project: analysis of a destination

Study guide – Part 2 Weeks 5-7

TOUR 1001

Understanding travel and tourism

Graham Brown, Shirley Chappel, Jenny Davies

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPIC 4 SUMMARISING A JOURNAL ARTICLE – ASSIGNMENT 2

TOPIC 5 INTRODUCTION TO ASSIGNMENT 3

Note: This Study Guide is available on the World Wide Web.

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TOPIC 4: SUMMARISING A JOURNAL ARTICLE

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this topic you should be able to:

 explain the structure of a journal article

 explain the meaning of ‘refereed journal’

 explain the meaning of double-blind peer review

 explain the term ‘literature review’

 explain the term ‘theoretical framework’

 explain the research methods used in the article you choose to summarise

 explain the meaning of ‘teaching-research nexus’

 demonstrate your ability to access journal articles.

REQUIRED READING

You must choose one of the following articles:

New Orleans, USA

Gotham, KF 2007, ‘Destination New Orleans: commodification, rationalization, and the rise of

urban tourism’, Journal of Consumer Culture, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 305-334

Or

Venice, Italy

Quinn, B 2007, ‘Performing tourism: Venetian residents in focus’, Annals of Tourism Research,

vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 458-476.

Due date for assignment: Friday, 3 May, 2013.

ACCESSING THE JOURNAL ARTICLES

You are not provided with direct links to these articles because in the real world of

research you will not always have direct links. The University is preparing you for lifelong

learning.

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Destination: New Orleans, USA

Step 1: Go through your student portal and click on the Library icon.

Step 2: Type Destination New Orleans: commodification, rationalization and the rise of urban

tourism in the space provided under Search the Library Catalogue and then click on

SEARCH.

Step 3: Click in the box to the left of Journal Article on the left hand side of the screen and

click on Destination New Orleans: commodification, rationalization and the rise of

urban tourism in the middle of the screen.

Step 4: Click on Access this article via SAGE Sociology Full-Text Collection in the middle of

the screen.

Step 5: Click on All Issues near the bottom of the screen.

Step 6: Click on 2007.

Step 7: Click on November 2007.

Step 8: Find Kevin Fox Gotham and click on Full-Text PDF below the name of the author.

Step 9: Click on Print icon.

Step 10 Click on Print.

Destination: Venice, Italy

Step 1: Go through your student portal and click on the Library icon.

Step 2: Type Performing tourism: Venetian residents in focus in the space provided under

Search the Library Catalogue and then click on SEARCH.

Step 3: Click in the box to the left of Journal Article on the left hand side of the screen and on

Performing tourism: Venetian residents in focus in focus in the middle of the screen.

Step 4: Click on Access this article.

Step 5: Click on volume 34 on the left hand side of the screen.

Step 6: Click on issue 2 on the left hand side of the screen.

Step 7: Click on Performing tourism: Venetian residents in focus in the middle of the screen.

It is number 11.

Step 8: Click on PDF near the top of the screen.

Step 9: Click on print icon.

Step 10: Click on Print.

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THE STRUCTURE OF A JOURNAL ARTICLE

Introduction

 For Assignment 2 you are required to summarise an article that relates to a particular

destination. Please see the Required Reading above. The destinations and the articles are

also listed in your Course Outline.

The teaching-research nexus

 See Topic 1 under the heading Academic Literacies.

 The Learning and Teaching unit of the University of South Australia refers to the ‘teaching-

research nexus’, that is, the connection between research and what students are taught and

learn. Although students are referred to a textbook, the main resources for this course are

refereed journal articles and scholarly books. Students learn how researchers gain

information for the books and articles they write. In Assignment 2 students are required to

comment on the research methods of authors.

Journal articles

 Journal articles are a very important source of ideas and information in studies at a

university.

 They are the result of research scholars have done about particular topics.

 If the articles are in refereed journals, this means that their contents have been checked for

accuracy by scholars unknown to the writer or writers of the articles. The scholars who do

the checking do not know the identity of the writer or writers of the articles. This is referred to

as a double-blind peer review.

The Abstract

 Most articles have an abstract at the beginning. Abstracts usually give you an idea of the

main points of the article. Therefore, they should provide you with some guidance about

what to include as the main ideas in your summary. Sometimes, however, they may contain

concepts you do not understand. Do not worry about this. By the time you have finished

reading the article you should have a much better idea of the meaning of the abstract.

 Sometimes abstracts give some general background information about the topic.

 Sometimes the title ABSTRACT is provided. Sometimes there is no title.

