TOURISM and TRAVEL
Comm 447 Spring 2003
Dr. Shay Sayre CP 650-29 278-3686 ssayre@fullerton.edu

Prerequisite: COMM 346 or COMM 350 or COMM 361 or MKTG 351 or MGMT 339.
Textbook: R.C. Mill and A.M. Morrison, The Tourism System (2002). Dubuque IA:; Kendall/Hunt.

Catalog Description:
This course examines the concepts, tools and techniques of tourism communications. Students investigate the primary trends and issues of tourism and the unique problems and applications of communication practices in the tourism industry. Prereq: One of the following: Comm 346, Comm 350, Comm 361, Mktg 351, or Mgmt 339.

Course Objectives: At the end of this course, students will understand:

  1. the history and significance of travel and tourism as a sector of the California, United States, and world economies,
  2. the elements of the tourism system, the associated inter-relationships, and organizational structures,
  3. the behavioral foundations, motivations, and constraints affecting tourism behavior,
  4. the issues, concerns, and processes of travel and tourism development in California and the United States,
  5. the unique characteristics of tourism behavior and associated communication concerns,
  6. the interaction of integrated marketing communications and information technology in providing quality tourism experiences

Exams and Assignments

• In Class Exams (200 points)
Two in-class exams will be administered for this class. Exam coverage will include all material covered in class and related textbook readings since the last exam and will be worth 100 points. The intent of these exams will be to assess your knowledge and ability to apply the concepts presented and discussed during the class lectures and in the course textbook. While the emphasis will be on lectures, exams will also have questions from the text that we have not discussed in class.The primary exam format will be short answer and essay questions.
Make-Up Exam Policy: No make-up examinations are given.

• Position Paper and Bibliography (100 points)
Per the assigned topic below, you develop a (maximum 3 pages) position paper which (a) identifies the key issues or concerns of the topic as related specifically to the California tourism industry, (b) the factors which should be considered when making a decision and (c) your opinion as to the answer. As supporting documentation, you develop a bibliography of at least five related articles and materials, including a copy of the two papers that you feel are most comprehensive in their coverage of the topic and its associated issues.

The purposes of this assignment are threefold. First, so you will be able to discuss these important policy issues through the course of the semester. Second, so you will develop some sensitivity to critical issues facing the tourism industry. There are no right and wrong answers to these questions, just different viewpoints. It is important to recognize and consider these differences, regardless of whether we work in the tourism industry. Third, you will look at the literature on tourism and travel policy.

To assure a broad range of papers, topics are assigned based on the first letter of your last name.
First letter of

Last name

A - D
E - H

I-L

M-O

P-R


S-U
V - Z

Assigned Paper Topic

Should State general fund (tax) monies be used to fund tourism promotion in California?
Should California ski resorts be allowed to expand on public U.S. Forest Service lands adjacent to their existing ski facilities?
Should the State of California impose a lodging tax with the proceeds dedicated to tourism infrastructure and highway improvement?
Should tourism and entertainment facilities such as the Pond, The Staples Center, and the new San Francisco football stadium be funded by public tax dollars?
Should personal snowmobiles be allowed in Yosemite National Park during the winter months? Should dune buggies and other off-road vehicles be allowed in desert areas year-round?
Should the State of California pursue an opportunity to host the Winter Olympics in 2010?
Should the State of California allow unlimited stakes gambling casinos to be built throughout the State?

• Tourism Business Proposal (250 points)
Over the course of the semester, student teams will prepare a proposal to develop a fictitious tourism enterprise in Orange County. Teams will propose a business that provides services directly to tourists or to other businesses which provide tourism services. The purpose of this assignment is develop your understanding and appreciation of the challenges faced by tourism businesses and of the competitive dynamics of the tourism industry and its related promotional communications. Maximum length for project reports is twenty pages, not including appendices.

Proposal Structure:
Your presentation and written plan should specifically answer the following questions.
Business Profile
  1. What exactly is this company’s product / service? (‘product’ refers to service as well)
  2. What are the key features or benefits of this product?
  3. What is the competitive advantage of this product?
    a. Who is the competition?
    b. How is this product different / superior from the competition’s products?
  4. Does this product / company have any competitive disadvantages? IF YES, what are they?

