Application
Developing the host community's awareness of tourism involves a strategic focus on the overall and long-term operation of tourism as an industry within a local community. It is a key component of tourism planning and management. An awareness program would normally be for a whole region or local area but may sometimes apply to the development of a particular tourism venue or individual touring product. This unit applies to senior tourism industry personnel from local, regional or state and territory tourism organisations that operate autonomously and have a strategic tourism planning role. | |
Prerequisites
Nil | |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA | ||
1 | Educate and inform the community on tourism. | 1.1 | Set objectives for the education of the local community according to the goals of the organisation and the community. |
1.2 | Choose appropriate communication methods, and devise and implement strategies and programs to maximise the opportunity to inform all sections of the community about tourism. | ||
1.3 | Communicate costs and benefitsof tourism to the community on an ongoing basis. | ||
2 | Liaise with stakeholders. | 2.1 | Identify the main stakeholders in the host community. |
2.2 | Seek views and opinions of stakeholders on an ongoing basis in relation to tourism activities. | ||
2.3 | Assess and apply input from stakeholders in the planning and organisation of tourism activities. | ||
2.4 | Identify potential community conflict relating to tourism and seek solutions in consultation with relevant parties. |
Required Skills
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: high-level communication skills to: conduct comprehensive consultation with key stakeholders develop, implement and deliver information programs to maximise tourism, such as information sessions and written tactical public relations documents critical thinking skills to facilitate rational and logical analysis of input from key stakeholders high-level written literacy skills to develop both complex and plain English documents, including communication strategies, consultation questionnaires and information documents. |
The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit: in-depth knowledge of the community impact of tourism, both costs and benefits issues and problems that relate to host communities and tourism in-depth knowledge of the main stakeholders in local, regional, state or territory, and national tourism industry and structures of tourism organisations at each level in-depth understanding of the social, cultural and economic aspects of the particular local host community and the main stakeholders the key features of environmentally or culturally sensitive areas in the local or regional area in-depth knowledge of strategic and tactical community communication processes. |
Evidence Required
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: understanding the role of tourism within host communities, the impact of tourism and the role of major stakeholders ability to develop and implement strategies for effective communication of tourism issues to a specific local community ability to consult and communicate with the broad community. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure: access to a fully equipped industry-realistic office environment using appropriate computers, communication technology, information programs and publications to facilitate the processes involved in developing and implementing communication strategies access to a local host community where the community awareness program would be established and operated or access to comprehensive and sufficient information about that local host community to allow the candidate to plan for strategically, establish and operate a community awareness program involvement of community stakeholders so that consultation can be achieved. |
Methods of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: case studies to address community awareness issues for a given community project activities to develop a community awareness program in conjunction with a local, regional, state or territory tourism organisation review of a completed community awareness program for a specific local community case studies to assess the candidate's ability to evaluate communities with differing social, cultural and economic structures and issues written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge such as community impact of tourism, strategic and tactical community communication processes, and the structures of tourism management organisations 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: SITTPPD010A Develop and implement local or regional tourism plan. |
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. |
Range Statement
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. | |
Appropriate communication methodsmay involve: | using interpreters following cultural protocols face-to-face meetings limiting the amount of jargon and printed material and using as much visual information as possible. |
Strategies and programs to maximise the opportunity to inform the community may include: | media strategies, e.g. regular tourism column in local newspaper networking activities, e.g. regular functions between tourism operators and communities educational activities, e.g. speaking at local schools sponsorship activities, e.g. tourism sponsorship of local community activities community representation on relevant tourism committees and boards regular planning activities in conjunction with the local community information on the internet. |
Costs and benefits of tourism to communities may include: | benefits: economic benefits to local community improved local facilities employment opportunities cultural benefits, including cultural preservation visitor education greater understanding between host and visitor cultures costs: trivialisation of culture effect on social structures damage to environmentally or culturally sensitive areas. |
Stakeholders may include: | general public elected officials senior bureaucrats community groups elders of Indigenous communities tourism operators tourism industry associations land management and protection authorities state, territory or local council regulatory authorities trade unions media. |
Potential community conflict may relate to: | competition for local government resources conflicting opinions about tourism development options perceived threat to local amenities by high visitor numbers conflicting opinions regarding local government levies for tourism conflict between environmental and business groups. |
Sectors
Sector | Tourism |
Competency Field
Planning and Product Development | |
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. | |
Licensing Information
Not applicable.