Assignment 2 – Evaluative report – due week 10 – 2012, 1000 words – 20%

Background

Bilby is a fast-growing town in a booming region.  A large part of the current health of the Bilby economy is due to a regular and growing stream of tourism in the town and the region.  Bilby has many attractions, for day visitors, weekenders and longer-term visitors.  It is only quite recently that the economic value of tourism has fully begun to be appreciated. Research on and management of this resource is now a priority for all stakeholders.  Given the controversy over the new hospital, Bendalong Regional Tourism Authority has decided to conduct a review on tourism in Bilby.

Your Brief

Each Bilby Group has been commissioned by Julia Rudd, CEO of the Bendalong Regional Tourism Authority (BRTA) to research and write a report which evaluates the current state and future direction of tourism in and around Bilby.   Report title: Tourism Opportunities: Strategic Directions for Bilby

Your report should also incorporate background information on what makes Bilby a tourist centre. You are asked to source information from local community websites, newspapers and recent radio interviews.

You will be expected to make three or four recommendations, which will provide clear strategic directions for BRTA i.e. they should clearly indicate what the CEO should do and prioritise BRTA actions. These recommendations will come from the material in the report, but should be your own conclusions on the best strategic directions. Your group wants to persuade the BRTA to pursue tourism that your group supports BUT you will need an objective and comprehensive analysis and careful persuasion to persuade them.

Research

All the research material you need is on the Portal or has been distributed in class.  Where there are gaps in the information, you are free to fill in your own detail, as long as it is consistent with the existing information.

You will find sample reports for guidance on the portal.

Writing

Be sure to include all the required sections of a report, including an executive summary.  Appendices are optional.  Include a bibliography if you quote from or otherwise cite outside sources.

The word limit does not include the summary, TOC, appendices or bibliographies.

SOLUTION

Executive Summary

Tourism is a great source of income for any country as it provides income that is generated from people coming from other countries and spending in your country. A growing tourism industry also leads to infrastructural development and greater tax revenues. It also appreciates quality of life of local people. This report has been prepared to evaluate various measures that can be taken to promote tourism in Bilby. Thought the adventure tourism is the most prominent point of tourism in Bilby, but still BRTA needs to incorporate substantial relaxing and leisure activities in its portfolio. Apart from this, Agritourism is another area which can bring a notable growth in tourism in Bilby. Through Agritourism it can become the most sought destination for families and individuals who want to spend some time with nature, on the farms and doing agricultural activities. BRTA should be very specific about the information that it provides on its website. There should be ample and considerable information about every major as well as minor thing that has anything to do with the tourists. BRTA should also make efforts to win support of local community to encourage tourism in Bilby. With a few strategic improvements to the BRTA’s approach, Bilby can become a destination for families, couples, and independent travelers. The small size of Bilby makes the town an attractive nature-oriented getaway, offering fun activities for the young and young at heart.

Contents

1.      Background. 4

2.      Strategic Recommendations to improve tourism in Bilby. 4

2.1.       Provide Adequate Information on website. 4

2.2.       Collaborate with the local community. 5

2.3.       Promote Agritourism in Bilby. 6

2.4.       Incorporate relaxed and leisurely activities in Bilby. 6

3.      Conclusions. 7

4.      Appendices. 8

4.1.       Appendix 1: Directory and Glossary. 8

4.2.       Appendix 2: Bibliography. 8

1.    Background

Bilby is situated in a narrow valley, and on a rich, well-watered plateau overlooking the valley and the Valley River. The Hundred Nugget Creek forms part of a natural boundary which has restricted the town’s growth. The town was established in 1860, after alluvial gold was discovered in the area. The gold quickly petered out, but the town kept going. It developed into a pastoral and agricultural community, with small farms on the plateau and the river flats sustaining families quite well. Generally the larger properties ran cattle through into the next valley, while farmers on the plateau grew food and pasture crops. Care was taken to maintain good stands of forest, particularly in the river catchment around the town’s water supply.

2.    Strategic Recommendations to improve tourism in Bilby

Tourism is a great source of income for any country as it provides income that is generated from people coming from other countries and spending in your country. A growing tourism industry also leads to infrastructural development and greater tax revenues. It also appreciates quality of life of local people. Community events organised for tourist also attract local people. In addition, locations that are rich in services with high quality and recreational activities are also preferred by companies. New jobs are created in a community as the need to provide services to tourists grow.  Although these jobs may not pay too much but are sufficient for students or part-timers or seasonal-employees. BRTA (Bendalong Regional Tourism Authority) is advised to take following initiatives to improve tourism in Bilby.

2.1.        Provide Adequate Information on website

People do not go to a place to sleep or to walk around, but to explore a place, its culture, natural beauty etc. Thus instead of selling beds, tours, trips or other services to a tourist, one should first sell them the destination. BRTA should make sure that it publicizes following key points about Bilby on their website.

• Write about all the things that a tourist can do in Bilby without missing even a single one. Jerri jig white-water kayaking, Jerri jig waterfall to Mount Owen and return to Bilby, Self-guided walking tours, Three Peaks Cycling Tour are some fun filled activities to do in Bilby. Every minute detail like the place where these activities take place, timing, approximate charges etc. everything should be mentioned on the site.
• Walking tour, Tours of Agostini’s vineyard, Monthly organic farmers’ market, Material Design Special Sales, Streetlife Carnival, Autumn Gold Festival, Film locations for City Stresses Country Pleasures and Natural wonders of the district are some of the key attractions in Bilby. Write about all of them and put pictures on the website to let people see what the area has to offer.
• Providing information about the surrounding area and how they can be accessed from Bilby is also important. Website should include information about:

Þ    Local transport like buses, trains and hitch-hiking etc. which connect various areas

Þ    Local information regarding the distance, approximate time taken to reach, tips for travelers, details about eating outlets, ATMs, hospitals etc.

Þ    Information about tide charts, daylight hours, average temperatures, weather etc.

Þ    Things that they may need during travelling

Þ    List of places where to rent cars, golf equipment, bicycles, outdoor wear, tour guides, charter boats, etc.

• 2.2.4. Most people who are coming to small towns want to experience the peaceful life of small towns and mix with the local community. Write about local stories, legends and myths about Bilby, a couple of milk bars, a hamburger joint, two fish ‘n’ chip shops, two small independent supermarkets and a dress shop that has seen better days and off course the local butcher popularly known as “chops”.

2.2.        Collaborate with the local community

The first and the foremost thing are to aware the people of Bilby about the potency of tourism in their town and how it is going to benefit them. By informing and educating citizens, BRTA can win their support to promote tourism in Bilby. Financial promises from public and private sources will help in broadening support for tourism in Bilby. For this purpose, BRTA can jolt down the things which localities’ can offer to tourists. It is the responsibility of BRTA to explain each and every offering in terms of quality and quantity attractively. Following techniques can be used by local communities to transform tourism into a substantial industry in Bilby:

• Assess the potency of developing tourism
• Win community’s support to promote tourism by educating and informing them
• Attracting investment from public-private partnership
• Effective and efficient use of resources
• Image building of community

2.3.        Promote Agritourism in Bilby

Agritourism is an initiative to bring farms & farmers closer to the tourists from cities and taking tourists back to nature from their hectic busy life. Bilby is quite rich in natural resources and what can be a better way to utilize the resources that a town already poses to grow its economy in dual way. The farms can be used to entertain tourist in numerous ways. Tourist will have a great time when they will get a chance to meet people who live and work in the bush. Moreover they will be helping them in a big way. A farm stay experience will make their holidays worth remembering by adding those special moments of farm life. Farmers in Bilby have initiated an organic farming movement the result of this movement are wonderful farms which can be used to attract tourist and manifest tourism in Bilby. Through Agritourism, BRTA can proffer the rural communities the positive outlook of promoting tourism into rural areas in a perpetual manner.  This initiative will also help Bilby farmers in growing their farm-based enterprises.

