Assignment overview:
Students analyse and evaluate the economic impact of an event (or of a project) on a destination. The students' research must be based on published sources. In-class oral presentation of the findings will be supported by use of Powerpoint.
Overall aim:
To complement the theory provided in class with an opportunity for practical application
Learning Outcomes and Transferable Skills
LO1 Apply basic economic models and theories used in the context of hospitality and tourism
LO2 Examine elements of tourist expenditure, tourism demand and their relationship to the structure and operation of the tourism system .
LO3 Differentiate the economic impacts of tourism on destinations by taking into account social, environmental and political dimensions.
LO4 Interpret the role of governmental and other organisations in the management of tourism and its impacts.
Task 1 Students analyse the economic impact of an event / a project on a destination; they focus their research on the direct and indirect impacts. Impacts can be generated by visitors, capital expenditure, promoters, sponsors, etc; they can benefit hotels and other stakeholders. The economic issues related to events or new projects should also be considered, as part of contemporary debates.
At least one of the theories presented in Vanhove (2018) pp. 277-
306, in particular p.293-294, must be considered in this section; "Cost-benefit" (p.332-333) and "multiplier" (275-276) are the 2 most frequently used approaches to assess events.
The selected event can be a cultural, a sport, a special event or a business event. Mega events do not qualify for this project due to their complexity. Mega events are defined as exceeding 1 million visits and "their capital cost should be at least $500 million" (Marris as cited in Bowdin et al, 2011, p.21).
The selected project must be related to the attraction sector as defined in Vanhove (2018) p.11. or pp. 99-100; possible projects include new museums, leisure park openings, new natural parks, etc. but exclude accommodation projects.
The purpose of this section is not to calculate economic impacts but to identify and analyse the impacts (positive or negative) of events or of new projects on destinations; events and projects increase visitation to destinations and generate economic consequences.
Data can be found in the reports published by organizations such as universities, journals, consultancy firms, cities or "Destination management organizations". At least one academic article must be used in this section of the report; this article does not have to be related to the selected event and can be used as a point of comparison.
•Knowledgeand
Understanding
•CognitiveSkills
•Professional
Competencies
• TransferableSkills (Informationliteracy, Communication)
Task 2 : Students analyse the characteristics of one specific demand that the event / project attracts. The type of demand can be determined by demographic (spending power), or motivational, or geographic or even psychographic criteria. The spending power of the selected demand must be interpreted
Task 3 : Students evaluate the role of governmental organizations (Destination management organizations) or other local organizations (stakeholders like a hotel association) in the realization of the event / project.
Task 4 : Students take into account one non-economic dimension of the impacts generated by the event / project and propose ideas to minimize negative and optimize positive impacts based on the comparison with similar events / projects. At least one academic article must be used in this section of the report.