Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners

SITTPPD006B Mapping and Delivery Guide
Plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations

Version 1.0
Issue Date: March 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency SITTPPD006B - Plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations
Description This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to strategically plan ecologically sustainable tourism operations. It also requires the ability to establish and operate an ecologically sustainable tourism operation and to monitor any environmental impact it may have.It builds on SITTPPD004A Plan and implement minimal impact operations, which is more operationally focused. The work involved in this unit is subject to a range of regulatory requirements that relate to environmental sustainability at land management agency and federal, state or territory, and local government level. Therefore, training and assessment must take into account the specific requirements of environmental legislation as it applies to the product or destination. No occupational licensing or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.
Employability Skills The required outcomes described in this unit of competency contain applicable facets of employability skills. The Employability Skills Summary of the qualification in which this unit is packaged will assist in identifying employability skills requirements.
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit describes a key product planning function for a diverse range of tourism and hospitality products and services and applies across many industry sectors. Planning and developing ecologically sustainable tourism operations involve a strategic focus on the overall and long-term operation of a tourism product. It might be for a whole region or local area, for a particular tourism venue, or for individual touring product. The unit has particular application to the accommodation, tour operating, cruise and attraction sectors and to those tourism products that are delivered in environmentally sensitive areas, many of which would be nature or ecotourism-based experiences.This unit applies to senior tourism and hospitality industry personnel who operate autonomously and have strategic tourism planning and product development roles. These roles would include regional tourism manager, resort or hotel manager, operations or general manager, marketing manager, product development manager and owner-operator of any type of accommodation or tour operating business.
Duration and Setting X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting.
Prerequisites/co-requisites Nil
Competency Field Planning and Product Development
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners Student Learning Resources Handouts
Activities
Slides
PPT
Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4
Elements of Competency Performance Criteria              
Element: Plan for ecologically sustainable tourism operations.
  • Include an evaluation of the relationship between tourism and the environment in the planning process.
  • Conduct a cost versus yield evaluation of establishing and operating the operation on an ongoing basis according to industry and ecotourism codes and legislation.
  • Incorporate into the planning process the need for an economic or social return to the local community.
  • Conduct a range of evaluations prior to any decision to establish the operation.
  • Investigate and incorporate into the planning process methods of managing tourismimpact and protecting vulnerable sites.
  • Consult all stakeholders and incorporate their views into the planning process.
  • Develop strategies to balance ecological sustainability and the economic viability of the operation.
  • Base development decisions on the information obtained in the evaluation and planning process.
       
Element: Develop and implement ecologically sustainable tourism operations.
  • Develop and implement courses of action and systems to limit negative environmental impacts and damage.
  • Establish and integrate best practice environmental standards in the operation.
  • Identify and use appropriate technology for environmental best practice.
  • Develop environmentally-friendly codes of practice for all aspects of the operation and for customer use.
  • Conduct operations according to ecologically sustainable practices, guidelines provided by industry and ecotourism codes of practice and requirements of the law.
  • Promote environmental awareness within the tourism industry and to customers.
       
Element: Monitor environmental impact of operations.
  • Monitor and assess environmental impact of operations as part of regular management reviews.
  • Continuously monitor compliance with industry and ecotourism codes and legislative requirements.
  • Initiate appropriate follow-up action based on assessment of environmental impact and compliance.
       


Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

ability to strategically plan for, establish and operate an ecologically sustainable tourism operation and to monitor any environmental impact

project or work activities conducted over a commercially realistic period of time so that the planning, evaluation and monitoring aspects of the operations can be assessed

ability to critically analyse all information that relates to the product development phase

knowledge of the current range of legislation, regulations and industry codes and ability to interpret the requirements as they relate to the tourism operation

knowledge of minimal impact and environmental management strategies.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

that the candidate has accessed a fully equipped industry-realistic office environment using appropriate computers, printers, information programs and publications currently used in the tourism industry to facilitate the planning and product development processes involved

access to a destination where the ecologically sustainable tourism operation would be established and operated or access to comprehensive and sufficient information about that destination to allow the candidate to plan for strategically, establish and operate an ecologically sustainable tourism operation and monitor any environmental impact

access to current regulatory documents distributed by key land management agencies and federal, state or territory, and local governments, such as plain English legislative publications, codes and standards outlining environmental regulatory requirements

use of industry ecotourism codes of practice, especially that of the Ecotourism Association of Australia

involvement and interaction with a group of people so that consultation with key stakeholders can be achieved..

