Principles of Tourism, Hospitality and Events (TOUR1000)

One of the more crucial responsibilities in tourism, hospitality and events is making these attractive to those who are meant to enjoy them. In this assessment, you will assume the role of a destination manager of a regional destination; in this role, you work for a destination management organisation (DMO). As such, you are required to build and analyse a Tourism Plan for a target market segment.

For this assessment, you will make use of an AI generator (such as ChatGPT, perplexity.ai or Google Gemini) and general research. Your target segment and regional destination will be allocated in Tutorial Week 4. Your response is to be 500 words in length.

This assessment comprises two parts:

1. Tourism Plan. Using an AI generator, use the following prompt to build a Tourism Plan for your target segment. Your plan must include a hospitality special experience (e.g., dining with dolphins) and/or an event. You are encouraged to refine and modify this initial prompt to generate a plan that is useful for your analysis. Prompt: Create a 3-day tourism itinerary for [target segment] in [regional destination].
2. Feasibility analysis. Research your regional destination and explain whether the generated Tourism Plan is feasible – that is, can this plan be carried out? This should be supported by information from the regional destination’s official website, as well as broader research using resources such as maps, flight information, reputable organisations’ websites, etc.
3. Some of the questions you may need to consider in conducting a feasibility analysis:

a)      Do the suggested elements exist?

b)     Are the travel distances reasonable within the timeframe suggested?

c)      Does it provide sufficient specifics (e.g., names of attractions/restaurants) to be viable?

d)     If you used this plan, what other information would you need to make it a reality that is currently missing?

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All references for this assessment should be in APA 7th referencing style, a guide for which is available in UQ Library (https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7). At the end of your plan, you must cite the AI generator that you have utilised to generate the plan using APA 7th (https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/c.php?g=920809&p=6972574).

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A report template is available on Blackboard for general reference. All submissions should include a cover page, comprising your name, student ID number, 2-6 examples of modified prompts you have attempted and the final prompt used for your assessment, the AI generator used, and your submission word count. Your word count is made up of Section 2 (feasibility analysis) of your submission; the plan itself will not be included in your word count nor will it be considered in your Turnitin Similarity score. Turnitin Similarity scores should be kept below 20% (excluding results from the AI-generated plan).

AI Statement

This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students are encouraged to use AI technologies in Assessment 1a, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference AI use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI tools.

Following on from your analysis of the Tourism Plan in Assessment 1a, you will be required to further analyse and improve on that plan for your target market segment. For this assessment, you will make use of academic research and your analysis skills. 1,200 words in length.

This assessment comprises three parts:

1. Suitability analysis: Research your target segment using peer-reviewed academic research journal articles published within the last 10 years. Using these research journal articles as support, discuss whether the Tourism Plan would be suitable for your target segment. You should provide a summary of what the academic research says is attractive to your target segment, then compare it to the Tourism Plan. [600 words]
2. Suggested improvements: Based on your analysis in the Suitability Analysis, suggest improvements to the Tourism Plan so that it will be more attractive to your target segment. You should provide between three to five suggestions for improvement, including detailed justification for these suggestions based on the research done in the Suitability Analysis above. [600 words]
3. Improved plan: These improvements should be incorporated into the original Tourism Plan, resulting in an Improved Plan that strengthens its attractiveness to the target segment. Bold or italicise the suggested improvements to make them easily distinguishable from the original Tourism Plan.

All references for this assessment should be in APA 7th referencing style, a guide for which is available in UQ Library (https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7). At the end of your plan, you must cite the AI generator that you have utilised to generate the plan using APA 7th (https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/c.php?g=920809&p=6972574).

A report template is available on Blackboard for general reference. All submissions should include a cover page, comprising your name, student ID number and your submission word count. Your word count is made up of Sections 1 & 2 of your submission; the plan itself will not be included in your word count, nor will it be considered in your Turnitin Similarity score. Turnitin Similarity scores should be kept below 20% (excluding results from the AI-generated plan). 

This assessment builds on your work in Assessment 1b (Tourism Plan Improvement), using the same target segment, regional destination, and your Improved Plan.

As the destination manager, your job is to engage with key stakeholders to attract support, investment, and visitors to your region. In the current worldwide tourism boom, your Destination Management Organisation (DMO) recognises an opportunity to drive economic growth, lead destination development, and welcome visitors to your region. You also realise that competition among regional destinations for visitors is high and you have limited organisational resources.

Therefore, your DMO needs to convince key tourism government stakeholders (such as Tourism Australia, Tourism & Events Queensland, Tourism VIC/NSW/NT, the relevant State Government, etc.) of the opportunities your region offers to your target segment. These government stakeholders need to see benefit in (a) directing resources to your region; and (b) aiding you in promoting your region’s destination advantages to potential visitors.

Your task is to create a video pitch based on the same target segment, regional destination, and Improved Plan from Assessment 1b. This video should clearly identify:

• Your understanding of destination competitiveness and the regional destination’s unique proposition(s), making use of the Destination Mix to highlight 3-6 unique propositions
• Your understanding of the target segment and its interests as it relates to your regional destination
• The particular experience/s you offer to your target segment through your Improved Plan
• 8 minutes in length.

You should include a closing statement to your video audience (the tourism government stakeholder), specifying the resource(s) you are requesting from them to boost your reach into this target segment. You should also be very clear what the call to action is, and how this action will complement your regional destination’s readiness to welcome visitors.

This assignment requires you to create an 8-minute video presentation recording as you would present it to the audience. You can use Microsoft Powerpoint, Canva or other presentation design aids to help you create a convincing and cohesive presentation.

A sample template is available on Blackboard for general reference. Your submission must be in the form of a video that can be uploaded to Blackboard (commonly in the .mp4 format), showing your presentation and you delivering the presentation throughout. You may use Zoom for this recording (instructions: https://web.library.uq.edu.au/library-services/it/learnuq-blackboard-help/learnuq-assessment/blackboard-assignments/recording-video-assignments-zoom). You may also use other recording methods, as long as they show your presentation, you delivering the presentation, and can be uploaded as a video.

You will need to submit your video via the submission link on Blackboard. Submission instructions for videos can be found here (https://web.library.uq.edu.au/library-services/it/learnuq-blackboard-help/learnuq-assessment/blackboard-assignments/submit-video-assignment-echovideo-original).

General tips for presentation:

• A pitching workshop will be conducted in tutorial to help you develop the skills you need to pitch well for this assessment. Attend and engage with this workshop and subsequent activities.
• List the related references on the last slide of the presentation. You will need to use at least five recent (within the last 5 years) and credible references to support your research and presentation.
• Remember that this is a pitch, so you need to make your presentation informative, compelling and appealing to the audience. Do not just describe. Focus on explaining and providing evidence to support your argument/ presentation.
• Your visual presentation should prioritise key points, words, phrases, and diagrams to inform and engage your audience.
• Include some high-quality graphics (e.g., tables, diagrams, and photographs from your regional destination, etc.) to enliven your presentation. Remember to reference these images according to APA 7th Referencing for images (https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/apa7/images).
• Videos within +/-10% of the allocated length will be accepted. Longer videos will be marked up to 8min 48s; shorter videos under 7min 12s are likely to be missing crucial information.