STUDENT CASE STUDIES

Introduction:

GTTP students and their schools can enter the GTTP Case Writing Competition. The topic for 2009 is “Sport Tourism.”

The case you write should not be a discussion of the theory of sport tourism--it should be an example of sport tourism in your own neighborhood or country.  How has sports tourism helped your country's tourism industry? What kinds of sports tourism opportunities are there? Are there problems with sports tourism? You need to look at causes/effects, evidence, community opinion, stakeholder concerns, and other factors you feel are important. The situations will vary enormously from urban to rural. But you need to decide "What IS sports tourism in my country (or city) and what are the problems or opportunities it presents?"

Your case study should answer the "so what?" question. Once you have found a situation and researched it, you and your classmates need to draw conclusions, and make recommendations if appropriate.  After you go through thinking of a situation, you need to be able to answer, “So what?”  That is, you need to be able to explain why anyone should care about the situation you have researched for your case study.

What are Case Studies?

Case studies provide information on about real people in real situations. A good case study lets you feel as if you were there, looking at the situation. For example, a case study on Jamaican heritage sites should have enough information and photos that you can understand what the questions are. Then you can figure out what the possible solutions might be if there is a problem, and you can evaluate the student's recomendations.

The student cases that have won the Aldo Papone Awards for their countries try to give you, the reader, an understanding of their unique situations.

If you want to research and write a case study, try reviewing the information in the GTTP report, How to Write a Good Case Study. Adobe Acrobat format

[PDF files require that Adobe Acrobat Reader be installed on your computer. If you need to install Acrobat Reader you can download it FREE from the following location: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html]

Case Topics and Classroom Use:

Previous case writing topics have included responsible tourism development, historic preservation, cultural tourism, adventure tourism, community tourism, heritage tourism, sports tourism, and national parks. These are all important topics for tourism students and practitioners.

The case studies can be viewed by clicking on the underlined case study title. Summaries are included for the responsible tourism development, historic preservation, cultural tourism, adventure tourism, community tourism, sustainable tourism and heritage tourism case studies. The complete cases take time to download because most have pictures; they include text for students and teaching notes. You can reprint the cases for classroom use, but you must credit the GTTP, the student authors, their teacher and the school when you do so.

We believe these case studies can enrich your understanding of important tourism topics and how they are viewed in different countries and cultures.

Summary of 2008 Case Writing Competition

The topic for 2008 was “Responsible Tourism Development.”

Winning teams met in Nice, France and presented their research findings at the Amadeus Corporate Conference Center in Sofia Antipolis. Students and teachers also met GTTP Global Partners who attended several of the case presentations, and met the delegates at a gala dinner held at Le Meridien hotel in Nice. Other activities included sightseeing in Monte Carlo. The teachers and students had hotel rooms at Le Meridien, a luxury hotel part of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. Lufthansa provided air tickets to all participants.

Summaries of the 2008 case studies are included below. Click on the case title to see the full report.

Country: Brazil
Case Study Title: Social and Environmental Responsibility on the Mantiqueira "Circuit" ---The Case of Sao Francisco Xavier.
Students: 1,539 students at 7 schools, working with 9 teachers.
Student Presenters in Nice: Lais Carolina Landim Gomes, from School EMEF Prof. Helio Augusto de Souza, and Lucas Alves Batista, from School EMEF Professora Paylmyra Sant'Anna.
Representative Teacher: Prof. Adilson Dimas dos Santos, from School EMEF Prof. Helio Augusto de Souza
Case Study Overview:
A number of communities in Sao Paulo State that share various common attributes have organized themselves into "circuits" to attract visitors. For example, there is now a "Historical Valley Circuit" organized by six communities in the Paraiba Valley and a "Religious Circuit" organized by three other communities. The "Serra de Mantiqueira Circuit," was organized by seven communities that share an area that is attractive to visitors interested in the area's ecology. The area is also suitable for "adventure tourism."

One of the seven communities is Sao Francisco Xavier, located in the hilly northern section of the administrative district of Sao Jose dos Campos.

The purpose of the case study was to examine whether social and environmental needs can co-exist in a community that wishes to encourage tourism. Sao Francisco Xavier was chosen for the case study because it is located in an environmentally protected area. It is also one of many Brazilian communities where the GTTP's "Passport to the World" curriculum is used in the schools.

To carry out the study the 1,539 students were organized into school teams to develop a methodology for the study; to develop questionnaires and then quantify and analyze the responses; to conduct interviews in Sao Francisco with groups that included students, government officials and business people; and to visit and explore Sao Francisco.

"Residents and stakeholders do exhibit responsible behavior regarding tourism and the environment," the students reported. "Not only did the interviews demonstrate that, but also the city itself: clean, preserved, welcoming."

Country: Canada
Case Study Title: An Impact Student Of The Effects of Geocaching on Canada's Wetlands

Students: Meriel Bond and Lauren Beckwith

School: St. Paul's Collegiate, Elie Manitoba

Teacher: Susanne Saiko-Gamble

Case Study Overview:
Geocaching is a high-tech outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System receiver to first hide and then search for special containers called caches all over the world. The exact coordinates of their hiding places are posted on the internet for all to find. Today, well over 800,000 geocaches are registered on various websites devoted to this modern day game of hide and seek. Geocaches are currently placed in countries around the world and on all seven continents, including Antarctica.

"Geocaching," report Manitoban students Lauren Beckwith and Meriel Bond, " has its very own community." "Geocaching even has a bit of its own vocabulary."

As the game rapidly increases in popularity, environmentalists and Canadian National and Provincial Park officials worry about the impact of this game on the flora and fauna. Seekers often wander off marked trails in search of caches, or inadvertently create trails in sensitive areas, resulting in the destruction of plant and wildlife. At the same time, geocaching also offers an opportunity to attract visitors to parks and encourage interest in local ecosystems and their needs.

In their case study, Beckwith and Bond study the impact of geocaching on Oak Hammock Marsh, one of Canada’s few remaining wetlands. In 2003 the marsh was home to 2 caches. Today 35 caches are located there.

Together with representatives from the Manitoba Geocaching association and scientists from Oak Hammock Marsh, we learn how to help preserve our wetlands and create awareness about the importance of leaving a small footprint when venturing out into our earth’s fragile ecosystems.

Country: Hong Kong, China
Case Study Title: The New Hong Kong You See: Chinese Medicine Tourism
Students: Hing Wa Mak and Wing Kwan Pang
School: Lok Sin Tong Young Ko Hsaio Lin Secondary School
Teacher: Crishner Kwok Hoi Lam
Case Study Overview:
Responsible tourism includes treating with respect a community's past, and not just considering its present and future, argue the students. Responsible tourism also means making sure that tourism development benefits as many people as possible in a community.

Hong Kong attracts many visitors but few foreigners come to explore or benefit from the expertise of Hong Kong's flourishing and extensive traditional medicine community that is an important part of Hong Kong life and an important part of China's cultural history.

Chinese traditional medicine is known for its emphasis on detailed procedures for diagnosing patients; on herbal-based pharmacopeias, some of which date back some 2000 years, and on using therapies such as acupuncture, massage and diet management.

The students in their case study have in effect created a useful guidebook for visitors who want to explore Chinese medicine in Hong Kong, and they have done so by personally sampling what Chinese medicine has to offer.

They have visited centers for Chinese medicine such as the one at Hong Kong Baptist University; interviewed medical practitioners and patients; visited shops selling Chinese medicines and toured shopping neighborhoods specializing in products such as herbal remedies. They sampled Chinese cuisine designed to enhance the body's immune system or help with specific ailments.

The students also offer suggestions for making Chinese medicine more accessible to foreign visitors ranging from encouraging practitioners to take English course to creating a special shopping mall specializing in Chinese medicine products.

Country: Hungary
Case Study Title: Let's Make a Development --- But The Question is How!
Students: Zoltan Barna and Zoltan Rupp
School: Toldi Miklos Food Industry Vocational School
Teacher: Mrs. Ilona Drexler Bakone
Case Study Overview:
The Vertes Naturpark in eastern Hungary is the nation's first official nature preserve. The Naturpark includes marshland, dry grassland, wild landscapes, scenic ruins, and various forms of wildlife, as well as 17 villages, one of which is Vargesztes. The village is a tiny German-speaking enclave whose ancestors were invited to move from southwest Bavaria to settle in the village in about 1730 to repopulate an area devastated by war.

In one sense Vargesztes has preserved its isolation and identity. The road to Vargesztes ends at the village. To go to neighboring Verteskozma you have to go on foot through a forest. Vargesztes has a well-preserved castle where visitors can eat or stay; a church; a statue dedicated to Maria of Lourdes. There are some interesting caves. They still speak the Swabian German dialect, and maintain their music, dances, and traditional clothing styles.

In another sense the village is no longer so isolated; it has attracted development designed to serve visitors. Some 800 meters north of the village, on the only road to the village, a Dutch businessman in 1991 built 125 houses on 25 hectares (62 acres) for vacationers. A second development is also underway on a neighboring 25-hectare site, and there are plans to add attractions such as restaurants and swimming pool.

The students explored local reaction to the impact of tourism-related development on the village, interviewing both visitors and local residents. The students report that the developments are judged to have been positive. Residents like new amenities such as sewage treatment and the new jobs that have been created. Nevertheless a few aspects of the new prosperity, such as the loss of farmland nearby, are regretted.

Country: Ireland
Case Study Title: Oak Park Demesne & Forest Walk: Responsible Tourism Development
Students: Henry P. Roberts and Robert P. Power
School: Knockbeg College, Carlow,
Teacher: Jarlath L. Bolger
Case Study Overview:
"This case study highlights the potential of the Oak Park demesne and forest walk as a significant eco-and nature-tourism attraction for Carlow, and indeed the Southeast region of Ireland," report the students. " It shows how an otherwise unused piece of land can be converted to educate people about the environment in an informal setting."

