computers, printers, office equipment, credit card machines, refrigeration, generators, cleaning equipment, ticketing equipment, trolleys, vending machines, tourist displays, televisions, ipods/cd players used to operate the tourism activity Cars, trucks, buses, boats used to transport visitors Tools, utensils and other implements used to carry out the tourism activity, maintain the physical resources or construct anything such as hammers, knives, drills etc. Uniforms and clothing appropriate to the job role including shoes, hats, sunglasses and goggles, face masks, gloves 46

53 Implement culturally appropriate activities Printed materials such as flyers and brochures for the visitor to take away that promotes the tourist activity and the local community Supplies and other consumables such as pens, paper, staplers, notebooks, folders, other items of stationery, water, food items, tea and coffee, paper cups, napkins, straws Furniture such as tables, chairs, filing cabinets, displays, brochure stands and displays, book shelves Signage (fitted and portable) such as exit signs, no smoking signs, disabled signs, cleaning in progress, fire extinguisher Other items that don t fall into these categories such as first aid kits, fire blankets and fire extinguishers, blankets, linen. There may be many other items not mentioned in this list that have been agreed to. What you supply must not disadvantage the community and enable them to implement the activity in a seamless way. 47

54 Implement culturally appropriate activities 3.3 Initiate the activities in accordance with the established and approved implementation plans Introduction Now that we are ready to initiate the tourism activity we must do this in accordance with the approved action or implementation plan. This enables a seamless process for all stakeholders, enabling us to meet the deadlines as outlined. Initiating activities Initiating activities means that a lot of different things will happen, probably in a short space of time, as your action plan is implemented. If you have implemented your plan to the letter and you are organised with all of the resources (physical and human) you need it should be a streamlined process. These are the activities you will need to initiate as a part of this process. Activity What will we do? Implementing the plan Fulfilling promises This must be done according to the stated and agreed content. The plan may be completed in sections, based on deadlines and according to a checklist that is marked off as each task is completed. You may also have different people involved at different stages and the plan may require sign off by government officials if it includes buildings and permits, investors and the community as tasks are completed. Once the plan is implemented you will need to report on the outcomes. This will be a requirement from stakeholders and enables everyone to see how the project is progressing. During the implementation stage there are always things that will not go according to plan. You will need to be resilient, flexible and a good problem solver. There will be some scope to change certain things as issues arise however you will need to be transparent with stakeholders and update all records and report on these changes. Guaranteeing that the organisation fulfils its promises and obligations to the community will enable there to be trust in the relationship moving forward. You must be committed to achieve the requirements of the project, no matter the challenges; you must see it through to the end. In turn this trust will encourage the community to also fulfil its promise in supporting the project. If all parties are committed then the project has a greater chance of succeeding. 48

55 Implement culturally appropriate activities Activity What will we do? Being available Advising visitors Integrating activities into Standard Operating Procedures (SOP s) Being available to assist the community to fulfil its part of the plan is vital to the project s success. You must be available, especially in the implementation stage to ensure that the project is realised. This may mean that you are working very long hours but this does mean that you know exactly what is happening where and when and who is doing what. You need to be approachable and let the stakeholders know you can be reached. You may want to be physically on site and guiding people, answering questions or you may decide to have a project manager that makes decisions on your behalf. If you use a project manager they need to be approved by all stakeholders and build a trusting relationship with the community as well. If the community has never been a part of a project before then they may be quite needy and you may find you may need assistance or plan your time well. Being available ensures you are implementing the plan correctly and fulfilling the promises to the community, as previously discussed. You will need to advise visitors regarding the agreed standards of behaviour when engaging in the activities and mixing with the locals. This may be done when the visitor makes the booking and may be an agreement they must sign prior to participating in the activity. It can also be stated on a website or in a travel brochure and outlined before the visitor makes the booking. Then if the visitor does not feel they are suitable to participate then they do not have to commit. Advising visitors may also be done verbally as a part of the tour commentary on the way to the community activity and discussed in detail. A handout may be given to visitors to reinforce the message. Alternatively the visitors could be met by a company representative or a community member at the site before they enter and the standards can be discussed then. Standards can be reinforced throughout the activity by signage as a reminder that this is what they have agreed to. A policy is a statement of goals, objectives and recommendations that is implemented as a procedure. A procedure is a way of doing something. Businesses use policies and procedures as a way of ensuring that all employees are doing the same thing to the same standard. They are called Standard Operating Procedures (SOP s). This ensures consistency for the organisation. The organisation will need to have a set of SOP s for each process/task that the organisation undertakes. We need to integrate the requirements of the tourist activity into the organisations SOP s to ensure that everyone is following the same process. This also helps with compliance requirements such as work health and safety where staff are trained to the same standard and follow the same standard when they are undertaking everyday tasks. If they get injured and the workplace is investigated they can show that the staff were trained to the SOP and were supervised in the workplace to the SOP. 49

