To the best of my knowledge these resources were developed by the Curriculum and Standards Framework (CSF) Studies of Society and The Ennvironment (SOSE) KLA STRUCTURE
and Victorian Association for Environmental Education (VAEE)

CSF Home page is currently http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/curriculumatwork/csf/so/ksso.htm

IT in SOSE Level 6

 
Activity title: Planning an Ecotourist Development
Key learning area: Studies of Society and Environment
Strand: Place and space
Level: 6
Learning outcome: Develop and justify a proposal designed to protect a natural or human environment.
Chart reference: Application: Electronic Communication, Word Processing 

Example: 
Uses search engines to locate specific information on the World Wide Web and download files 
Combines text and graphics, and applies accepted conventions to efficiently produce specialised document, e,g. advertising brochure

Task objectives: Students to develop knowledge and skills in : 
     
  • Teamwork
  • Planning an ecotourism report
  • Managing an ecotourism resort
  • Marketing the resort
  • Gathering information from a variety of sources including the Internet
Activity developer: Board of Studies
 
A
Overview
 
Working together as a team students plan an ecotourist resort. In planning the resort the students must apply environmentally friendly principles. This is to be done in all aspects of the building and management of the resort. Once the resort is planned a marketing brochure needs to be designed.
 
 
B
Resources
 
Publications 
Australians and Tourism, VAEE, 1988 
Best Practice Ecotourism, A guide to Energy and Waste Minimisation, Commonwealth Department of Tourism, ACT, 1995 
Ecotourism, issues, ACER, Volume 23, June 1993 
Getting the story straight: Uluru NP, Eingang, Victorian Association for Environmental Education Inc, May 1995 
The Coast: Fragile or Resilient? Geodate, Warringal, Volume 9, No 1, March 1996 
Tourism, Global Issues, Geography Teachers Association of Victoria Inc, Volume 3, No 3, 1997 

Audio/visual 
REFERENCE: Commonwealth Department of Tourism, 1995, Best Practice Ecotourism, A guide to Energy and Waste Minimisation ACT. 
http://tourism.gov.au/publications/bpe/start.html 

Web sites 
Department of Primary Industry and Energy 
http://www.netenergy.dpie.gov.au cool information 

Planet Ark 
http://www.planet.ark.com.au

C
Pre-entry Requirements
 
This activity has been designed on the basis that students possess the following knowledge and skills: 

Technical knowledge and skills 

Students can: 

  • access the internet
  • undertake research on waste minimisation, waste disposal, energy conservation, maintain biodiversity.
Content knowledge and skills 

Students can: 

  • understand the basic principles of eco tourism eg ways of minimising waste, suitable waste disposal of waste, minimising the use of energy, minimising the impact of tourists on the environment, preserving the biodiversity.

  • understand how to apply these principles to building design, management strategies, tour operations, education of the clients, marketing of the resort.
D
Assessment
 
( If the whole assignment were to be assessed this section would be extensive. Each group needs a report relating to team work, understanding the concepts, ability to gather and utilise the information, presentation of the report, keeping to the required timeline.)
 
What to assess What criteria will be used Suggested techniques for collecting and recording evidence about student achievement
Knowledge    
Understanding ecotourism principles Ability to translate these principles into their design  
Skills    
To be able to work as an effective team member Contributions to group discussions Observation
  Actively work as a team member  
To be able to access the Internet site listed Using the Internet Observation
To be able to download the required information from the Internet sites.    
To be able to utilise the information and apply it to design an ecotourist resort   Criteria sheet from which to mark
 
E
Classroom Management
 
This project requires 4 teams of about 3 people each for the: 3 building design teams, 3 management, 3 tours and education, 3 marketing. Each team will need to research environmentally friendly ways of managing their area of the project. Research will include using the Internet sites, especially the Commonwealth Department of Tourism site. Much of the material from this site could be down loaded prior to students doing the study if computer access was a problem. 

The students producing the marketing brochure will need guidance on: word processing, layout and how to import graphics. These students will require the most computer time assuming the other groups were not to word process their work. This group will have to do their planning of the brochure while the others are designing the resort and they may also assist the others with planning.. Most of the marketing computer work will be undertaken towards the conclusion of the assignment. 