Oak Park was once the center of a 20,089-acre (about 8,000 hectares) agricultural empire, complete with a mansion built in 1797 and enlarged over the next 100 years by its owners, the Bruen family. Today the estate has been reduced to some 800 acres nearest the mansion --the demesne, to use a medieval term. The estate is owned by the Irish government's agriculture and food development authority, Teagasc, which recently invested 500,000 Euros in refurbishing Oak Park House.

Teagasc has its national headquarters at the mansion while its Crops Research Center operates the land around the mansion. Teagasc has leased 128 acres (about 51 hectares) of forestlands to Carlow County Council and Carlow Town Council, which then invested some 400,000 Euros to create an important public park, which opened in 2006.

Included in the Oak Park complex are a 40-acre (16 hectares) lake; a triumphal arch; a mausoleum; graveyard; church; an 18 meter deep brick-lined icehouse built in 1810; a cast-iron bridge built in 1819; a dairy; coach house; stables which once housed a gas-manufacturing plant to supply gas to the mansion, and the 128 acres of forest, which offers visitors trails to explore, and other amenities.

Country: Russia
Case Study Title: Fresh Perspectives: Nikola-Lenivets Village
Students: Alina Rodina and Anton Kachulin
School: Kaluga
Teacher: Ludmila Zhadanova
Case Study Overview:
Probably the last thing the people of the rural Nikola-Lenivets community in the Kaluga region of central European Russia expected was to become famous as a center of contemporary art, most of it very large.

Some of art works are “huge structures made out of unstripped branches, twigs and logs, woven works of art that are futuristic and hauntingly archaic,” report the students.

Works of art also are made out of hay, firewood, even snow, and integrated into the surrounding landscape. Other materials include rocks, soil, and plants.

The transformation of the village, which is located in the Ugra National Park some 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Moscow, started in the early 1990s when artists attracted by the area’s natural beauty started to arrive. Since the year 2000 the area has been the site of the very large structures known as “earthworks,

With the artwork came visitors, art festivals and similar events – the first was in 2006 --- which in some cases attract as many as 5,000 people a day.

The students, who held internships with the Ugra National Park, have explored the village and the surrounding area, talked to residents, fellow students, and government officials. The result of their research is a classic study of a community experiencing major changes, which have been both welcomed and questioned by the people who have to live with those changes, and manage them. The students have included a useful SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis and also their recommendations.

Country: South Africa
Case Study Title: Responsible Tourism Development in the Pilanesberg National Park
Students: Nonkanyiso Pearl Pheza and Melissa Iloma Meyer
School: Matlosana /Klerksdorp High School, Matlosana/Klerksdorp, North West Province
Teacher: Mrs. Yolande Heymans
Case Study Overview:
Pilanesberg National Park is located in the Bojanala region of South Africa's North West Province about two hours from the country's largest city, Johannesburg.

The Park's managers "believe that if conservation is to succeed in developing countries such as South Africa, the local communities and individuals must benefit significantly from wildlife conservation and related activities," the students report. " Benefits such as job creation and the availability of business opportunities should create a firm support plan for conservation which, in turn, will lead to other spin-off benefits to the community." The Park operates as a three-way partnership between the government, local communities and the private sector.

The Park " forms the heart around which the development of the entire region is based," note the students. "In this rural area here development options are very limited; it has significant beneficial impact on local and regional economies and greatly contributes towards the overall improvement in the quality of life of the largely disadvantaged rural communities and individuals."

The students review the Park's economic, social and environmental practices and make recommendations and provide a teacher's guide and lesson plan that can be used by other schools in conducting a similar review for their communities.

Country: United Kingdom
Case Study Title: The Green Gofors
Students: Joanne Retallick and Hayley Wootton
School: Cornwall College, St. Austell
Teacher: Shirley Oliver
Case Study Overview:
Students Joanne Retallick and Hayley Wooton have come up with a novel way to help local tourism businesses become sustainable.

The ‘Green Gofors’ are young people recruited by Retallick and Wooton who donate their time to help with re-cycling, cleaning and general duties that encourage tourism operators to not only think ‘green’ but also have a sustainable approach to everything that they do.

The students also looked at a number of tourism projects associated with surfing, cycling and walking, and whether recent developments were seeking to change the face of traditional tourism in the area.

They also looked at what people regarded as ‘Cornishness’ and why people came to the area for their holidays. This involved some detailed research and methods for testing the reality and reliability of their assumptions to draw valid conclusions.

The students suggest ideas that could be replicated in other countries.

Summary of 2007 Historic Preservation Case Studies

In November 2007, students and teachers met at the training center operated by Amadeus, a GTTP Global Partner, located in Sophia Antipolis, near Nice, France. Global Partners attended sessions where students presented their research and were impressed by its high quality.

Summaries of the 2007 case studies are included below. Click on the case title to see the full report.

Country: Brazil
Case Study Title: The Study and Rehabilitation of Neglected Historic Locations and Architecture
Students: Emerson da Silva Santos and Cecilia Mendes Barros
School: Fenix Organization
Coordinator: Maria Aparecida Marques
Case Study Overview:
Santana de Parnaiba has the largest collection of historically significant examples of Brazilian architecture in Sao Paulo State recognized by the Brazilian authorities. It is now also home to a program that trains underprivileged teenagers in the technical skills needed to restore and conserve old structures. That program is the subject of the GTTP students’ case study.

Located 38 kilometers from Sao Paulo, one of the largest cities in the world, Santana calls itself “The Cradle of the Pioneers.” The town was founded in 1580 and claims to the first base used by the bandeirantes, the pioneer groupswho combined exploration with raiding and settlement as over the years they defined the area that is now modern Brazil. Buildings include a much-rebuilt church that dates back to 1560 and a home built in 1600, as well as examples of domestic and other architecture from the centuries that followed.

The town’s population is now four or five times what it was a generation ago and one casualty of the growth has been the old buildings in the town center which in many cases have been neglected and are in poor condition.

However there is hope now that the deterioration has been halted. With the support of the authorities in Santana de Parnaiba, the non-profit POEAO organization (“ Workshop School of Arts and Crafts”), and private groups a program has been developed to restore some 400 buildings, including 209 now protected by the government, report the GTTP students. The program recruits teenagers in need  and provides them with training, as well as transportation to their job sites, food and a paycheck. They graduate from the program with a certificate and usable skills to offer employers. About 500 young people have gone through the program, report the GTTP students, who made a DVD of their report, which can be played by clicking here.

Country: Canada    
Case Study Title: The Benefits of Historic Preservation in Nova Scotia
Students: Jocelyn Hay-Dickson and Brittany McGuire
School: Auburn Drive High School, Dartmouth
Coordinator: Trevor McGowan
Case Study Overview:
The Province of Nova Scotia, which juts out into the Atlantic from Canada’s southeast coast, traditionally has marketed itself to visitors as a place offering natural beauty and its closeness to nature. In 2004 some 2.25 million visitors came to the province, which has less than 1 million residents. “Only in the last few years has tourism marketing begun to focus on the history and cultures of Nova Scotia,” write the students.

The province’s reflects the imprint of many cultures, including the aboriginal Mi’Kmaq; the French who arrived in the 1500s and 1600s; the Scots and Germans in the 1700s, who were joined by former slaves and other loyalists who had fought for the British during the American War for Independence.

Much of Nova Scotia’s history can seen in Halifax, where visitors can see uniformed military re-enactors manning the defenses of the star-shaped Citadel, a masonry fort rebuilt in 1856 with bastions, ramparts, defensive ditch and other structures. It is the fourth fort built on the site since 1749.

On the waterfront is Pier 21, now a museum but in its day a portal through which between 1928 and 1971 saw 1 million immigrants arrive in Canada and some 500,000 Canadian military men and women depart for World War II.

The sea has been the thread that runs through all of Nova Scotia’s history and Halifax’s Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and its 20,000 artifacts tells the story, including that of the unsinkable “Titanic,” which sank in 1912. Many of the recovered bodies of dead passengers were taken to Halifax, and 150 are buried in three local cemeteries.

“Our government is committed to the forward-looking stewardship of Nova Scotia’s natural and cultural heritage,” report the students.

Country: Hong Kong
Case Study Title: Historic Preservation in Hong Kong: A Three-Tier Approach to inventorying our Past and Meeting the Challenges Ahead
Students: Chan Man-Shun and Sandy Tam Shuk-Ting
School: Kwun Tong Government Secondary School.
Coordinator: Tammy Siu Fung
Case Study Overview:
In Hong Kong historic preservation has evolved into what the students call a  “three-tiered approach” which involves efforts by three parties: the government, various public bodies, and the general public.
 
Examples of how Hong Kong approaches historic preservation are examined by the students and they take readers to sites in Hong Kong, which range all the way from the Kun Ting Study Hall to the old Victoria Prison

The Study Hall was used by those preparing for the arduous examinations which, in the days when China was ruled by an emperor, brought immense prestige to a successful candidate and his family, clan, and ancestors. Victoria Prison functioned from 1841 to 2005, and it too is part of the fabric of Hong Kong’s history. Both are the subjects of preservation efforts.

Chan Man-Shun and Sandy Tam Shuk-Ting suggest that by realizing that historical assets are an inheritance from their ancestors and testimony to the collective human experiences of their past life, “people become emotionally attached to them and gradually identify them as part of their "collective memory" as chanted by many historic and cultural preservation enthusiasts.”

The students analyze the challenges faced by the Hong Kong community and suggest solutions.

“It is hoped,” write the students, “ that through this case study, both the authors and readers can get a more comprehensive picture of what the current situation is like in terms of historical preservation in Hong Kong and more people will come to realize that history is the root of our present life and it is inseparable from us,” write the students.

Country: Hungary
Case Study Title: Tourism Analysis of the Felsobuki Great Castle in Sitke
Students: Judit Kocsis and Noemi Koronczai
School: Tinodi Grammar School, Sarvar
Teacher: Viktor Vagh
Case Study Overview:
In the Trans-Danubian region of Western Hungary, in Vas County, located near some Roman ruins, is the village of Sitke and its fine baroque castle built around 1730 and rebuilt in 1851 and now an inn. The village and the castle need each other, and both need to attract more visitors.