 The abstract section may be typed in bold or in italics if the title ABSTRACT is not used.

 Do not summarise the abstract. In the article the main points of the abstract will be

discussed in much greater detail. These are the points you must summarise.

 Students sometimes ask whether they are required to do any additional reading for

Assignment 2. You may wish to do additional reading to clarify what you are reading about in

the article. Your summary, however, is a summary of the article. It must not include any

information that is not in the article.

 The articles about New Orleans and Venice have abstracts..

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The Main Theme and the Title

 The article has a main theme. You must summarise what the article tells the reader about

that theme. The title of the article gives you an idea of the main theme although you may find

the title hard to understand until you have read the article.

 After reading the article, you should be able to explain what the title of the article means.

 The Introduction to the Venice article tells the reader what the main theme of the article is.

 The Introduction to the New Orleans article tells the reader about the main theme of the

article.

Reviewing the Literature

 Articles provide information about what scholars have already written about a topic. This is a

literature review. This information may not mean much to you if you do not read the

references used in this literature review.

 Very often you may find the literature review quite difficult. Do not worry about it. If you keep

reading the article, by the end of it you are likely to have at least some idea of the main points

in the literature review. You will need to read the article several times when you are

preparing your assignment.

 You must include the main ideas of the literature review in your summary.

 The list of references also tells you what literature has been used to write the article.

 When scholars conduct a good literature review, they should be able to judge where there is

a gap in knowledge about a particular topic. In their research, they may choose to fill this gap

and thus add to knowledge about the topic.

 In one of the weekly Shirley’s Corners you will be taught how to summarise the literature

review.

Research Methods

 Articles usually describe the research methods used to gain information for the article. You

are expected to summarise these research methods when you write your summary.

 In the Venice article the research methods are in the section called Study Methods.

 In the New Orleans article the research methods are in the Introduction.

Theoretical Framework

 Articles usually are based on some tourism theory. Sometimes a theory from another subject

area is applied to the topic about which the author or authors of the article are writing.

 In the Venice article the theoretical component is about tourism as a performance, mobility,

resident-tourist encounters and spaces.

 In the New Orleans article the theoretical component is about commodification,

rationalization, urban tourism and destination image.

 You will receive help with writing about the theoretical framework in one of the weekly

Shirley’s Corners.

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Conclusion

 A well-written conclusion to an article can also be a good place to look for the main points

made in an article.

 Sometimes conclusions also indicate what additional research could be done about a topic.

RULES FOR SUMMARISING

1. When you read the journal article you have selected for Assignment 2, write down and

explain the main ideas of the article in your own words. Examples will help your explanation

but you should not include unnecessary detail.

2. As you read the article, do not stop to look in a dictionary for the meanings of words you do

not understand. Underline or highlight these words and find their meanings in a dictionary

after you have finished reading the article. If you stop to look up words while you are reading

the article you will lose your train of thought and you will find yourself re-reading what you

have already read.

3. When you start to write your summary, write an introductory sentence that includes the

following:

a. The title of the article in single quotation marks. The New Orleans article is called

‘Destination New Orleans: commodification, rationalization, and the rise of urban

tourism’.

The title of the article about Venice is called ‘Performing tourism: Venetian residents in

focus’.

b. The surname or family name of the author or authors of the article in the order in which

they are found in the article. The New Orleans article was written by Gotham. The

article about Venice was written by Quinn.

c. The name of the journal from which the article comes. The name of the journal is in

italics.

The New Orleans article is from a journal called Journal of Consumer Culture. The

article about Venice is from a journal called Annals of Tourism Research. Please note

the spelling of the word Annals.You will lose marks if you spell the word incorrectly.

d. The details of the journal from which the article comes including the year of publication,

the volume number, the issue number, the number of the page on which the article

begins and the number of the page on which the article finishes. The details for the New

Orleans article are as follows: vol. 7, no.3, pp.305-334. Its year of publication is 2007.

The details for the article about Venice are as follows: vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 458-476. Its

year of publication is 2007.

e. The main idea of the article.

4. In the main part of the summary, write a paragraph about each of the main ideas. In the

summary below, the writer has grouped within one paragraph main ideas that have

similarities or connections.

5. Use quotations sparingly. If you use quotations they must be very short (two or three words).

Write most of the summary in your own words. Do not copy from the article. If you do use a

quotation, provide the page number. Do not use quotations to cover the fact that you do not

understand what you are reading. If you have difficulty in understanding what you are

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reading, consult the tutor by email or by a question on the Discussion Board. See how short

quotations are used in the example below.