Planning a Resort along Ecotourism Principles - Student Activities
 

You are part of a team that has successfully tended to build, develop management strategies and marketing strategies for ecotourism facility.. This facility is to be built in a tropical rainforest near the coast of northern Australia. 

About the Region 

The minimum temperature is never lower than 160C and the maximum is never higher than 320C. Most the rain falls in the during the wet season from December to March. 

The attractions of the area are numerous. The region has a reputation for the pristine grandeur of is rainforests, isolated beaches and precious unspoilt wilderness areas. The nearest town, 30kilometres along a dirt road, offers hot air ballooning, aboriginal dancing, a wildlife park and boat rides along the river and ocean, as well as other tourist facilities. You believe that people will visit the ecotourism resort to discover the area's natural beauty, to relax, to swim in the crystal blue waters and to learn more about the dynamics of the spectacular rainforest. 

Planning the Complex 

In planning the best practice tourist resort the consulting company needs to consider the features of the built and natural environment that would attract tourists to the resort area and yet ensure that the facility was built and managed along ecological sustainable practices. People need to be attracted to the place to stay as long as possible. 

In undertaking the project the group needs to be broken into smaller groups, each with its own brief. These are described below along with a small list of Internet sites. Library books and other resource material should also be relevant. A sample of tourist brochures may give ideas for the marketing of the complex. 

Building Design 

  • How many people does the complex cater for?
  • What will the building(s) look like? What type of building design will fit in with the environment?
  • What consideration is given to where paths are placed?
  • What strategies are used to minimise the chance of soil erosion during the wet season?
  • What type of garden is proposed for the complex?
  • How do you plan to ,\minimise the effect of tourism on the local plant and animal communities?
  • What materials will be used in the building?
  • What features could assist to make the building comfortable and functional?
  • What features could be installed to maximise the use of natural lighting?
  • How do you attempt to minimise the use of energy for heating, cooling and lighting?
  • Can alternative forms of energy supply be used?
  • Your final report should include some diagrams of the resort complex and how it will look.
Management of the Resort 
  • How will the use of energy be minimised in cooling and lighting?
  • How will the use of energy be minimised in other activities such as cooking, clothes washing and drying?
  • How will the use of water be minimised in washing - personal, clothes and dishes?
  • What types of food will you provide? Local, imported, food with minimum packaging?
  • How do you minimise what goes into land fill? It is very expensive to have waste material removed from the site. You do not want to create more land fill than you have to. What items will be reused or recycled? In what ways can you minimise the use of materials such as paper, glass, plastics or cans?
  • How do you stop people from walking off established paths and trampling the vegetation?
  • How do you minimise the effect the tourist have on the local animal communities?
  • What are envrionmentally friendly ways of communication with clients.
Tour Operations 
  • Develop tours and activities for the visitors.
  • What activities can the tourists undertake?
  • What size are your tours?
  • How do you minimise the impact of your tours on the native plants and animals?
  • What type of transport will you use?
  • What foods will you take on trips?
  • How do you minimise the use of paper, plastics, glass and cans?
  • How do you dispose of unwanted food and packaging?
  • Are amenity blocks built at the more popular tour sites?
Education 
  • What do you want tourists to know about this area?
  • How do you stop people from souveniring plants and minimising their impact on the animals?
  • How do tourists learn about this beautiful area?
  • What information do you place on signs?
  • Do you undertake different activities for the - school children, pre school children, young people and elderly people?
  • How do you address their different levels of knowledge and interests of the tourists?
Marketing: Develop a brochure for the complex 

This needs to be word processed and include graphics. You will need to make your information as clear as possible. Potential tourists need to understand what the resort is about without reading too many words, remember a picture says ,000 words. The layout of the brochure, style of writing, font style and graphics all help to give an image of what the eco tourist resort is about. 

  • What is the name of your ecotourism complex?
  • What unique facilities has the complex to offer the tourist?
  • What is unique about the natural environment?
  • What activities could people who visited undertake?
  • How do people get to the complex?
  • What would a nights accommodation be?
  • What type of paper do you use to print your brochure?

  • Where do you do most of your marketing?
 


Top of page
Back to Information Technology and the CSF
Back to CSF menu