Owned by the state after 1948, it became a pension in 1983 when the Kovacs family leased the empty castle from the Hungarian government. After the change of regime in Hungary the family bought the castle in 1996.

The cost of preserving the castle is supported by the business located inside. Originally offering just 12 small rooms in 1983, the Kovacs faced little competition in the surrounding area because there were few places where visitors to the area could stay. They were able to invest in the castle, in furnishings, and in new facilities. Today the castle-inn now offers 104 rooms but also faces competition from other people offering accommodation. The village of Sitke faces problems ranging from an aging population to not enough jobs.

The students conducted a SWOT-Analysis (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats), identified opportunities for Sitke and the castle. These tinclude promoting wine tourism and equestrian tourism, offering more cultural events, cooperating with other Hungarian castle-inns, as well as expanding the services offered by the castle-inn.

Country: Ireland
Case Study Title: The Enchanting Duckett’s Grove Castle
Students: Emmet Jordan and David Flanagan
School: Knockbeg College, County Carlow
Supervisor: Jarlath Bolger
Case Study Overview:
In its glory days the Duckett family enjoyed the great wealth that came from 12,000 acres of prime farmland in South East Ireland, wealth which in about 1825 paid for the building of a grand fantasy castle in the Gothic Revival style, complete with turrets, gargoyles, dungeons, towers, and three great gatehouses.

Today, after about 100 years of neglect, assorted owners, demolitions, and a 1933 fire that gutted the main house, the glory days are long gone. But Duckett’s Grove is still beautiful, and it is still part of the story of Ireland and of the people of Carlow. The Carlow County Council bought the 11-acre site and its three 18th and 19th century gardens, stabilized the ruins and began the work of garden conservation and restoration. Once forgotten outside Carlow, Duckett’s Grove is beginning to attract attention once again.

The students looked at how the site has been developed from an obscure, unknown attraction to a successful tourist destination, due to work carried out by the local tourist authority, the council and interested historical preservation groups.

The study has been made possible by a number of interviews, published material, library search and the local knowledge of the students, who live in the area and have explored the site since they were children. This project tries, by using an example, to answer the question of "how can an unknown historical site be developed into a successful tourist attraction”?

Country: Jamaica
Case Study Title: The Preservation of Great Houses in Jamaica: Who Benefits?
Students: Orville Thompson and Andrene Nelson
School: Munro College
Staff Advisor: Alicia Morgan-Broomfield
Case Study Overview:
Scattered from one end to the other of Jamaica’s 146-mile length are several dozen surviving plantation houses known as “Great Houses.” Most date from the 1700s. Today some of the Great Houses lie in ruins, some need conservation work to be done, others have new business roles, some are museums and some cater to visitors. Some are still in the hands of the families of the original owners.

The Munro College students believe that Jamaica’s Great Houses should be preserved because they are an authentic part of their nation’s cultural heritage even if for some Jamaicans they unpleasant reminders of past days of forced labor. The houses today, report the students, contribute to the economic growth of the island, especially its tourism sector, and are worthwhile investments.

The students examine the history and current operations of three houses: Rose Hall, Bellefield Great House, and Devon House.
 
Rose Hall, near Montego Bay on the island’s North Coast, is famous for tales of its owner Annie Palmer who apparently had homicidal tastes and was finally killed by her enslaved workers. The house, which is owned by the Jamaica government, has been restored by an American couple and today is a textbook example of classic Georgian Jamaican architecture and a fixture on the tour circuit for visitors.

Bellefield, also near Montego Bay, has been owned since 1755 by 11 generations of the same family and offers a glimpse of the late 1700s, when Barnett Estates was the center of life and work for more than 1,000 people.

Devon House , a late 19th century mansion located in the island’s capital, Kingston, is a post-slavery creation, built in the 1880s. The Devon House story is the tale of George Stiebel, the son of a white father and a black mother, who became a millionaire contractor, ship owner and investor in gold mines.

Country: Russia
Case Study Title: Vorontsovo: A New Life of the Old Estate
Students: Daria Dobrynina and Arseny Merzlyakov
School: School No.1100, Moscow
Supervisor: Galina Grigoryevna Novikova
Case Study Overview:
“Our case study,” the students write in their Introduction, “ is dedicated to the past, present and future of a little-known estate, Vorontsovo, in the southwest of Moscow and based on the project “Vorontsovo – our Home that we developed together with other students of our school.” 
“Initially the project was focused on exploring the origins and history of the former estate located in the neighborhood. We also wanted to learn what people know and what they would like to know about its historical and natural features and if they are satisfied with what they can see and do there. This background information was of great importance for our case study. It helped us generate ideas of how the 18th century estate could be revived and transformed into a popular destination inviting for leisure, recreation and “heritage” tourism.
“Working on the case we searched the pages of history and literature to feel familiarity with those who owned, built and visited the estate. We examined its landmarks - semi-ruined and in decline over decades and currently under restoration. We tried to recreate the beauty, romance and tragedy of the social and cultural phenomenon of  ‘Russkaya Usadba’ (Russia Country Estate), destroyed by Bolsheviks and now, an age later, being brought back to life.
“We compiled and analyzed facts related to the restoration, preservation and popularization of Vorontsovo estate paying close attention to possible environmental, economic, social, and cultural aftermaths. We addressed a variety of factors affecting survival and future of this remarkable heritage site and discussed the pros and cons of it becoming a part of ambitious upcoming tourism project - "The Wreath of the Russian Country Estates."
“We suggested ideas related to activities that may be attractive to visitors and considered the possible consequences for the environmental and historic significance of the estate ensemble.
“Last, but not least, we had a chance to participate in the estate’s revival with a small, but noticeable impact on its restoration and promotion. We realized how civilized maintenance of historic heritage could influence and improve the life of the community in which we live and study.”

Country: South Africa
Case Study Title: Matjiesfontein: Jewel of the Karoo
Learners: Nadia Walford and Hannah Lee
School: Cannons Creek High School
Facilitator: Jean Helen Erasmus
Case Study Overview:
In the middle of the Karoo, a large semi-desert plain that covers about one-third of South Africa, lies the village of Matjiesfontein, population 250. The village is a tiny slice of the late 1800s that lives on in 2007, still greeting travelers as it did when Queen Victoria was alive and trains stopped to pump water into their boilers from the only reliable water source in the region.

Structures in the village include the restored Lord Milner Hotel; The Laird’s Pub; the railway station, which houses a conference room and a museum; a transportation museum; a chapel; Tweedside Lodge, the home of the 19th century owner of the village.

The village is unique in other ways: it is owned by an individual, David Rawdon, who bought the village in 1968, began a program of restoration, conservation and adaptation and then “reopened” it in 1970 as a destination for tourists. The village was also declared a National Monument in 1970

Rawdon’s approach to historic preservation and marketing the village to tourists is critical to the future of the inhabitants of the village, since most of them work there as receptionists, waiters and waitresses, chefs, managers, and tour guides. Rawdon’s investment in Matjiesfontein includes investment “in schools, houses and other community facilities for his staff,” report the students. Also dependent on the success of Matjiesfontein are staff who commute from the town of Laingsburg, 25 kilometers away.

The students in their case study examine the plans for the village, which include prohibiting more new buildings while at the same time taking existing structures, renovating them and adapting them to new uses. For example, in 2007 Tweedside Lodge in 2007 was being renovated as a guesthouse, spa and museum.

Plans also call for new amenities to be built outside the village. For example, a telescope is being built on a mountain range about 1 kilometer to 2 kilometers away. It will be permanently focused on the moon and is designed to attract visitors.

The students also examine marketing materials, both printed and web-based, and promotional plans for the village.

Country: United Kingdom
Case Study Title: “Cornish Mining, World Heritage”
Students: Megan Phillips and Siobhan Merrett
School: Cornwall College, Camborne
Facilitator: Maxine Chamberlain
Case Study Overview:
In 1988 South Crofty, the last working mine in Cornwall, located opposite Cornwall College, closed. The mine was some 400 years old and its closure brought to an end a local industry that stretched back to pre-history and the Bronze Age, when Cornish tin was added to copper to make bronze, which was used to make tools and weapons. More recently, the needs of the industry spurred technical innovation that helped create the modern world.
But Cornwall’s mining heritage is not going to fade into oblivion.
In 1999 a bid was prepared to obtain World Heritage Status and place Cornwall and West Devon's historic mining landscapes on a par with such international treasures as Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. “World Heritage Status” was created in 1972 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to protect heritage sites which are of such “outstanding universal value” that “their conservation is of concern for all people.”
The bid was successful and the sites ranging, over an area of 200 square kilometres, became a unique World Heritage Site in 2006.
“As a result many of the mining sites are being restored to their former glory and forming a major part of Cornwall’s tourist attractions,” report the students.
 
“This has led to renewed activity in the historical preservation of the mining sites which include not only the engine houses but also industrial harbours and tramways, foundry buildings, mining towns and villages, non-conformist chapels, the houses and gardens of the mineral lords, the smallholdings of the ordinary miners, the technical schools, miners' institutes and geological collections,” the students write,
Students of Cornwall College began a study of the benefits of the newly acquired status and carried out research to answer the question “WHO BENEFITS ? “
“The main benefit for local residents is that an important element of their heritage and culture will remain visible and accessible for generations to come,” the students wrote.

Summary of 2006 Cultural Tourism Case Studies

In Novmeber 2006, students and teachers met at the training center operated by Amadeus, a GTTP Global Partner, located in Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt, Germany, which is also the headquarters of Lufthansa, the Global Partner that provided the group with transportation. Global Partners attended sessions where students presented their research and were impressed by its high quality.

Summaries of the 2006 case studies are included below. Click on the case title to see the full report.