6. The example below is a summary of one of the articles set for Assignment 1. The summary

does not refer to research methods, a literature review and theoretical frameworks. These

aspects of journal articles will be dealt with in a Shirley’s Corner and will be directly relevant

to the articles you are required to summarise.

AN EXAMPLE OF A SUMMARY

In an article titled ‘Who is a tourist? A conceptual clarification’ in vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 527-555 of

The Sociological Review in 1974, Cohen provides a conceptual definition of ‘tourist’ that

distinguishes a tourist from other kinds of travellers. Tourists make a journey and visit places

outside their normal environment for limited periods of time. Six characteristics differentiate

tourists from other kinds of travellers. Partial tourists, whose travels are similar in some ways to

tourism, do not satisfy all the requirements. To define ‘tourist’, Cohen uses already existing

definitions and adds some ideas of his own. He uses the word ‘fuzzy’ to indicate that it is not

always easy to differentiate a tourist from other kinds of travellers.

A tourist is a person who chooses to travel, unlike refugees, exiles and prisoners-of-war who are

forced by their circumstances to travel. Some travellers are not physically forced to travel but do

so because of the social requirements of the group to which they belong.

Unlike nomads who travel as a way of life, tourists are temporary travellers. Whereas nomads

have no fixed abode, tourists have permanent homes to which they return after a limited period

away from home. It is difficult to determine, however, the shortest period of time a person must

be away from home to be classified as a tourist. Similarly, it is also difficult to determine the

longest period of time tourists must be away from home before their classification changes to

permanent resident.

The tourist returns eventually to the place at which the journey began, thus being differentiated

from a migrant who makes a one-way journey to a new permanent destination. Although tourists

may stay away from home for a long time, they are still tourists if they intend to return home.

Unlike beach-house owners who have their holidays in the beach-house every year, tourists are

non-recurrent travellers who do not travel to the same place regularly on holidays. Regular

holidays at the same place lose their novelty although it is difficult to determine how frequently a

person must visit a place before this happens.

A tourist’s trip is ‘relatively long’ (p. 532); its length distinguishes it from a short trip. Length,

however, is not only decided by physical distance but can also depend on previous experience

and on the travel practices of the group to which the person belongs. People who are not

accustomed to travel may need to travel only a short distance to experience novelty which is

essential to tourism. The tourist does not have a specific purpose such as business, religion or

education. Instead, he or she has a general purpose, namely, the ‘expectation of pleasure’ (p.

533) from experiencing ‘novelty and change’ (p. 533). There is a slight difference between

‘novelty’ and ‘change’ (pp. 532-533). ‘Novelty’ is something new; ‘change’, however, does not

necessarily involve something new. Tourists who seek novelty are sightseers. Vacationers seek

change in the form of facilities and amenities such as good accommodation.

.

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TYPES OF RESEARCH METHODS

You are required to summarise the research methods used in the article you have chosen. To

help you with this, here are some explanations of important research methods.

 Case study: Some articles will be described as a case study. In a case study, the

researchers concentrate on studying a group of people or a particular kind of tourism at a

particular place. Sometimes the researcher who develops a case study may rely upon

government documents and business records to collect the information.

 Content analysis: In this kind of research, the researchers study written text or pictures and

try to discover the symbolic meanings in these texts or pictures. In one of his lectures

Professor Brown showed you a poster of a family at the beach in the 1950s. The image of a

family at the beach symbolised the importance of the family in the 1950s.

 Data: This is the information collected by the researchers.

 Discourse analysis: In this kind of analysis, the researchers study the written and spoken

word to find out what has motivated the words that have been written and spoken.

 Desk research: In this kind of research, the researcher does not collect the data. Instead,

the researcher uses the data collected by other researchers. In this way, the researcher

gains background information about a topic. The data are referred to as secondary data.

Primary data are collected by the researcher. Please note that ‘data’ is a plural word and is

therefore followed by a plural verb. For example, you write ‘data are’, not ‘data is’.

 Direct observation: The researchers directly observe aspects of the topic of their research,

for example, the way tourists behave at the beach.

 Empirical: This is the word used to show that the researchers have used their senses (e.g.

sight and hearing) to gather their information about a topic.