Market Analysis
  1. Who / What is the business’ target market(s)? BE SPECIFIC, including market segmentation if appropriate.
    a. How large is each market?
    b. What is the growth potential of each market?
    c. How is this market currently being served by the competition?
  2. What motivates / influences the purchase decisions by each market?
  3. Who makes the purchase decision?

Marketing Communication Strategy
  1. How will the company’s product be positioned? How are you going to differentiate that product from those of competitors?
  2. How will you communicate with your target markets?
  3. What advertising ( media, sales message, promotions, tie-ins and sponsorships) do you recommend?
  4. What public relations (collateral materials, publicity, news releases) do you recommend?

Grading Guidelines:

  1. Class Presentation 65 points
  2. Plan Content 130 points
  3. Written Presentation (graphics and format) 50 points

Some Suggestions for Proceeding:

  1. Start early. This is a substantive project that will require a significant amount of time. You know that you will be very busy at the end of the semester. Try to finish this project, at least the idea development and answer all of the study questions, before spring break.
  2. Do something you’re interested in. Try to get into a group of people with similar interests.
  3. Getting started is the hardest part. To identify a business, think about your own travel experiences and problems you’ve had and select a company that provide direct services to tourists. Look at trends in the business world as a whole and think about how they affect the OC tourism industry.
  4. Develop a project timeline – develop a schedule and keep the project moving forward. Assign responsibilities and timelines to team members. Use textbook chapters 6 through 8 to guide your plan development.


Exams and Assignment Points Points

In Class Exams (2 @ 100 points each) 200
Position Paper and Bibliography 100
Tourism Proposal 250
*Participation 50
Total 600

*Participation grades are based on in-class discussions about chapter content and exercises.

Extra Credit – Available for special circumstances only

Grade Distribution
Generally, grades will be assigned using the following scale. Recognize that I might change this scale as necessary to achieve fairness and a reasonable grade distribution.

A 540-600
B 480-539
C 420-479
D 360-419
F <359


Students are encouraged to visit the professor’s office hours for questions or problems with course material or team participation. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Tentative Course Outline and Schedule

Date Topic Text Chapter; *QT Assignment

2/5

2/12


2/19


2/26

3/5

3/12

3/19


3/26


4/2

4/9

4/16


4/23

4/30

5/7

5/ 14,21

5/28

 Introduction/Tourism and the tourist

Destination mix / Day trips; Souvenirs
Project teams assigned

Impact of tourism / Sustainable development
Eco tourism

Tourism policy and regulation
Preliminary project concept paper due

Tourism planning and development

Tourism marketing and promotion

EXAM Chs 1-8
Incentive travel

Tourism distributioin mix
Position paper due

SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS

Travel motivation; Consumer behavior

Travel research
Destination and purchase

Purpose of travel; Sports tourism

Postmodern travel; Theming and simulation

EXAM Chs 9-16
Group meetings

Project presentations

Written project plan due

Bring souvenir to next class
1; QT 1.1



2; QT 2.5


3,4; QT 4.3


5,6; QT 6.4

7,8 QT 7.3; QT 8.6

QT 9.5

9




10,11; QT 10.2, QT 11.6


12,13; QT 12.2, QT 13.1

14,15; QT 14.2, 15.4

16; QT 16.3


Feb 5 Introduction/Tourism and the tourist Bring souvenir to next class
Feb 12 Destination mix / Day trips; Souvenirs 1; QT 1.1
Project teams assigned
Feb 19 Impact of tourism / Sustainable development 2; QT 2.5
Eco tourism
Feb 26 Tourism policy and regulation 3,4; QT 4.3
Preliminary project concept paper due
March 5 Tourism planning and development 5,6; QT 6.4 March 12 Tourism marketing and promotion 7,8 QT 7.3; QT 8.6
March 19 EXAM Chs 1-8
Incentive travel QT 9.5
March 26 Tourism distributioin mix 9
Position paper due
April 2 SPRING BREAK, NO CLASS
April 9 Travel motivation; Consumer behavior 10,11; QT 10.2, QT 11.6
April 16 Travel research
Destination and purchase 12,13; QT 12.2, QT 13.1
April 23 Purpose of travel; Sports tourism 14,15; QT 14.2, 15.4
April 30 Postmodern travel; Theming and simulation 16; QT 16.3
May 7 EXAM Chs 9-16
Group meetings
May 14,21 Project presentations
May 28 Written project plan due
*QT’s = Quick Trips that appear in each chapter. Students are expected to discuss this material in class.