56 Implement culturally appropriate activities Work Projects It is a requirement of this Unit you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer. You must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion of the project to your Trainer by the agreed date. Discuss with your trainer how you will liaise with the relevant community to complete the assessment tasks for this unit. Your action plan now becomes your implementation plan for these work projects. 3.1 Provide a notification to the community of your intention to begin your tourism activity. Make sure you provide the relevant details Provide details of the support and resources you will supply the community for the implementation of your tourism activity Provide your implementation plan and evidence of initiating your cultural tourism activity. 50

57 Implement culturally appropriate activities Summary Implement culturally appropriate activities Implement culturally appropriate tourism activities by: Providing notice to the community of intention to begin the activities in a timely manner Supplying identified support and resources to the community including providing training and resources Initiating the activities in accordance with the established and approved implementation plans 51

58 Implement culturally appropriate activities 52

59 Monitor culturally appropriate activities Element 4: Monitor culturally appropriate activities 4.1 Monitor the activities and actions of people Introduction You will monitor the activities and actions of a range of people to see if your tourism activity is appropriate, being utilised to its full potential and they are participating in the activity fully. Remedial action may need to be taken to ensure the true benefit of the activity is being realised. Observing actions You may observe the actions of numerous people to read their body language to see if they are enjoying the activity or not and whether they are doing what they should be. These may be planned or random observations. If the observations are planned you may tell the staff and community you will be there to observe and take notes and make recommendations. You may also want to participate in the activity with visitors to see first-hand their interactions and behaviours. Unplanned observations may be spur of the moment, as you may happen to be there and observe or decide that it is something you must do. You don t need to inform anyone that this is what you are doing so the behaviours are more genuine. Different people will have different interactions with the attraction due to who they are: visitor, worker or community member. Let s look at these different interactions: Visitor (customer) as a visitor to the country and the site they want an authentic cultural experience. They are there to see how the local live, visit local attractions and experience the local culture. In your planning of the project you have obviously created an itinerary and commentary that is conducive to the visitor having the best experience. Now you want to observe how they interact with the staff, respect the culture of the community, use the interactive displays, read the brochures, follow the signs and instructions, interact and respect their environment. Staff they will be trained to give the visitor the best cultural tourism experience, they will know how to talk to a culturally diverse group of visitors that are different genders and ages and have different needs, and they will be able to answer questions correctly and in a friendly and appropriate manner. You are observing their body language and their interaction. You also want to ensure they are respecting the local culture and environment. Specific community particular community members may be involved in the tourism activity and again like staff we want to see how they interact with the visitor to make the experience as memorable as possible. They can be a two way street where the community member can also have a memorable experience. 53