 Ethnography, field research and participant observation: In some articles the writers use

ethnography and field research. Ethnography is also referred to as ‘participant-observation

research’ (Neuman 2000, pp. 344-345). The word is made up of the words ‘ethno’ which

means ‘people’ and ‘graphy’ which means ‘describing something’ (p. 347). It means

‘describing a culture and understanding another way of life’ from the point of view of the

people being studied (p. 347). Neuman defines participant observation as a research style

in which ‘a researcher directly observes and participates in small-scale social settings in the

present time’ (p. 345). The field researcher ‘directly talks with and observes the people being

studied’ (p. 345). In field research, the researcher asks questions, listens, shows interest,

and records answers (Neuman 2000, p. 370). In the field interview, ‘[o]pen-ended questions

are common, and probes are frequent’ (p. 371). Open-ended questions allow the person

being questioned to tell his or her story. The interviewer uses the interviewee’s answers as a

starting-point for gaining further information.

 Exploratory research: This involves research ‘into an area that has not been studied and in

which the researcher wants to develop initial ideas and a more focused research question’

(Neuman 2000, p. 510).

 Hypothesis: The researchers provide an explanation of a situation and then, through their

research, try to prove whether their explanation is correct or incorrect.

 Interviews: Interviews are like a conversation between the person doing the research (the

interviewer) and the person who is being interviewed (the interviewee) whose ideas provide

the interviewer with the data the interviewer is seeking. In an unstructured or in-depth

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interview, the interviewee does most of the talking. The interviewer may ask a question now

and then for clarification. In a semi-structured interview, the interviewer does have a list of

topics to be discussed to focus the interviewee on the topic. In group interviews, several

people are interviewed at the same time.

 Longitudinal studies require the study of a research topic over a long period of time, for

example, the development of a child’s social skills over a long period of time.

 Purposive judgement samples: ‘Sample’ refers to the group of people chosen by the

researchers as the subjects of their research. In purposive or judgemental sampling the

researchers choose subjects they think would be best suited to the research study they are

conducting.

 The term ‘qualitative data’ means information in the form of words’ (Neuman 2000, p. 516).

 The term ‘quantitative data’ means ‘information in the form of numbers’ (Neuman 2000, p.

516).

 Survey: When a survey is conducted by researchers, they require many people to answer

the same questions. The researchers keep a record of the answers and analyse the

answers. The questions asked are known as a questionnaire. Before asking the questions,

the researchers have worked out what questions they are going to ask. This is a structured

questionnaire. Some of the questions will require one answer and are used to get factual

information. These questions are close-ended. Other questions are open-ended. These

allow the people being questioned to give a longer answer in which they can express their

points of view.

THE ORDER IN WHICH YOU DO THE VARIOUS PARTS OF THE SUMMARY

 There is no set order for the summary but you should make your summary flow so that the

person reading it will be able to make sense of it. Of course, the introductory sentence must

come first.

MINI-CHECKLIST FOR ASSIGNMENT 2

 Format of the summary

o The introductory sentence in the summary follows the guidelines explained in the Study

Guide Part 2, Rules for Summarising.

o The summary is written in the student’s own words with only very brief quotations.

o Quotations are used sparingly in the summary.

o Quotations used are no more than three words in length.

o Quotations used are followed by the page number in brackets.

o The summary contains no in-text referencing, except for the page numbers for the very

brief quotations.

o The summary does not have a list of references.

o The summary is no longer than two A4 pages, that is, two sides of one piece of paper.

o Font 12, Times New Roman and single-line spacing are used in the summary.

o The summary has a title page containing the following information:

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 The student’s name – (Chinese and Korean students must use their full Chinese or

Korean name.)

 The student’s ID number

 Assignment 2

 The name of the destination chosen – New Orleans or Venice

 Submission date

o The summary does not use headings.

o The summary does not use dot-points.

o The summary does not use contractions such as don’t.

o The summary has a conclusion that does not repeat information already contained in the

summary.

 Content of the summary

o The summary concisely and correctly explains the main points of the article.

o The summary identifies and concisely summarises the main ideas of the literature review.

o The summary identifies and concisely summarises the research methods used in the

preparation of the article.

o The summary identifies and concisely summarises theory used in the preparation of the

article.

MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE RUBRIC FOR ASSIGNMENT 2

 Learning outcome 1 – understanding of article content – 75% of marks for this

assignment

 Learning outcome 2 – adherence to summarising guidelines outlined in study guide part

2, rules for summarising.

 Up to 5% of the marks will be deducted from the final mark for incorrect spelling and/or

grammar and for failure to follow the guidelines for the title page.

 Late assignments will receive a 10% penalty per day late.

REFERENCE

Neuman, WL 2000, Social research methods: qualitative and quantitative approaches, 4 th edn,

Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights, Massachusetts.