Country: Brazil
Case Study Title: Cultural Tourism: Bringing Communities Together
Students: 1581 students, their 12 teachers, at 8 schools in the cities of Caraguatuba and Sao Jose dos Campos in Sao Paulo province.
Coordinators: Karina Soares in Caraguatatuba and Aida Maria Cachoni Mamud Godoi in Sao Jose dos Campos
Case Study Overview:
The students divided themselves into school-based teams and went out to survey the cultural resources of communities across their region. Their objectives included identifying aspects of local culture that might appeal to visitors; ways of making local attractions better known, and ways of encouraging residents to take pride in their local cultures. The overall objective was to explore whether it would be possible to create a “tourist cultural circuit” that might attract visitors.

In addition to Sao Jose dos Campos and Caraguatuba, the students explored Apericida, Cunha, Silveiras, Campos do Jordao, Taubate, Ubatube, Bananal, and Sao Luis do Paraitinga.

What is clear from the students’ case study is that these 10 cities have distinct personalities that are reflected in their festivals, food, dances, handicrafts, and music, which in turn reflect the ethnic origins of the many groups that over the centuries created modern Brazil.

For example, Apericida is the site of one of the largest Catholic churches in the world and draws about 8 million visitors a year. It is also home to various Irmandades ---religious confraternities—including Congo and Mocambique. These two blend Catholic and non-Catholic African costume, ritual, music and dancing in their public celebrations.

Festivals secular, religious and cultural are held across the region, ranging from Caraguatatuba’s event dedicated to eating mussels to Taubate’s festival celebrating the Italian farmers who established the village of Quiririm, now part of the city..

Seven of the 11 cities are centers of caipira music, Brazilian country music.

The students agreed that the culture of their region is varied enough to attract visitors but point out that much remains to be done. Some improvements are organizational, such as adhering to published event timetables; some require public and private investments in hotels and facilities. The cities also need to invest in ways to tell people what they have to offer.

Country: Canada
Case Study Title: Prince Edward Island
Students: Bethany Mayne and Emma Wells
School: Kensington Intermediate Senior High School, Kensington, Prince Edward Island
Coordinator: Heather Carver
Case Study Overview:
The original inhabitants of the island, the Mi’kmaq, called it “Epekwitk”---“Land Cradled on the Waves;” the French-speaking Acadians called it “Isle Saint-Jean;” the English first called it “St. John’s Island,” then changed it to Prince Edward Island, which is what the Scots and Irish in-comers also called it. The result is a multi-faceted local culture, mostly Celtic in origin, that that has shaped Canada’s smallest province.

Tourism is the second largest industry on the island, after agriculture. It creates about 15,000 jobs and is responsible for more than 10 percent of the Island’s Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. But there is also a problem, report the students: “The Island in the past six years has experienced a steady decline in Tourism numbers.”

Nevertheless, the students write, there are many aspects of the Island’s life and culture that could attract more visitors if Island residents would pay more attention to what visitors need and also if the Island’s leaders did a more comprehensive job of telling the outside world what the Island has to offer.

The Mi’kmaq are making their first steps towards sharing aspects of their culture, the students report.  Tourists can visit the Mi’kmaq Cultural Center on Lennox Island in Malpeque Bay.

The Acadians, most of whose ancestors were expelled in the 1700s by the British and ended up in places like Louisiana in the United States, maintain a vigorous musical tradition based on the fiddle, accordion, guitar or piano. Their music and other entertainments can be enjoyed at the annual Festival Rendez-Vous Rustico.

Some 70 percent of the Island’s population is of Irish or Scottish descent and in the summer there are “Ceilidhs” ---social gatherings with step dancing, clog dancing, bag piping, fiddle music and folk music---held in many communities across the Island. There is, naturally, a Celtic Festival.

Other festivals include Old Home Week, the Shellfish Festival, the Celtic Festivals and the Indian River Festival. “Open Farm Day” allows tourists to visit farms. In 2006, 23 were open to the public.

 “Some older festivals need to reinvent themselves and their products to keep them fresh and entertaining. The newer festivals need to examine their products to see if they are appealing to people and that they are of high quality,” note the students.

Island culture is not limited to music. There is theater, art, and various activities --- including a festival--- that revolve around the best-selling novel Anne of the Green Gables which is set on the Island and was written by an Islander.

The students conclude that Prince Edward Island has fallen in to the rut of trying to “find new ways to market old products.” If the community wishes to reverse the decline in tourist visits “the focus needs to shift to a research-development-marketing approach.” In other words, the community must invest in finding out what visitors want, invest in quality offerings, and only then invest in marketing.

Country: Hong Kong
Case Study Title: A SWOT Analysis of the Development of Cultural Tourism in Hong Kong.
Students: Leung Ping Kei and Lau Ying
School: Kwun Tong Government Secondary School
Coordinator: Siu Fung Tammy Lee
Case Study Overview:
A SWOT analysis looks at Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats. In  the ‘Strengths”column students note that Hong Kong enjoys “a diverse exuberance of cultural attractions.”

The attractions include architectural vestiges of its past as a colony of Britain; ancestral clan halls, with one dating back to A.D.1273, and a multi-faceted range of religions and rituals that have
public components that attract the interest of visitors.

However some of Hong Kong’s cultural attractions have become too attractive to visitors. In some instances “Culture has been commoditized while tourism has been developed at the cost of cultural breakdown,” they report.

Example: The “Temple Parade” on Cheung Chau Island attracts so many people that the population of the island more than doubles to 70,000 to 80,000. The streets become so jammed that people can’t move to where the parade is held; lines for mobile toilets last for hours, and so do the lines to the ferry that takes people off the island after the parade.

Example: The good-luck “Wishing Tree” in Tai Po receives offerings thrown into its branches by visitors. So many offerings were thrown at the tree over the years that it nearly has died from the weight, and may not yet recover despite ongoing rescue efforts.

Example: Before the final event of the religious “Bun Festival” a three-day vegetarian diet is required of attendees as a way of showing respect to the gods by showing leniency to living creatures. The event draws large crowds of tourists. The vegetarian diet is now mostly ignored by visitors and by restaurants feeding the crowds.

The students argue that Hong Kong is aware of its unique cultural heritage, wants to attract more international visitors and see an opportunity to do so by broadening the scope of what is available to visitors to experience. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has introduced a program called “Cultural Kaleidoscope” that introduces people multiple aspects of local culture,” and in May 2006 held an 18-day event that recreated traditional Chinese festivals. The island of Lantau is site of Ngong Ping 360, a new village with structures that reflect various themes of the Buddhist religion. It is designed to complement the existing Po Lin Monastery and a statue of the Buddha 26.4 metres high. The village opened in 2006 and offers multilingual guides, interactive displays, guided tours and audio-visual aids.

While there are concerns that Ngong Ping 360 may be perceived as staged and fake, the argument is also made that it offers visitors insights and information that existing temples that exist across Hong Kong are simply not equipped to handle.

While people in Hong Kong appreciate their own cultural strengths, there are also concerns about inconsistent preservations policies for old buildings; concerns that practitioners of some traditional crafts and rituals are not finding young people to follow in their footsteps. And there is concern that Hong Kong is overly dependent on Chinese tourists who find nothing novel about Hong Kong’s culture because they come from a similar environment. In other words, Hong Kong needs foreign tourists who can appreciate Hong Kong’s uniqueness.
 
Country: Hungary
Case Study Title: The Festival of the Happy, Peaceful Years
Students: Alexandra Ambrus and Beatrix Karsai
School:Tancsiscs Mihaly Secondary School, Mor
Teacher: Andrea Nagy
Case Study Overview:
Eight of the case studies this year examine existing activities. The ninth, from Hungary, is unique: it examines a long-gone culture through the prism of a two-day festival that has been designed by the students, complete with a blue print for making the festival happen at some future time.

The “Happy, Peaceful Years” of the title refer to the period between 1867 and 1914.

In 1867 Hungary assumed a new and more independent role in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The
country was transformed economically, with disease-carrying swamps drained, railroads built, agriculture improved and expanded. Art, music, theater, science, technology and cinema flourished, as did architecture. Hungary was by no means a paradise but compared to the years which followed, life was good for many people.

In 1914, World War I began, the war that destroyed the old Europe. For Hungary, the years that followed brought with them revolution, dictatorship, World II, invasion, and more dictatorship until 1989.

The students propose to build their Happy, Peaceful Years Festival around the life and times of Sandor Wekerle, the first non-noble prime minister of Hungary, who was elected three times to that office during the Happy period. He was born in the students’ home town of Mor.

Mor itself is a community of about 15,000 people in the Transdanubian Region and is fortunate to enjoy a “beautiful environment, its historical buildings, the wine traditions.”

Activities would reflect the look, atmosphere, styles, costumes or technology of the period. There would be photography, painting, cooking, sewing, fishing, hairdressing and beauty competitions, as well as sports. Tours would include local buildings, as well as a trip to Budapest to tour the Werkerle Housing Estate. Lectures, plays, dramas, and the reading of poems of the period would also be on the program, as well showings of period films. There would be dance lessons. And, given that video games have replaced old fashioned card games, there would be card games available for those who would like to know about them.

“By getting the inhabitants of Mor to realize the cultural values of their own town we would hope their responsibility for the present and future of the town will strengthen and Mor would be an even better town.”

Country: Ireland
Case Study Title: Cultural Tourism: The Irish Experience
School: St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, Co. Kerry
Supervisor: P.J. Luddy
Case Study Presenters: Ivan Cooper, Kevin O Regan and Nikita Kotkins
Case Study Overview:
The students offer the reader an affectionate and self-aware tour of the elements that make up the “unique state of mind or attitude or what we call Irishness” and underpin the attractions of “Cultural Tourism” in Ireland, with an emphasis on their home region of Kerry.

For example, the students offer the Irish pub as a national institution that welcomes both locals and visitors and to Guinness as the national drink. Eighty percent of visitors sample both.