60 Monitor culturally appropriate activities Listening to people Like observation we also listen to the visitor, staff member and selected community member. Like observing, listening goes hand in hand, when these interactions are happening often it involves a verbal exchange as well. So we listen to words that are being said to ensure they are appropriate and no jargon is being used. Jargon is words that are used in a particular industry e.g. Instead of saying your ETD is 4pm you are better to say we will be departing at 4pm. As a part of the staff and community member training we may want them to follow a script and we expect staff to follow the script as closely as possible to ensure the information we want to be given to the visitor is accurate and informative. We are listening to ensure that the script is followed and if not is the right amount of information imparted and accurate. We are also listening to the visitor to ensure they are being respectful and not ill-mannered. Listening to our visitors, staff and community will provide us with valuable feedback and constructive criticism to enable us to provide a better experience. Listening and observing are very powerful tools that we can utilise either formally or informally to gauge the emotions of the parties: happy, sad, angry, upset, excited, confused, curious, irritable etc. Taking remedial action There may be times when you need to take remedial action when acceptable levels of behaviour, respect and language are not being met by both staff and visitors. There must be consequences of inappropriate behaviour that the visitor and staff member is told about and this may include: Asking them to modify their behaviour/actions Removing them from the activity Banning them from the tour and sending them home Limiting or shortening the activity In extreme circumstances criminal proceedings may be enforced if they do something illegal like vandalism, theft or assault. In the case of staff they may need to be retrained or if still not able to conform then they may receive disciplinary action such as a verbal or written warning and possibly termination from their employment. 54

61 Monitor culturally appropriate activities 4.2 Amend activities where appropriate Introduction Based on your observations and listening to staff, customers and the selected community you may have to amend the activities. This may be a process that you have to go through early on until you find the right balance. Amend activities You will amend activities to ensure you are keeping visitors, staff and the community happy. You improve what you do over time and refine the process so it is more enjoyable for everyone. This may be due to the activity being seasonal, the type of visitors and their demands, the type of tourism activity and the impact on the environment and community. Let s discuss how we can amend our activities. Activities to be amended Varying the current activity Modifying future activities How? This may involve: Changing the scripts to incorporate more or less information Making a change to times; opening, closing, visiting different attractions within the site Time allowed to spend at the activity or each individual part Having more community involvement such as a talk, demonstration, class with selected community members Incorporating a more hands on approach to the activity such as a tasting, playing an instrument, painting More signage and instruction given Participating in a ceremony or cultural celebration Limiting the amount of people who can visit the site at any time. When you were doing research for your tourism activity and developing your plans you may have thought about future activities that either compliment current ones or they may involve a completely different approach or activity. Based on your experiences with planning and implementing this activity you may modify future activities. You will gain a lot of knowledge and experience and this will enable you to make informed decisions. You know the challenges from this activity and you have implemented strategies to act on them. Future activities can only benefit from your experience with current activities. 55

62 Monitor culturally appropriate activities Activities to be amended Removing activities from future itineraries Cessation of the activity How? Instead of modifying the activity you may ultimately decide that you want to remove the activity from any future itineraries. You may feel that: The market has changed since your original idea Trends have changed It is more expensive There is more risk than you originally thought An investor may have pulled out or want their money back The community has changed their mind. If other stakeholders are involved you will need to inform them and you will need to update your implementation/action plan to reflect these changes. Whilst you have done the research, talking to experts and had a community involvement and support it doesn t mean that your activity will work. Or it may initially be popular but over time less and less so. Your activity may also be seasonal in terms of weather and food, it may become dangerous, it may have an impact on the environment where erosion and flora and fauna are effected, and it may also become more expensive to the point where it is no longer feasible to run the activity. A competitor may take your market share or offer it at a cheaper price. The impact on the community may be too destructive and the community may no longer wish to be involved. Whatever your reason for amending your activities ensure they are communicated to relevant stakeholders and if you need to seek advice do so before making your decision. Going through the process of developing and implementing a tourism activity will be an invaluable learning experience and give you an insight into the successes and failures and how to adapt to change. 56