2.4.        Incorporate relaxed and leisurely activities in Bilby

Apart from exploring new cultures and scenic beauty, people also look forward for some leisure activities during their holidays. A tourist destination must have options like having multiplexes, shopping malls,             massage and spa parlours, clubs to enjoy night life etc. Tourism is not limited to approbate environment and travel from one place to another by various means of transportation.Inclusion of activities which one would like and enjoy to spend one’s day are equally important. BRTA should take initiatives  to promote following things in Bilby to make it a one stop destination for tourists:

• All types of accomodations such as camps, homes on rent, mobile homes, hut on mountain to luxuries hotels should be available for tourists to chose from
• Activites such as diving, sailing, cruises, mobile homes or visiting zoos, cinemas, indoor pools, museums, night clubs or theatres should be avalable to enjoy holidays
• Restraunts serving various cuisines

3.    Conclusions

Thought the adventure tourism is the most prominent point of tourism in Bilby, but still BRTA needs to incorporate substantial relaxing and leisure activities in its portfolio. Apart from this, Agritourism is another area which can bring a notable growth in tourism in Bilby. Through Agritourism it can become the most sought destination for families and individuals who want to spend some time with nature, on the farms and doing agricultural activities. BRTA should be very specific about the information that it provides on its website. There should be ample and considerable information about every major as well as minor thing that has anything to do with the tourists. BRTA should also make efforts to win support of local community to encourage tourism in Bilby. With a few strategic improvements to the BRTA’s approach, Bilby can become a destination for families, couples, and independent travelers. The small size of Bilby makes the town an attractive nature-oriented getaway, offering fun activities for the young and young at heart.

4.    Appendices

4.1.        Appendix 1: Directory and Glossary

The tourism sector, like many other business sectors, has a large number of organisations, associations, public agencies and trade groups operating within it.

It also has its own share of acronyms, business jargon, and industry descriptions that need to be understood to unravel the network of private and public sector contacts, partnerships and business relations.

Tourism Knowledge – www.tourismknowledge.com – a website run by Susan Briggs of The Tourism Network has an excellent glossary of tourism terms and jargon, and information on tourism organisations and general sources of business advice.

VisitBritain offers information on industry bodies and groups and the national and regional statutory tourism bodies.

In 2005 a beacon scheme for “Promoting Sustainable Tourism” was launched by IDEA, the improvement and development agency for local government. Summaries of the 6 Beacon Councils reports are available to read on the IDEA website.

Oct 2008

4.2.        Appendix 2: Bibliography

“Local Dependency, Land Use Attitudes, and Economic Development: Comparisons Between Seasonal and Permanent Residents.” Gary P.Green, David Marcouiller, Steven Deller, Daniel Erkkila, and N.R. Smith. Rural Sociology 61 no.3 (1996): 427-445. NAL Call No.: 275.29 K4152.

Niche Markets and Rural Development: Workshop Proceedings and Policy Recommendations. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Paris: OECD, 1995. 142 p. NAL Call No.: HN49.C6N5 1995.

Planning for Balanced Development: A Guide for Native American and Rural Communities. Susan Guyette. Santa Fe, N. Mex.: Clear Light Publishers, 1996. 312 p.

“Railroads, Tourism, and Native Americans in the Greater Southwest.” Shelby J. Tisdale. Journal of the Southwest 38 no.4 (1996): 433-462

LC43

But you can order it from our service and receive complete high-quality custom paper.  Our service offers Tourism  essay sample that was written by professional writer. If you like one, you have an opportunity to buy a similar paper. Any of the academic papers will be written from scratch, according to all customers’ specifications, expectations and highest standards.”