They also note that the Irish pub’s reputation is now a marketable asset and that foreigners can get advice on how to return home and “create an authentic Irish pub, from design and staff to food and music, not forgetting the vital ingredient---draught Guinness.”

Visitors can sample horse racing in the Curragh, a 5,000 acre grassy plain near Dublin; Gaelic games such as Hurling, which is similar to field hockey, and Gaelic Football, which combines elements of soccer and rugby;

 For those whose most recent exposure to Irish dancing is the internationally successful show “Riverdance” the students explain where it differs from traditional Irish dancing and music, and review what visitors can find at the National Folk Theater, home to the Siamsa Tire performing group. Their review of Irish musical forms from antiquity to the present offers an overview that is especially helpful to those who know they love Celtic music but do not know much about its background.

Country: Jamaica
Case Study Title: The Inclusion of Nine Night in the Jamaican Cultural Tourism Product
Students: Nakatia Spence and Tavia Powis
School: Oberlin High School
Coordinator: Sharille Watson-Pink
Case Study Overview:
Gathering together to celebrate the life of a family member or friend who has died is a ritual found
in many countries. In Jamaica the event is called “Nine Night.” What is noteworthy about Nine Night is that it incorporates so many aspects of Jamaican culture: food, drink, singing, dancing, games, riddles, story telling, and religion. Different parts of the island have their own versions of Nine Night.

Jamaican culture itself incorporates contributions from different African cultures, from the British Isles, India, China and the Middle East.

One account of the origin of the celebration holds that Nine Night reflects the belief, back in the days of slavery, that the spirit of the enslaved person who had just died took nine nights to make its way back to Africa.

A typical traditional Nine Night wake –called a “set’n up”-- held in a rural area of the island revolves around a master of ceremonies. His duties include knowing by heart all the words of the hymns and songs to be sung by the people attending the Nine Night. He will sing each line, and the others will sing as a chorus and respond to the lines he sings. Dancing is important, especially a dance called “Gereh” and one called “Dinki Mini,” and so are food and rum. The table setting is an integral part of the ceremony and celebration, and contains items that are full symbolism. Clear or white rum is used to purify the area, and a white tablecloth, along with the clear fluid and s, are all symbols of purification. There is a lamp, or sometimes candles, with a bible laid on top of a hymnal, which is usually opened at Psalm 23, one of the texts used in the ceremonies. A branch of the croton plant also rests on the table. The plant is sometimes planted around graves.

Nine Night traditions are changing especially in Jamaica’s urban areas, with a greater emphasis on Nine Night as a party. The students worry that the old Nine Night customs are being lost. They believe that the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture could encourage the survival of the traditional Nine Night ceremonies as a way of showing visitors a special facet of Jamaican culture. Nevertheless they feel certain unease about making Nine Night a tourist attraction.

“There is always the fear that cultural offerings get watered down to suit the tastes of tourists,” they wrote.

Country: Russia
Case Study Title: Dzerzhinsky: The Site of Cultural Tourism Development
Students: Stanislav Osekin and Ekaterina Onoprienko
School: School 1228, Moscow
Supervisor: Natalia Zezerova
Case Study Overview:
Dzerzhinsky is a small town about eight miles southeast of Moscow, known for its Nikolo-Ugreshky monastery as well as for its factories. The students objective was to examine the role of the of the monastery in the history of  the town; how residents view the revival of the monastery, and how to develop the town as a cultural center and  restore elements of Old Russia’s culture that have faded from modern Russia.

In some ways the history of the town mirrors that of the broader story of Russia.

The monastery that is the focal point of the town was founded in 1380 by Prince Dmitry Donskoi as a thanksgiving for his victory that year at Kulikovo Field over a much larger Mongol force. It was the beginning of the unification of Russia under the leadership of Moscow and the beginning of the eviction of the occupying Mongols from the Russian heartland.

“For many centuries the monastery was one of the spiritual centers of Russia, bearing education to the people, rendering assistance to the suffering,” report the students. The monastery was not only a destination for pilgrims but a major depository of works of art.

There was a major expansion of the monastery complex in the 1800s; destruction after the revolution of 1917 and during World War II; and the transformation of the town into an industrial rather than a religious center by a regime that was actively anti-religious. The town’s modern name commemorates Felix Dzerzhinsky, the Communist revolutionary who built the Soviet Union’s first secret police organization and internal security service.
 
The restoration of the monastery began after 1990, following political changes in the former Soviet Union. The restoration included re-establishing the monastery role as a center of education and as a destination for pilgrims. There is a publishing house that is part of a new seminary for training priests, and a school of church singing and a school of icon painting.

The students found as part of a survey they conducted that 85 percent of Dzerzhinsky’s residents consider their town a cultural center rather than an industrial town. There is support for continuing to improve the monastery and transform the community. In their SWOT ( Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) analysis they concluded that while the town has problems (pollution, booming prices, lack of skilled workers) its strengths and opportunities outweigh them.

Country: South Africa
Case Study Title: The Basotho Blankets
Students: Jaco Heymans and Lerato Motloung
School: Witteberg Secondary School, Bethlehem, Free State Province
Facilitator: Me Annelie Bredenkamp
Case Study Overview:
The Basotho wool blanket is a cross between an Inca wool poncho and a Roman wool toga. The
blanket has become an essential article of clothing in the mountain Kingdom of Lesotho where the winters are cold, and in so doing has become part of the culture of its people, the Basotho, and almost a badge of identity, like the kilt to some Scots.

“The ingenuity of the creation of the Basotho blanket is unique,” report the students. “That certain names, patterns and colours have certain symbolic meanings that are decoded by wearers is an absolute marvel.”

But note in the first paragraph above the use of the phrase “the blanket also has become.” What is surprising about this Basotho badge of identify is that it is a relatively recent import, dating probably to the middle years of the 1800s.

“The very first blankets were white, smeared with red ochre,” report the 
students. Blankets with patterns followed, and manufacturers adjusted their products to reflect customer tastes, customer demand, and the different strata of Basotho society. They also were careful about how many of each design they made.

For example, there is a pattern reserved for kings and chiefs, and their wives, called “Seana Morena,” which translated means “to swear by the king.”

Usage of the pattern is still evolving. “Lately the Seana Morena has been noticed at initiation ceremonies for the sons of the affluent,” report the students.

Patterns worn include, “Pitseng,” or “Armband of the chiefs,” worn at funerals; the “Poone,” or “Mealie blanket,” symbolizing good crops, wealth and fertility, and given to honor important visitors; the “Setate,” for ordinary people, worn on national days and traditional festivities, and carries the national symbols of crown, crocodile and spears, and many others.

The students suggest that the Basotho blanket would be of interest to visitors both as aesthetic objects and as a source of information about Lesotho lifestyles and traditions. They suggest a broad array of projects that could be undertaken to interest visitors in the blankets.

Country: United Kingdom
Case Study Title: Scotland’s Culture
Author: Harriet Tole
Student Presenters: Harriet Tole and Linzi McIntosh
School: Glasgow Metropolitan College
Facilitator: Linda Wilkinson
Case Study Overview:
This is a nuanced and thoughtful report that examines some of the questions we need to ask when discussing “cultural tourism” and examines some examples of what are commonly considered as typical of Scottish culture. In the meantime the case study also provides a tour of modern Scottish life as well as a tour of the Scotland that tourists seem to have in their mind’s eye when they visit.

The case study looks at the Scottish Highland; the Edinburgh Military Tattoo; the short kilt; clans; tartans; bag pipes; dancing;  the Christmas Ceilidh;  Highland Games;  Hogmanay; the poet Robert Burns; whiskey; Scottish cuisine as represented by “haggis, neeps and tatties,” and “Vikingar,” a theme park.

“With music and dance, and customs popular with tourist like tartans and the ‘Highland Games,’ it is often difficult to establish the ancestry and integrity of Scottish culture. Past history has become obscured---or may have been invented or reinvented,” notes the case study.

The Edinburgh Tattoo and its massed military bands, including bands from other nations, is a modern addition to Scotland’s cultural mix: it was first held in 1950. The word itself is originally Dutch. The event is a stirring spectacle that draws a television audience of some 100 million people. Regardless of its lack of antiquity, the Tattoo, according to Tole, “reaffirms Scottish identity for the Scot, but also supports the tourist’s set of ideas of what is ‘Scottish’.”

One 1995 study quoted by Tole reviews how the Scottish Tourist Board created a campaign to invent and promote the idea of an authentic and unique Scottish cuisine given birth by Scotland’s geography and climate.

“This required a lot of research because Scots, like other Westerners, largely consumed store-bought packaged goods produced by international corporations, and because even older foods and recipes were generally not unique to Scotland.”

The case study also looks at the difficulties of even defining the authentic culture of a nation and of avoiding the stereotyped ideas that people, whether tourists or citizens, have of a culture. The Scottish culture that tourists seem to have in their mind’s eye before they visit is now the culture that many Scots also see in their mind’s eye as their own true culture.  Symbols of authenticity in some cases take the place of what is authentic.

Summary of 2005 Adventure Tourism Case Studies

In November, 2005, students and teachers met at the Amadeus Training Center in Bad Homburg, near Frankfurt, Germany. ACCOR provided hotel rooms and meals, and Lufthansa provided air tickets. Global Partners attended sessions where students presented their research and were impressed with the high quality of the students’ research.

Summaries of the 2005 case studies are included below. Click on the case title to see the full report.

Country: Brazil
Case Study Title: “Adventure Tourism Within the Eastern Region of Sao Paulo State”
Students: The study was researched by 727 students at four schools
Schools: School Prof. Helio Augusto de Souza, School  Profa. Maria de Melo, School  Profa. Mercedes Rachid Edwards, and School Profa. Palmyra Sant’Anna, all of Sao Jose dos Campos.
Teacher at Conference: Jose Antonio Braga Barros
Student Presenters in Germany: Gabriel Luciano Borges de Souza and Rafael Oliveira Silva
Case Study Overview:
This project involved surveys by 727 students from four schools in the eastern region of the state
of Sao Paulo known as the Eastern Cone of the State of Sao Paulo.