63 Monitor culturally appropriate activities 4.3 Obtain feedback from customers and guide staff regarding the cultural tourism activity Introduction The best feedback you can receive is from the people that are participating in the activity. It is then important to communicate this feedback to the staff in a positive manner. Seeking feedback There are numerous ways to gather feedback. Some suggestions are: Verbally by asking the visitor or tour group directly, you may also like to do this using a more conversational style so as to illicit more genuine responses Written comments via a visitor feedback form that they fill out either during the activity or at the end, either way make it simple and not too complex or lengthy for them to fill out as you want to encourage feedback, not discourage it. Alternatively, the feedback may be sent out to the visitor electronically at a later date Suggestions may be given via a suggestion box where the visitor just places their written suggestions in a locked box at the end of the activity. This is then frequently collected. The visitor feedback forms may also have a suggestion section. Suggestions may also be encouraged via the website and that way you can also reply to comments and suggestions directly. This is good customer service and may encourage more feedback or add to your reputation as a preferred provider. Conducting a staff de-brief De-briefs may be used at the end or beginning of a shift as a communication tool to inform staff of what has happened during the shift or what events may occur for that shift. Debriefs are useful motivators and can be used after an event to identify exceptional staff, what went well during the event and any feedback received. They may also occur after an incident to communicate with the staff: What went wrong If anyone got injured If there were complaints How to prevent it from happening again What to do if it happens again. In this case we have gathered feedback from our visitors on their cultural tourism experience and we want to pass on the information to staff. This should be conducted in a positive manner and feedback given using a positive-negative-positive technique where we sandwich any negative or constructive feedback in the middle. That way the staff are not demotivated. If the feedback is exceptionally bad you must decide how you will provide this feedback. Will you tell it like it is and be honest or just focus on some of the main points? A de-brief should be conducted as soon after the event as possible so it is fresh in the minds of staff and so any suggestions can be implemented either immediately or soon after. You may say next week we will implementing these new changes starting on Monday, for example. 57

64 Monitor culturally appropriate activities 4.4 Communicate with the specific community regarding their experience with the cultural tourism activity Introduction Now that your cultural tourism activity has been implemented you will want to gain information from the community about their experience. Communicating with the specific community It is timely that you now communicate with the specific community regarding their experiences with the tourism activity. This will enable you to gather valuable information directly from the people that are experiencing the activity. You will need to find out what is working, how to make it better and what is not working and how to change it. If cultural tourism activities are successful the community will see positive change in their communities by people being employed, earning money and being more confident. As there is more money in the community, they might find their infrastructure is being rejuvenated by the renovation of buildings, redevelopments and trees and plants being planted. On the flip side of this it may also impact in a negative way on the community as there is not the infrastructure to sustain the influx of people and there may also be a strain on resources. Either way the community will be able to provide us with the information we need so we can either move forward with the existing plans and put future plans in place or change our cultural tourism activity or remove it from the itinerary. Let s look at how we can communicate with the specific community regarding their experience of the activity. Communicating with the community Talking to elders and key people How we do this? Elders and key people may or may not be active with the activity but they will still have exposure to it in direct or indirect ways. They will talk to their community members about their experiences and those community members that are employed by the tourism activity will have a good insight and provide valuable information. The elders may not like the change that is happening in their community and want us to modify the activities. They may think the activities have had a really positive effect of their community and want to see its expansion or further activities. When communicating with the elders and key people it is important to be respectful of them at all times and of their opinions. They may not be the same as yours. 58

65 Monitor culturally appropriate activities Communicating with the community Seeking verbal and written comments and suggestions Negotiating replacement activities Identifying additional activities How we do this? You will want suggestions for improvements, whether you activity is successful or not. It can always be better. Getting these suggestions can either be done verbally via meetings, discussions, questioning or interview. Using a conversational approach is important so it does not appear to be so formal. You can elicit a lot of information using this approach. You may also decide that getting the information via a written form where it asks specific questions or has check boxes with space for comments/suggestions is a better approach. This may be done if you can t get access to all of the key people you need or may prefer to gather the information in this way as it can be done anonymously and you may a more useful approach to gather accurate information. This may also be a preferred method for the community and having something in writing means you can keep these in case there is a dispute about the information. You may also prefer the elders and key people to you the information so again there is a record of information sent, by who and when. Either way you will get Suggestions from the community may be that they want the current tourism activity to not continue or substantially change. However there may be differing views between what you want to do and what they want to do. Or it may be the community does not want a replacement activity. You will need to go through process of researching, consulting and planning before presenting your replacement activity ideas to the selected community. This will involve negotiation to confirm a replacement activity. So plan ahead, go into the negotiation with a sustainable activity that considers the community and learn from the previous activity; what worked and what didn t. Your negotiation should focus on improvements and the positives of the activity. After talking with the selected community you may have identified some additional activities that can be added to the itinerary. Make sure you do your due diligence and complete a feasibility study prior to implementing your additional activity/activities. You may still need government approval, permits or licences and you will need community support. The additional activities will add value to your current activity. The community is a very valuable source of information for you. This information will make your current activity better and it may provide opportunities to add additional activities or negotiate replacement ones. 59

