Tourism-tourguide

Tourism in Réunion (Tour guide)

Untitled Document

Task | Process | Tour manager | Activity coordinator | Assessment | Research notes sheet | Weekly log | Evaluation form

Introduction

Put yourself in the role of tour guide operator: You have just started a new tour company in Réunion. You are hoping to tap into the Australian market (20-30 year olds). You have the option of writing up your ten day or three week tour.

The Task

Your task is to research what there is for tourists to see and do on the island.
You will produce a brochure that outlines your tour from start to finish.

The Process

Pick a business partner to work with you.
Each of you will choose a role. You need to fully assume the role of your character to succeed in the task. For more information, click on each of the roles listed below:

Roles

Tour manager

Research factual information about the island, contact details for the company, accommodation and restaurants.

Activity Coordinator

Plan trips to museums, cultural events and tourist attractions.

In order to complete your task you will need to:

Brainstorm the topic with your partner. Use this time to organise your ideas.
Write guiding questions for the different aspects of the content that you plan to cover. (Check the guide to doing a research task if you are not sure how to write guiding questions. Use the Research notes sheet to record your questions.)
Search the online resources (text pages, web links) provided in this course
Check through the optional extras pages to see if any are relevant to your topic.
Use the Research notes sheet to record and organise your facts and the sources you have used. It would be a good idea to print off this sheet and get it enlarged to A3 size.
Write a Weekly log to keep a record of what you have accomplished and to list your next steps.
Show this log to your teacher each week. (You will need to copy the log to a Word page and save it: Ctrl c to copy and Ctrl v to paste. You can add to your entries each week.)
Contribute 2-4 pages of text to the final journal.
Fill out the Evaluation Form and give it to your teacher with your research assignment.

Think about the software you might wish to use in producing your brochure.

Assessment

You are required to participate fully in the paired tasks and discussions and to contribute to the brochure. You must both contribute to a bibliography that lists all of your sources of information. You will be given an individual grade for your contributions and a joint grade for the brochure.

General assessment criteria

You will be assessed on how well you demonstrate the ability to:

work collaboratively with a partner
work independently to select information that is relevant to the task
combine and order information in a logical manner
write a balanced content that makes sense grammatically
distinguish between fact and opinion in web texts
make connections between the history and geography of Réunion and present day practices
demonstrate creativity – original ideas, imagination, presentation

Conclusion

Participating in this research task should enhance your understanding of Réunion as a tourist destination. You should develop a better understanding of the connectedness and interdependence of present day systems in Réunion. You will gain experience in using the computer as a research tool and may develop further skills in using technology to present your work.

Credits & References

See the weblinks for a summary of Online references.

Offline references (used in creating the text pages).

La Réunion: le guide touristique et encyclopédique, EncycloGuide 1999
Histoire, Géographie: Programmes pour la Réunion, Hatier International 2001
Le guide île de la Réunion, Éditions Noor Akhoun
En parcourant la Réunion, Éditions clin d’œil 1999
Clin d’œil de la Réunion, Éditions clin d’œil
Mauritius , Réunion & Seychelles, Lonely planet publications 2001

Tour manager

Congratulations! You have been chosen as the tour manager for the Réunion tour. As manager, you decide what facts to include on Réunion and you have the final say on what activities will be offered to the tour group and the order of events. You must organise and plan well!

Your Responsibilities

Your job is to organise and plan the tour.
You will be responsible for organising accommodation and restaurant meals. This information will be recorded on your Research notes sheet.

Process

You and your partner must decide which town to use as the starting point for your tour.
With your partner, choose the main places that the tourists will visit and work out an itinerary.
Locate accommodation for each place where tourists will spend the night.
Select a restaurant for each evening meal. Remember that many tourists will be keen to try créole cuisine.
Discuss with your partner how you are going to set out the tour brochure. Start to select facts about Réunion for tourists who know nothing about the island.
Your portion of the brochure will include:

Details of your company and the transport you intend to use (coach? 4 wheel drive? horses?).
General information about Réunion island.
The itinerary (recorded on a map).
A brief outline of the type of accommodation and restaurant meals the tourists will experience.

Learning Tips

As the tour manager, you should:

Frequently check plans with your partner.
Consider varying the transport according to the activity.
Work with your partner so that you make your way around the island in a logical way and plan activities close together.

Activity Coordinator

Congratulations! You have the honour of being chosen as the activity coordinator. This role is the most exciting because you get to plan where you are both going. Markets, museums, beaches, sports...the sky is the limit!

Your Responsibilities

Your job is to research typical tourist activities on the island.
You will be responsible for choosing and planning diverse activities. You will need to provide a description and location for each place. This information will be recorded in your Research notes sheet.

Process

Research the places that you can visit and things you can do on Réunion and make a list to discuss with your partner.
Vary your activities/excursions so that the tourists don’t get bored.
Keep in mind the historical and cultural information behind each one. You want the tourists to learn something as well enjoy themselves.
Remember that mists can roll in on the mountains in the afternoon. Plan the activities around the likely weather.
Give the tourists some choice in what they will do.
Your portion of the brochure will include:

A write up of what the tourists will see and do each day of the tour.
Details of some of the tour highlights.

Learning Tips

Keep in mind the age of the tourists.
Coordinate activities with your partner so that you make your way around the island in a logical way and plan activities close together.
Take advantage of the cultural opportunities within the island!

Research notes sheet

It’s a good idea to note the source of any facts that you locate. You can use it to list your sources in the bibliography. You might also need to go back to a web site to check up on details.

Guiding questions	Source	Source	Source
Why?
When?
Who?
How?
Where?
What?

Weekly log

Name: ________________________________________________________________________________

Partner: _______________________________________________________________________________

Directions: Once a week, while you are working on your research task, make an entry in this log detailing what you have accomplished. Then plan what you need to accomplish the following week.