The  “Cone” is a region made up of 43 counties and a landscape that stretches from dramatic coastal areas that are home to remnants of Brazil’s Atlantic Rainforest, across the Paraiba Valley to the Mantiqueira Mountains bordering the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil’s interior. The region
also is home to some 2 million people.

Tourism officials have already subdivided the region into eight “tourist circuits” based on the characteristics of the counties.

“Adventure tourism is not new to this region,” reported the students, who between them invested several thousand hours of effort in their research. Some researched magazines, tourist guides, brochures, websites, and maps. Others went into the field with questionnaires and interviewed people connected with tourism in the region.

Some of the activities they found included rafting in Sao Luiz do Paraitinga; mountain trekking in Sao Bento do Sapucai; ballooning and canoeing in Pindamonhangaba; hang gliding and parachuting in Guaratingueta; trekking in Sao Jose do Barreiro; tree climbing in Campos do Jordao; surfing in Ubatuba; sailing in Ilhabela; inner tube rafting in Paraibuna; trekking and water-based activities in Sao Jose dos Campos.
The students, after their surveys of the different circuits and counties, concluded that adventure tourism activities “will soon become an important feature within the eastern Cone.”

They pointed to the region’s variety of natural resources; well-established hotels and restaurants; good or reasonable access to areas of interest; good state and other parks, and the region’s location between the big markets of Sao Paulo and Rio.

However, expanding adventure tourism activities faces challenges, the students reported. For example, they were told that the tourism industry needs better-trained junior managers and more professional training for employees. Pollution is a problem on some rivers, such as the Sapucai. Other challenges included lack of involvement on the part of local communities.

Country: Canada
Case Study Title:  Adventure Tourism and the Jumbo Glacier
Students: Sam Guenther and Rio Duthe
School: David Thompson Secondary School, Invermere, British Columbia
Coordinator: Joanne Bragg
Case Study Overview:
Jumbo Glacier is a remote area in the Purcell Mountains in the interior of British Columbia used by visitors who enjoy Canada’s backcountry. The visitors range from hikers to skiers.

In particular, the glacier is popular with people who want to ski in the summer.

The glacier is also popular with people with plans to create a $450 million year-round ski resort to attract visitors from all over the world who would also have access to three other nearby glaciers, as well as Jumbo.

Predictably the idea, which surfaced in 1991, has become controversial. The students decided to explore local reactions to the idea of having a major resort just 55 km from their hometown of Invermere. Together, the reactions illustrate what people both look forward to and worry about when a major resort is planned for an isolated area.

Some business owners look forward to the dollars more visitors will bring. But other business owners, including those who provide guiding and helicopter services, fear the big resort, with its financial resources, will compete with them by offering the services they now provide. Some also worry that the resort will limit their access to parts of the glacier.

Some residents of the communities in the area look forward to the jobs the resort will create. But some British Columbia residents who do not live near Jumbo, believe their provincial taxes will be increased to pay for facilities, such as a new road, they will not use. Some residents also worry that the cost of housing will increase as more visitors build houses near the resort.

Some people worry about the environmental impact that the proposed resort, with its need for sewage systems and water, will have on the environment. Others point out the actions the resort developers will be required to take to protect the environment.  Some want to keep the Jumbo area unspoiled. Others point out that the Jumbo area is no longer pristine, since it has been home to the logging industry for many years and helicopters are already in use to deliver skiers to the slopes.

Meanwhile, there is also another a factor to be taken into account in any decision to be made about Jumbo: glaciers in the area are melting.

The students do not come out for or against the Jumbo project. Instead they ask the reader: “Should the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort be accepted or rejected?”

Country: Hong Kong SAR
Case Study Title: “Kaleidoscope Hong Kong: A 6-day Adventure”
Students: Kwok Ka Yin and Chan Wing Yan
School: Kwun Tong Government Secondary School
Teacher: Lee Siu Fung, Tammy
Case Study Overview:
The standard image of Hong Kong is of a city of skyscrapers and shopping arcades. “However,
few seem to realize that the city has its peculiar and exotic side,” they write, and that side can be found in the area’s “rich cultural diversity, more than 260 outlying islands, 100 walking trails, 4 marine parks.”

The two students have researched and created a profusely illustrated and useful guide showing some of the activities available to visitors who want to venture beyond the main tourist areas.

Day 1:
Rock climbing on any of the uninhabited series of 29 islands called the “Ninepin Group,” created 140 million years ago from the debris from volcanoes. Sheer cliffs make boat landings difficult. There is little vegetation to be seen. “These trips are physically assertive,” note the students, from their personal experience.

Day 2:
Explore the islands of Tung Ping Chau, Lamma Island, Po Toi and Tap Mun.  Hikers can find deserted villages, and a cave excavated by Japanese soldiers in World War II.

Day 3:
Explore marine parks by boat and on foot.
Since 1995 four marine parks have been created. They shelter coral species, at least 120 species of fish, sea grass beds and marine plants.

Day 4:
Trek Hong Kong’s wetlands and walk trails.
Hong Kong has four long-distance hiking trails, including the 100 kilometer -long MacLehose Trail. The trails take hikers over mountain peaks, through communities of indigenous monkeys, ocean-side tidal mangroves, and woodlands.

Day 5:
The students suggest also exploring the cultures to be found on city streets and in the villages to be found on Hong Kong’s islands. For Day 5 they suggest going to Cheung Chau Island, 12 kilometers south of Hong Kong Island. The island---its name translates as “Long Island” in Cantonese---is known for its festival in May of each year that includes building massive bamboo towers studded with sweet buns, and street parades.

Day 6:
Explore an urban area, for example the Wanchai District on Hong Kong Island, with its mixture of old and new buildings and dense street life. Also recommended is exploring the Sham Shui Po district on the Kowloon Peninsula. This is an older and poorer part of Hong Kong, home of the Apliu Street Flea Market, with a rich street life where snacks such as snake soup and turtle jelly are sold.

Country: Hungary
Case Study Title:  “Strength, Courage, and Endurance on the Military Base of Hanthaz”
Students: Ivett Hupka and Kornelia Rupp
School: Toldi Miklos Secondary School, Nagykoros
Teacher: Kiseri Peterne
Case Study Overview:
Hungary, report the students, unfortunately does not offer the kind of areas typically associated with adventure tourism.

“It lacks high mountains, rapid rivers, deep lakes, glaciers.”

However they believe they have found a site that could be ideal for creating adventures:  the old
Hantaz military base near Budapest, on the outskirts of the city of Nagykoros.

The base saw the Hungarian army in the 1930s prepare for World War II; the arrival of the German army in 1944; then the arrival at the end of  World War II  of the Soviet  army, and the return of Hungarian military units.  Hantaz was a major military base during the Cold War that lasted for most of the second half of the 20th century. “Military experts share the same opinion that even nuclear war heads have been stored here,” write the students.  Since 2001 Hanthaz has been privately owned.

Scattered across the base are high military fences, trenches, underground bunkers, old barracks, concrete storage buildings, forest roads, and railway tracks.

What was once a place where you risked being shot for trespassing is now a site that could easily be converted into site a for war games with paintball guns, suggest the students.

The students envision a six-day/five-night program for participants who would be assigned to military-style vehicles in teams of three or four people.

Driving to the former base from Budapest on the first day would involve a test of map-reading skills. On arrival teams would pitch their tents next to prepared kitchen tents and sanitary facilities.

The core of the program would be paint ball battles both indoors and out-of-doors. There would also be lessons in basic military skills.

The students also propose other activities. These could include fishing; riding horses available at two nearby stables; a visit to a museum of military weaponry; hiking, and climbing.

A neighboring farm is also available to provide both meals and rooms.

Although the students are enthusiastic about the potential of the old base, they are also realistic about the challenges they would face in creating an adventure program for Hanthaz. Expenses would be high and the target market is small.

Nevertheless they believe they have good idea.

“We are counting on participants who would like to challenge themselves, are not frightened about difficulties and want to experience something special.”

Country: Ireland
Case Study Title:  “Adventure Tourism in Kerry: Past, Present, and Future”
Students: Anthony Thomas Bailly and Sarah Anne O’Carroll
School: Mercy Secondary School, Mounthawk, Tralee, Co. Kerry
Teacher: Frank Fell
Case Study Overview:
“We aimed to highlight the natural beauty of our own county—County Kerry---and in so doing
show how perfectly suited it is to adventure activities,” write the students.

The students are sure that there is something about County Kerry that brings out the adventurer in people, and offer portraits of four Kerrymen starting with St. Brendan the Voyager in A.D. 523 and continuing to present times, to illustrate their thesis.

Ireland can thank the glaciers that rolled across its landscape a million years ago for landforms that include deep u-shaped valleys, long narrow lakes, drowned valleys and deep coves opening to the Atlantic, which has further eroded the coast. Geologic folding, volcanic activity and the activity of glaciers shaped its mountains. The result is a modern landscape particularly suited for adventure activities, according to the students.

County Kerry offers opportunities for hikers interested in 48 kilometer to 180 kilometer routes; cliffs for abseiling (from the German word “abseilen,” meaning “to rope down”); mountain biking; cross-country map navigation or “orienteering;” hang gliding; skydiving; sailing; kayaking and canoeing both on lakes and the ocean; scuba diving; surfing, including wind surfing and kite surfing.

County Kerry is also home to the Cappanalea Outdoor Education Centre, near Caragh Lake and the town of Killorglin. The Centre was designed and built to offer students and visitors instruction in land-based and water-based activities. The Centre also offers courses in leadership training, team building and personal development program through adventure activities. People of all ages make use of the Centre, its instructors and equipment. The Centre operates as a non-profit organization under the auspices of the Kerry Education Service.