66 Monitor culturally appropriate activities 4.5 Appraise the prepared plans for the cultural tourism activities Introduction The plans for the cultural tourism activity are assessed to ensure they are correct and there are no errors. Also we want to make sure they are current with any modifications being made before they are approved. Those involved in this process apart from you may be the funding body, an independent advisory group and the community. Modifying plans Before any plans are signed off we need to analyse any feedback we have received and act on that feedback. This may involve having to amend our activities and incorporate suggestions and strategies into the plans. This must be done in conjunction with the selected community to ensure they agree with any suggestions and modifications and ensure an inclusive relationship of trust. Ratifying existing plans Ratification only occurs once problems and issues have been identified and solved. These resolutions and strategies are added to the document, after agreement by the parties. To ratify means to give formal consent. This is often done by signing the existing agreement. All relevant parties will need to ratify the plans and the process may also require witnesses to sign the documents. Generally the parties will sign the plans in front of the witnesses and the witnesses will sign in front of the relevant parties. This is so there is no dispute about approval of the document. Once this is done the parties will keep a copy of the agreement for future reference. 60

67 Monitor culturally appropriate activities Work Projects It is a requirement of this Unit you complete Work Projects as advised by your Trainer. You must submit documentation, suitable evidence or other relevant proof of completion of the project to your Trainer by the agreed date. Discuss with your trainer how you will liaise with the relevant community to complete the assessment tasks for this unit. 4.1 Provide a record of monitoring the activities and actions of visitors, staff and the specific community. Your records may include records of interview, notes in answer to questions asked, an observation checklist, a recording of discussions How will you take remedial action for poor behaviour for visitors and staff members participating in your tourism activity? 4.3. Provide your implementation plan that has been updated to reflect any amendments to your activities Report on how you obtained feedback from visitors and guide staff participating in your tourism activity. What suggestions were made from visitors and tour guides? 4.5 Provide a staff de-brief agenda outlining items for discussion. Conduct a staff de-brief outlining what went well, what needs to be improved, changes to the tourism activities and when these changes will take place. 4.6 Report on the communities experience with your tourism activity and make any changes to your implementation plan and activity based on this communication. 4.7 Provide a copy of the ratified implementation plan. 61

68 Monitor culturally appropriate activities Summary Monitor culturally appropriate activities Monitor culturally appropriate activities by: Monitoring the activities and actions of people by observing actions, listening to people and taking remedial action Amending activities, where appropriate, by varying the current activity, modify future activities, removing activities from future itineraries or cease the activity Obtaining feedback from customers and guide staff regarding the cultural tourism activity and conduct a staff de-brief to discuss Communicating with the specific community regarding their experience with the cultural tourism activity by talking to elders and key people, gathering suggestions, negotiating replacement activities and identifying additional activities Appraising the prepared plans for the cultural tourism activity and modify the plans before ratifying the existing plans 62

69 Presentation of written work Presentation of written work 1. Introduction It is important for students to present carefully prepared written work. Written presentation in industry must be professional in appearance and accurate in content. If students develop good writing skills whilst studying, they are able to easily transfer those skills to the workplace. 2. Style Students should write in a style that is simple and concise. Short sentences and paragraphs are easier to read and understand. It helps to write a plan and at least one draft of the written work so that the final product will be well organised. The points presented will then follow a logical sequence and be relevant. Students should frequently refer to the question asked, to keep on track. Teachers recognise and are critical of work that does not answer the question, or is padded with irrelevant material. In summary, remember to: Plan ahead Be clear and concise Answer the question Proofread the final draft. 3. Presenting Written Work Types of written work Students may be asked to write: Short and long reports Essays Records of interviews Questionnaires Business letters Resumes. Format All written work should be presented on A4 paper, single-sided with a left-hand margin. If work is word-processed, one-and-a-half or double spacing should be used. Handwritten work must be legible and should also be well spaced to allow for ease of reading. New paragraphs should not be indented but should be separated by a space. Pages must be numbered. If headings are also to be numbered, students should use a logical and sequential system of numbering. 63