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TOPIC 5: INTRODUCTION TO ASSIGNMENT 3

SEE THE COURSE OUTLINE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT DETAILS FOR ASSIGNMENT 3.

OBJECTIVES

At the end of this topic you should be able to:

 analyse a tourist destination

 locate your chosen destination on a political map

 identify the major features of the natural environment that would be interesting to tourists

 describe the society at the destination you have chosen

 explain how tourists would become aware of the cultural features of the society at the

destination

 explain how the heritage resources at the destination you have chosen illustrate the history of

the destination

 explain how the tourist destination became a tourist destination

 explain why tourists are motivated to visit the destination you have chosen

 identify the ‘push’ factors that enable tourists to visit the destination you have chosen

 explain the ‘pull’ factors that attract tourists to the destination you have chosen

 discuss the kinds of souvenirs tourists are able to buy at the destination you have chosen

 identify the impacts tourism has had on the people who live at the destination you have

chosen

 identify the kinds of accommodation available to tourists at the destination you have chosen

 explain how people access the destination you have chosen

 describe the kinds of transport available to tourists at the destination you have chosen

 identify the gastronomic experiences available to tourists at the destination you have chosen

 explain the purpose of the promotion of a destination

 identify the ways in which websites interpret the destination you have chosen

 produce the components of an original brochure to promote and interpret the destination you

have chosen.

When you have finished Assignment 2, you must start collecting your information

for the following parts of Assignment 3. You may find some of the information in

the article you have summarised.

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Features of the natural environment

 Features of the natural environment include climate, seas, rivers, lakes, waterfalls,

mountains, coastlines, deserts, grasslands, reefs, natural events such as volcanic eruptions,

jungles, flowers, autumn leaves, rainforests, wildlife, sea life, birds and animals that are

national icons. (See your textbook: Weaver & Lawton 2010, pp. 115-123.)

Society at the destination

 The society at the destination includes the following topics: the racial and cultural diversity of

the people, the languages spoken, the ways in which the languages are written (the script),

the religions of the people, and the ways in which the people earn their living and the

destination gains its wealth.

 When you collect this information you should try to imagine how, as a tourist, you would be

aware of the characteristics of the society if you went to that destination. What would you

see? What would you hear? What would you smell?

History and heritage

 The history of the destination refers to the story of the destination told in chronological order.

 You are expected to write about what tourists would see at the destination from which they

could learn about the history of the destination. This means that you are required to write

about the heritage resources of the destination. Heritage refers to the remains of the past

that are passed on from one generation to the next. Heritage tourism can involve the

following activities:

o visiting historical monuments

o visiting museums and art galleries

o visiting historic houses and historic villages

o visiting theme parks that are based on the history of the destination

o attendance at re-enactments of historical events.

Tourist attractions

 Attractions can be:

 natural attractions such as beaches and dolphins

 cultural attractions such as festivals, sporting events and famous buildings

 specialised recreational attractions, made especially for tourism and recreation, such as

Disneyland or a golf course.

 See your textbook: Weaver & Lawton 2010, pp. 115-123, 123-128, 128- 130, 130-132.

The tourism industry

 At a destination, the tourism industry provides for the needs of tourists, for example,

providing accommodation, food and beverage and transport. Your search for information

should therefore include the following kinds of topics:

o What kinds of accommodation are available for tourists?

o What kinds of accommodation would enable tourists to experience the local culture?

o What kinds of transport are used to take tourists to and from the destination?

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o What kinds of transport do tourists use when they are at the destination?

o Are there special kinds of transport that are used as a tourist attraction?

o What kinds of food and beverage outlets are available for tourists at the destination?

o What special kinds of food and drink are available at the destination?

o What kinds of souvenirs would tourists collect at the destination?

o How is the destination you have chosen advertised on websites?

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

 At this stage of Study Period 2 you should look for general information about these topics.

Later, you will be directed to scholarly information in journal articles and books.

 Each week in Shirley’s Corner I shall make suggestions about sources of information for

each of the destinations.

 As the Study Period progresses, you will be taught the theory that applies to the assignment.

The theory section includes motivation, ‘push’ factors, ‘pull’ factors, impacts, promotion and

interpretation.

 Try to spend at least 20 minutes each week collecting the information for your major

assignment.

SOME SUGGESTIONS

 To help you choose your destination, type into your computer the following:

o New Orleans tourism

o Venice tourism

 This will make available to you a number of websites from which you can get information

about tourism in each of these destinations. The information in the websites should then help

you to choose the destination on which to base your major assignment.

REFERENCE

Weaver, D, Lawton L 2010, Tourism management, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.