“Ireland has all the necessary ingredients needed for adventure tourism,” write the students, “yet this sector is just beginning to develop and needs much care and nurturing. Looking to the future, many obstacles must be overcome if this great ‘adventure‘is to reach fruition.”

The students believe that the biggest obstacle facing the growth of adventure tourism is gaining broader access to the Irish countryside, 98 percent of which is in private hands.

Country: Jamaica
Case Study Title:  “The Prospect of Developing Portland as an Adventure Tourism Niche That Is Both Profitable and Sustainable”
Students:  Monique McIntosh and Kimberley McKinson
School:  Immaculate Conception High School, Kingston
Supervisor:  Mrs. Veta Dawson
Case Study Overview:
The most lush and forested section of Jamaica is to be found along its north-east coast, in the
administrative district called the Parish of Portland.

“Portland is considered by many to be the most beautiful parish,” write the students. “The entire coastline is dotted with caves, bays, rivers, waterfalls and verdant hills.” Inland are the Blue Mountains.

Portland first attracted tourists in the late 1800s. However, much of the parish is relatively isolated because of its poor roads and is not as developed as the northwest coast, which includes resorts areas such as Ocho Rios, Montego Bay and Negril.

The students believe that Portland could market itself as an area where visitors can find opportunities for “soft adventure” tourism rather than more risky types of activity.

“Soft adventure emphasizes the accessibility of the activities to the average layman,” they write.

One well-established example of “soft adventure” is rafting trips on the Rio Grande, which has been popular with visitors for many decades.

Other existing tourist activities in Portland include eco-tours and cultural tours on foot, by bicycle or all-terrain vehicles; visiting Maroon villages such as Moore Town and Nanny Town, inhabited by the descendants of 18th century enslaved plantation workers who escaped into Portland’s mountains; bird watching; visiting Somerset and Reach Falls; parasailing; windsurfing; surfing; snorkeling and scuba diving; deep sea fishing.

The students do not believe that developing adventure tourism in Portland requires adding many new activities. They suggest that making better use of the parish’s resources makes more sense.

In order to define what needs to be improved in Portland the students investigated how Belize managed its expansion as a destination for tourists interested in the kinds of activities that Portland also can offer.

The students wrote that in order to expand the tourist industry in Portland the roads in Portland need to be repaired and air service improved; water and sewage treatment need to be upgraded and the electricity system expanded. Rules to manage overcrowding at popular destinations need to be in place to avoid the situation at Dunns River Falls, which is often over-crowded. Portland’s towns need to realize that their appearance is important in the business of attracting tourist. Waste disposal, street cleaning, upkeep of public places, and crime prevention are issues that also need to be addressed. In addition, training and development of parish residents who wish to work in tourism are also important to the development of the tourist industry. And last, but not least, a strong marketing effort will be needed by Portland.

Country: Russia
Case Study Title: “Moscow Underground Adventure Planet”
Students:  Yustiniya Khokhlova and Natalia Krasnyanskaya
School:  School No. 1279, Moscow
Teacher: Nadezda Bykova
Case Study Overview:
Moscow is known for its Kremlin fortress complex, Red Square, cathedrals, art museums,
theaters and parks, and of course the Moscow subway system with its art-filled stations. But there is also another Moscow. It is an underground city of abandoned tunnels, old bomb shelters and warehouses, brick-lined buried rivers and drainage systems, stretching for some 1200 kilometers and reaching depths of 800 meters in places. At one time there were in operation specially-designed boats called “moles,” designed to navigate Moscow’s underground water world.

There are also mysteries to be solved. For example, Tsar Ivan the Terrible built an underground library in the late 1500s. The site has still to be found.

“Can Moscow underground become an impressive tourist attraction both for Muscovites and other people visiting the capital?” ask the students. “Does it really have something to offer to adventure seekers?

Certainly some adventure seekers already are interested in Underground Moscow, and they live in the city. According to people interviewed by the students, there is a community of between 1,000 and 3,500 people actively exploring Underground Moscow. They call themselves “diggers” and some have organized themselves into clubs, complete with membership rituals and songs.

Now come the students from High School No. 1279.

“We have been thinking about the tours which might be organized to take people to the astonishing world of the underground,” they write.

They suggest offering three routes.

The first would be a traditional exploration of the Moscow Metro subway system.

The second would be what the students call “The Guilarovsky Route,” named after a journalist who has explored Underground Moscow. The Route takes about half an hour to complete and takes visitors through vaulted tunnels and past two underground rivers.

For the truly dedicated, a route could be created that takes explorers into the deepest recesses of Underground Moscow, where diggers have found old skeletons, a deserted laboratory, a 3,000-seat ancient bunker.

While the students are enthusiastic about the appeal exploring Underground Moscow might have for visitors, they are also realistic about the barriers any business offering underground tours will face.

A great challenge will be raising money to pay for improvements to the underground routes. An even greater challenge will be getting permission from the government, the students note.

Country: South Africa
Case Study Title:  “Adventure Tourism: A Proposal to Convert An Old Underground Mining Area”
Students: Mache Shandrel-Lee Booysen and Keokopile Tudi
Schools:  Wesvalia Secondary School and Schoonspruit High School, Klerksdorp, North West Province
Teachers:  Anca Swart and Yolande Heymans
Case Study Overview:
South Africa’s diverse North West Province is one of the nation’s most important farming areas. It is also a big ranching center, home to some of the biggest cattle herds to be found in the world. In the northern section of the state is to be found the Sun City complex of resort hotels. Visitors can find some of the country’s largest national parks in the North West Province.
And in the southern part of the province is to be found one of the most important mining operations in South Africa.

According to the students about 62 percent of the people who live in South Africa’s Northwest province depend on the province’s gold mining industry for their livelihood. But the industry is changing. Some mines are closing and 33,000 households will be affected by the closures. So putting some of those closed mines to new use, with new jobs, is important

The students suggest that some of the closed mines could be converted into adventure tourism sites and provide jobs to replace some if the ones lost to the closures.

They envision canoeing and snorkeling 3 kilometers below the surface of the earth in flooded passageways that on average are 2.5 meters deep, 3 meters wide and up to 1 kilometer long.

There are also narrow tunnels to be explored on hands and knees in temperatures ranging between 27 degrees C. and 38 degrees C.

Equipment at the top of mine shafts could be used for abseiling.

Surface dumps of mine rubble could be used for riding all-terrain vehicles or paint ball battles.

The students conducted a Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis of their idea.

Strengths include location on a major highway, the Johannesburg to Cape Town N12, which in turns means visitors can easily each the area; local people who have been trained in mine safety; other activities also available to visitors.

Weaknesses include “administrative red tape” and that the concept is not yet known to potential customers.

Opportunities include entrepreneurial opportunities for small businesses and former miners who can be re-trained as guides.

Threats range from legislation that could stop the project to competitors, report the students.

Country: United Kingdom
Case Study Title: “Adventure Tourism at the Youth Hostel Association””
Students: Katie Kerr and Ashli Watson
School: Bramcote Park Business and Enterprise School, Nottingham
Teacher: Helen Beardmore
Case Study Overview:
Youth Hostels are found in many different locations in the UK,” report the students. “Hostels are
found in urban and rural areas, and provide the setting for great adventures.”

The students offer an overview of the YHA and its work, and then offer a tour of selected hostels to demonstrate the wide range of experiences that  hostels offer visitors.

The YHA offers hostels in major cities like London, and small villages like Edwinstowe in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, home to the legend of Robin Hood and Maid Marian.

The YHA operates a network of 227 hostels which offer budget accommodation across England and Wales. It is a non-profit organization with 300,000 members, 1,200 staff and 2,000 volunteer staff, with annual sales of 35 million pounds sterling. There is a separate YHA for Scotland.

The students report that the YHA operates a hostel in the heart of  Manchester, a major industrial city in England. The hostel, built in 1995, can be used as a base for adventure exploring. Areas to explore include the Lowry, a new complex of theatres and galleries in the redeveloped Salford Quays which date to the Victorian era.

As a contrast to Manchester, the students look at the hostel at Malham, a  village at least a 1,000 years old  in rural Yorkshire, where hikers and rock climbers can explore the gorge known as the “Gordale Scar” or the 260-foot high cliff formation called “ Malham Cove” or the “ Malham Tarn,” a stream which disappears into a limestone sink hole.

The YHA also offers specialist hostels.

The hostel at Edale in the North of England’s Peak District offers caving, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, abseiling, orienteering and archery.

The hostel at Okehampton, on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in the west of England, offers sailing, climbing, gorge walking, hiking and other activities.

The Sheringham hostel on the Norfolk coast specializes in catering to families.

The Castleton hostel in Derbyshire, located in a building that dates back to the 13th century, offers teenagers opportunities for mountain biking, climbing, hiking, volunteer work, as well as a military-style assault course.

While the YHA, as its name states, focuses on young people, the organization also offers adults hostel facilities in cities like Bath and Bristol, and in Britain’s Lake District.

Summaries of 2004  Case Studies

The topic for the 2004 Aldo Papone Award Competition was “Community Tourism

Country: Brazil
Case Study Title: "Community Tourism: People, Pride and Potential in Caraguatatuba"
Students and Schools: 210 students from the 8th grade in three schools in Caraguatatuba: School Prof. Maria Thereza de Souza Castro in the Jetuba neighborhood; School Benedita Pinto Ferreira in the Casa Branca neighborhood; and School Prof. Antonia Antunes Arouca in the Massaguacu neighborhood
Coordinators: Teacher Gislene Angelica Coneicao and Teacher Karina Soares
Student Presenter in Germany: Giovana dos Santos
Case Study Overview:
In the span of a single lifetime Caraguatatuba on the coast of Sao Paulo has grown from 3,000 people to nearly 90,000, with summer tourists bringing the total population to 1 million. The change has battered the way local Caicara communities live. Caicaras are the descendants of intermarriage between Portuguese settlers and the original Indian inhabitants. Over the centuries they developed a culture and economy based on hunting, plant gathering in the adjacent Rain Forest, gathering shellfish and crustaceans, and fishing in the Jaqueriquere River and Porto Novo area of Caraguatatuba. Much of that way of life is no longer possible or severely reduced.
The students wanted to find out if tourism can be managed in such a way that less harm is done to the environment and is helpful to the Caicara communities who need to find additional ways of earning a living.
To obtain the information a project was developed involving class room work, extensive field work during which involved the students taking to residents, and class room discussion to review the information gathered and to propose a plan of action.
Adults interviewed told the students that what was needed were cooperatives and neighborhood associations to help residents work together in a broad variety of activities. These should include creating more folklore festivals; the production and sale of handicrafts; training courses for guides, many of whom take tourists fishing or on excursions.
The students recommended that the local Tourist Reception Center be improved. The improvements should include better signs, better security, better restrooms, better seating, more rubbish bins, and better informational materials including maps and guides. The students also recommended that more could be done to advertise local attractions, encourage fishing by tourists and take advantage of opportunities for ecotourism.