Methods of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess the practical skills and knowledge required to plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

review of a completed plan for the tourism operation, including analysis of all evaluations that have been conducted

review of codes of practice developed by the candidate

review of environmental impact monitoring reports completed by the candidate and action plans for any required corrective measures

project activities to plan and develop an ecologically sustainable tourism operation in conjunction with industry

project activities to plan and develop an ecologically sustainable tourism operation for a given environmentally sensitive area

case studies to assess the candidate's ability to evaluate the development and operation of different tourism operations with differing environmental issues

case studies and projects to assess the candidate's ability to improve the ecological sustainability of existing tourism operations

written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge such as industry codes of conduct, environmental regulatory requirements, minimal impact techniques and methods of managing tourism impact

review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

SITTPPD001B Research, assess and develop tourism products

SITTPPD004A Plan and implement minimal impact operations

SITTPPD007A Plan and develop culturally appropriate tourism operations

SITXFIN005A Prepare and monitor budgets.

Assessing employability skills

Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts.

Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role.


Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)


Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit.

The following skills must be assessed as part of this unit:

interpretation of environmental legislation and regulation imposed by relevant land management agencies and federal, state or territory, and local governments

interpretation of industry and ecotourism codes of practice

high-level communication skills to conduct comprehensive consultation with key stakeholders

critical thinking skills to facilitate rational and logical analysis of cost versus yield and other evaluations associated with planning the establishment of the tourism operation

literacy skills to read and interpret complex material describing environmental regulatory requirements and industry and ecotourism codes of practice

high-level written literacy skills to develop comprehensive plans for ecologically sustainable tourism operations, and operational and customer-focused codes of practice

numeracy skills to perform complex calculations when evaluating cost versus yield.

The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit:

the key characteristics of tourism trends, developments and the environmental impact of tourism

the key characteristics of global environmental issues and intricacies of local environmental issues

the intricacies of the social, cultural and economic aspects of the local host community

the objectives, components and comprehensive details of environmental and local community protection compliance requirements within state, territory and local government laws and regulations

the objectives, components and comprehensive details of guidance given by industry and ecotourism codes of practice, especially that of the Ecotourism Association of Australia

consultative and communication mechanisms commonly used by organisations to deal with sensitive ecological and community issues

the objectives and intricate details of minimal impact techniques

the intricate details of methods of managing tourism impacts

the intricate details of environmental management strategies and practices to acceptably balance ecological sustainability and the economic viability of an operation.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below.

Range of evaluations prior to establishing the operation may involve:

a complete environmental impact study

a site evaluation

evaluation of the social impact on local communities

evaluation of the operation's ability to comply with industry and ecotourism codes of practice

evaluation of the operation's ability to comply with enironmental and community protection laws.

Methods of managing tourism impact may include:

limits of acceptable change

zoning

exclusion

community consultation and involvement

tourism development plans

scheduling

consideration of optimal weather conditions and seasons

selection of most appropriate transport modes

education

size of operation and group size.

Stakeholders may include:

host community where the operation is to take place

investors

state, territory and local government authorities

land management and protection authorities, such as national parks

consumer representatives

suppliers of environmentally-friendly products.

Negative environmental impacts may include:

disturbance of flora and fauna

physical damage

introduction of exotic and feral species

pollution

waste, energy and consumable demands and issues

visual impacts.

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Include an evaluation of the relationship between tourism and the environment in the planning process. 
Conduct a cost versus yield evaluation of establishing and operating the operation on an ongoing basis according to industry and ecotourism codes and legislation. 
Incorporate into the planning process the need for an economic or social return to the local community. 
Conduct a range of evaluations prior to any decision to establish the operation. 
Investigate and incorporate into the planning process methods of managing tourismimpact and protecting vulnerable sites. 
Consult all stakeholders and incorporate their views into the planning process. 
Develop strategies to balance ecological sustainability and the economic viability of the operation. 
Base development decisions on the information obtained in the evaluation and planning process. 
Develop and implement courses of action and systems to limit negative environmental impacts and damage. 
Establish and integrate best practice environmental standards in the operation. 
Identify and use appropriate technology for environmental best practice. 
Develop environmentally-friendly codes of practice for all aspects of the operation and for customer use. 
Conduct operations according to ecologically sustainable practices, guidelines provided by industry and ecotourism codes of practice and requirements of the law. 
Promote environmental awareness within the tourism industry and to customers. 
Monitor and assess environmental impact of operations as part of regular management reviews. 
Continuously monitor compliance with industry and ecotourism codes and legislative requirements. 
Initiate appropriate follow-up action based on assessment of environmental impact and compliance. 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

SITTPPD006B - Plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:


Assessment Record Sheet

SITTPPD006B - Plan and develop ecologically sustainable tourism operations

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: