Over the course of this semester I have learned a lot about travel and communication. Most of it are things I had never thought about before, but will now probably use for the rest of my life.
The most influential concept I learned about in this class is sustainable tourism. In order to keep tourism an ongoing option for vacations, we need take certain steps to insure the quality of the sites and the communities we visit do not diminish. This is where sustainable tourism comes into play. Steps should be taken by the traveler and the local business or site to make sure the surrounding area is affected as little as possible.
As a traveler we can take steps to support companies that are running off of a sustainable business model. To avoid false claims by the specific business, check lists compiled by an accredited organization. UNESCO is a great example of this. They hold destinations accountable to prove their sustainability, and to maintain that through a series of inspections. Another way we can be an educated traveler is by monitoring our interactions while on vacation. As previously stated in my blog, I am a huge advocate for the prevention of acculturation. This can be done by researching the norms and taboos of a culture before visiting them. By knowing these you can function within their society with making them feel like they are the odd one out.
Companies can contribute to sustainable tourism by following a few principles that we learned about in our sustainable tourism lecture. The most important is to use local resources. Not only does this include materials and locally grow food, but also employing native peoples. This promotes the growth of the local economy, and allows the natives to benefit from the exploitation of their land. Another principle of sustainability for a company is the preservation of the land. Companies proficient in this not only try to prevent this, but actively work to better it.
Another important skill I learned from this class is how to effectively communicate with a mass audience using the internet. Before this class I had never thought about changing my writing style depending on the audience I wanted to draw. I now understand that this is an important aspect of communication, and know several websites to test my wiring level. I also learned how to draw traffic to the source that I want communicated, and about adding key words and phrases to incorporate searches that individuals my use. I now know how to promote on other social media outlets (like pinterest) and hyperlink it back to my original source to broaden my target scope.
I found this class to be very informative and entertaining. I enjoyed the mix of traditional education and new communication methods, and hope this style of teaching is incorporated into more classes. The knowledge I've gained from this class is easily transferable into real life, which is what all classes should strive for.
The most influential concept I learned about in this class is sustainable tourism. In order to keep tourism an ongoing option for vacations, we need take certain steps to insure the quality of the sites and the communities we visit do not diminish. This is where sustainable tourism comes into play. Steps should be taken by the traveler and the local business or site to make sure the surrounding area is affected as little as possible.
As a traveler we can take steps to support companies that are running off of a sustainable business model. To avoid false claims by the specific business, check lists compiled by an accredited organization. UNESCO is a great example of this. They hold destinations accountable to prove their sustainability, and to maintain that through a series of inspections. Another way we can be an educated traveler is by monitoring our interactions while on vacation. As previously stated in my blog, I am a huge advocate for the prevention of acculturation. This can be done by researching the norms and taboos of a culture before visiting them. By knowing these you can function within their society with making them feel like they are the odd one out.
Companies can contribute to sustainable tourism by following a few principles that we learned about in our sustainable tourism lecture. The most important is to use local resources. Not only does this include materials and locally grow food, but also employing native peoples. This promotes the growth of the local economy, and allows the natives to benefit from the exploitation of their land. Another principle of sustainability for a company is the preservation of the land. Companies proficient in this not only try to prevent this, but actively work to better it.
Another important skill I learned from this class is how to effectively communicate with a mass audience using the internet. Before this class I had never thought about changing my writing style depending on the audience I wanted to draw. I now understand that this is an important aspect of communication, and know several websites to test my wiring level. I also learned how to draw traffic to the source that I want communicated, and about adding key words and phrases to incorporate searches that individuals my use. I now know how to promote on other social media outlets (like pinterest) and hyperlink it back to my original source to broaden my target scope.
I found this class to be very informative and entertaining. I enjoyed the mix of traditional education and new communication methods, and hope this style of teaching is incorporated into more classes. The knowledge I've gained from this class is easily transferable into real life, which is what all classes should strive for.
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