70 Presentation of written work Cover Sheet All written work should be submitted with a cover sheet stapled to the front that contains: The student s name and student number The name of the class/unit The due date of the work The title of the work The teacher s name A signed declaration that the work does not involve plagiarism. Keeping a Copy Students must keep a copy of the written work in case it is lost. This rarely happens but it can be disastrous if a copy has not been kept. Inclusive language This means language that includes every section of the population. For instance, if a student were to write A nurse is responsible for the patients in her care at all times it would be implying that all nurses are female and would be excluding male nurses. Examples of appropriate language are shown on the right: Mankind Barman/maid Host/hostess Waiter/waitress Humankind Bar attendant Host Waiter or waiting staff 64

71 Recommended reading Recommended reading Bushell, R., & Jafari, J. (1996). Developing cultural tourism opportunities, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 23 du Cross, H. (2001). A new model to assist in planning for sustainable cultural heritage tourism, International Journal of Tourism Research, vol. 3 Grunewald, R. (2002). Tourism and cultural revival, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 29 Hughes, H. (1996). Redefining cultural tourism, Annals of Tourism Research, vol. 23 McHone, W. W. & Rungeling, B. (1999). Special cultural events: Do they attract leisure tourists? Hospitality Management, vol. 18 Reizinger, Y. (1994). Tourist-host contact as a part of cultural tourism, World Leisure and Recreation, vol. 36 Source: Beesley, Lisa, The potential role of cultural tourism on the Gold Coast, pg 2 CRC for Sustainable Tourism P/L Phillips, Jim and Faulkner, Jamie, Tourism Investment and Finance, Sustainable Tourism: International Cooperation for Development, International Institute for Tourism Studies 65

72 Recommended reading 66

73 Trainee evaluation sheet Trainee evaluation sheet The following statements are about the competency you have just completed. Please tick the appropriate box Agree Don t Know Do Not Agree Does Not Apply There was too much in this competency to cover without rushing. Most of the competency seemed relevant to me. The competency was at the right level for me. I got enough help from my trainer. The amount of activities was sufficient. The competency allowed me to use my own initiative. My training was well-organised. My trainer had time to answer my questions. I understood how I was going to be assessed. I was given enough time to practice. My trainer feedback was useful. Enough equipment was available and it worked well. The activities were too hard for me. 67

74 Trainee evaluation sheet The best things about this unit were: The worst things about this unit were: The things you should change in this unit are: 68

75 Trainee self-assessment checklist Trainee self-assessment checklist As an indicator to your Trainer/Assessor of your readiness for assessment in this unit please complete the following and hand to your Trainer/Assessor. Yes No* Element 1: Research the culture 1.1 Identify sources of information about the selected community and culture 1.2 Research the selected culture 1.3 Identify the aspects of specific cultures that may be suitable for cultural activities 1.4 Describe the interpretive approach to guiding 1.5 Consult with the relevant community to identify relevant cultural issues 1.6 Confirm research and knowledge with the selected community Element 2: Develop culturally appropriate activities 2.1 Agree on appropriate cultural tourism activities with the selected community 2.2 Consider the impact of cultural tourism activity on the community 2.3 Design tourism activities that are acceptable and sensitive to the selected culture and community 2.4 Seek funding and support for the proposed activities 2.5 Modify activities on the basis of feedback from the relevant community Element 3: Implement culturally appropriate activities 3.1 Provide notice to the community of intention to begin the activities 3.2 Supply identified support and resources to the community 3.3 Initiate the activities in accordance with the established and approved implementation plans 69

76 Trainee self-assessment checklist Yes No* Element 4: Monitor culturally appropriate activities 4.1 Monitor the activities and actions of people 4.2 Amend activities where appropriate Obtain feedback from customers and guide staff regarding the cultural tourism activity Communicate with the specific community regarding their experience with the cultural tourism activity 4.5 Appraise the prepared plans for the cultural tourism activities Statement by Trainee: I believe I am ready to be assessed on the following as indicated above: Signed: Date: Note: For all boxes where a No* is ticked, please provide details of the extra steps or work you need to do to become ready for assessment. 70

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