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Country: Canada
Case Study Title: "Gananoque and the Thousand Islands"
Students: Shona Higgs and Holly Shortall
School: Gananoque Secondary Schoo, Gananoque, Ontario
Coordinator: Diane Kirkby-Grier
Case Study Overview:
Canada's Thousand Islands region, which is downstream from Lake Ontario on the St. Lawrence River, actually contains 1,864 islands. Such a precise number is possible because to be included officially in the count as one of the Thousand Islands an island must remain above water 365 days a year and must support at least two living trees. The region was shaped by retreating glaciers some 12,000 years ago. Today the area 's scenic beauty attracts visitors from around the world, and that has been the salvation of the town of Gananoque, a former manufacturing center in the heart of the region. In 1870 the town could count 49 mills and factories which made things like bolts, spoons, nails, steamboat fittings, rakes, shovels and carriages. Some of the old companies survive, but the glory days of manufacturing are over. The town and its 350 or so businesses now rely on tourists who come to kayak, scuba dive, swim, hike, take boat tours and fish for one of the 88 varieties of fresh water fish that call the area home. The visitors also visit historic buildings, museums, parks, two theaters and a new casino. They attend concerts, festivals and other entertainments. They spend money on lodging, food, souvenirs and activities. In 2003 the town attracted 26,277 visitors and how to increase those numbers is a subject of debate in the community. The students report that some business owners believe the community needs to improve basic facilities before trying to increase the number of visitors. "Major areas of concern for possible barriers to business development include: lack of water/sewage capacity, resistance from local business, lack of proactive new business recruitment, inadequate business space, and inadequate labour supply," they write. Customer service training also needs to be expanded, they report. Most visitors in 2003--- 81 percent---came in the five-month period May 1 to September 30. Almost half came in just one month, August. The students suggest that just increasing the number of visitors would make the town too crowded and less attractive. They suggest that efforts be concentrated on attracting visitors during the remaining seven months of the years. The challenge is substantial. In winter the area's lakes and rivers freeze, the waterways close and boats cannot reach the islands. Many tourist-related businesses close for the winter. Nevertheless they believe there are opportunities to promote more attractions in the winter.

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Country: Hong Kong SAR
Case Study Title: "Exploration of Community Tourism in Hong Kong-Tai O (Venice of Asia)"
Students: Lo Ho Hung and Ng Ka Shun
School: Ma On Shan Tsung Tsin Secondary School
Teacher: Tang Pak Kwan
Case Study Overview:
To reach the fishing village of Tai O you can take a ferry from Hong Kong's Central district to Mui Wo on Lantau Island, then the No.1 bus to the western edge of the island. The trip is takes less than two hours but when you arrive you are many years away from 21st century Hong Kong. Tai O is about 600 years old and made a living shipping salted fish and tons of locally-made sto the mainland. When the tide is in the village looks like it's floating, because its waterside houses are built on stilts. Even their little gardens are built on stilts. Today the sbusiness has faded away. Some of the 70 acres of spans used to evaporate salty sea water to make ssurvive although unused. Jobs on the mainland beckon people who once would have automatically worked on a family fishing boat. Nevertheless, the little community does what it can to make a living. There are 7 temples in the community, which is a lot for such a small place. And they draw visitors, who can explore the village on foot --- it is a car-free zone---and buy local delicacies, many of which rely on the villagers' traditional skills with s. They can buy brown squares of shrimp paste, dry shrimp, bright yellow-orange dry salted eggs, salted fish, dried fish roe, as well as sweet dumplings, local sweet cakes and local herbs. The villagers have seen the interest outsiders take in the way they live and many cater to that interest. Visitors can attend a traditional wedding ceremony staged for them; watch a boat race; take tours of the area; attend a Chinese opera. One resident, Ms. Wong Wai King, has created her own small private museum, the Tai O Cultural Workshop, to show what life was like in the old days. Residents would like to see more visitors, which will require investment by the government. "To attract more visitors the existing natural landscape, fishing village character and cultural heritage areas would need to be preserved and enhanced," report the students. In addition, ecologically sensitive areas and the existing natural landscape, including a marsh, reed bed, egret colony, woodlands and waterways should be preserved, and an area of mangroves needs to be replanted. To make it easier for visitors to reach Tai O, transportation facilities need to be improved, and overnight accommodation built. Recommendations on how to improve the physical environment of Tai O have been revised to reflect local sentiment. For example, plans for a proposed river wall, football pitch, helipad and other projects have been amended. Other plans for the village include improvements to the anchorage for fishing vessels, which would help bring back, report the students "the vibrant fishing village and related economic activities."

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Country: Hungary
Case Study Title: "Krishna-Valley in Somogyvamos"
Students: Mariann Gulyas, Rita Berecz, Zsuzsanna Nagy, and Szilvia Tapodi
School: Moricz Zsigmond Secondary Grammar School, Tiszakecske
Teacher: Mónika de Jongéné Miklós
Case Study Overview:
In the heart of the Hungarian countryside south of Lake Balaton is the village of Somogyvamos. The 1400-year old community only received electricity in 1961. It is too small to have its own railroad station. There is only one road into Somogyvamas, making it what Hungarians call a "bag village," a place with only a single way in and out. In some ways the village of 800 souls was typical of many Hungarian agricultural areas, with its aging population, unemployment and diminishing opportunities. Nevertheless, since 1995, visitors in increasing numbers have been making their way down that single road. In 2003, 30,000 people visited Samogyvamos, reported the students. "It is a miracle. This is a small dreamland on a place which was useless before," said the mayor, Laslo Hanzel. Land prices have increased 10-fold in the past decade. The magnet that draws so many people is a cluster of new buildings in a valley near the village. The residents of the buildings, who arrived in the early 1990s, wear saffron-colored robes and operate their own farm, bakery, art studio with life-size elephant statues outside, gift shop, school, vegetarian restaurant and guest house, even a cosmetics business. They are members of the International Organization of Krishna-Believers, after the Hindu god Krishna. In some areas they are sometimes known as Hare Krishna. The Somogyvamas Krishna center was started by Believers from Budapest. The first arrivals were met with suspicion. There were rumors that they were going to build a missile-launching station, and that they drank the blood of children. "But soon it became clear that it is not true," reported the students. "The Krishna-believers were nice to the people. If something was stolen from them they would not run to the police at that moment. They had to suffer a lot in the beginning," reported the students. The center has brought new life to the village and improvements, whether in the form of new a promenade or a playground, and of course jobs and higher values for property. "It is marvelous that the village and the surroundings have changed so much," reported the students. Plans for the Krishna Center include expanding the guest house and building a secondary school, a college, an auditorium, library and other facilities. The plans also call for making greater use of Vedic architectural traditions, reflecting the Hindu and Indian origins of Krishna. The students were undecided whether spiritual or commercial values were uppermost at the Krishna Center. But they note that they met with "openness and kindness" at the Center, and suggest that people visit the Center and decide for themselves.

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Country: Ireland
Case Study Title: "The Impact of Tourism on the Communities of the Wicklow Mountains"
Students: Aidan Magee and Daragh Browne
School: Scoil Dara, Kilcock, County Kildare
Teacher: Adrian Obradaigh
Case Study Overview:
"We undertook this study to investigate the theory that tourism is the best method of keeping small isolated rural communities intact and economically viable and independent in their own native areas," the students wrote. "We oppose the concept of rural-urban migration as a means of solving the economic difficulties of peripheral regions." The students decided to examine what made the Wicklow Mountains so attractive to tourists and the impact tourism has had on the small communities of the mountains. To do so they surveyed residents, local business people and also visitors from the United States and from Canada. The photos the students took show that the Wicklow Mountains, which are south of Dublin, are strikingly beautiful, and they are not hard to enter by road, rail or bus. Volunteers are active in conservation and restoration projects on the mountains' trails and forests. Visitors come to see scenic areas such as the Vale of Avoca; the remains of the 6th century monastic settlement at Glendalough; Avondale House and Forest Park; Powerscourt Waterfall and Estate; Wicklow Mountains National Park; the Wicklow and Sally Gaps, valleys created during the last Ice Age by glaciers. Film makers as well as tourists have been attracted to the mountains in recent years to shoot movies like "Michael Collins" and "Braveheart." The survey of visitors conducted by the students showed that 42 percent were most interested in the scenery; 29 percent in historical topics; 21 percent were interested in experiencing the culture of the area, while 8 percent were interested in tracing family roots. Residents have not been idle in developing businesses that cater to visitors. The students examined six, ranging from the Blessington Craft Centre to the Irish Music Centre and Powerscourt Springs Health Farm and Spa. There is a broad variety of accommodations available, ranging from hotels and guest houses to farmhouses and camping sites. Population in County Wicklow has been growing. It increased 11.7 percent to 103,000 between 1996 and 2002, suggesting that there are enough jobs in the area to attract people. Population also grew by 11.2 percent in the historically less populated higher elevations of the mountains. The students reported that 72 percent of the customers patronizing businesses were tourists and that 42 percent of local people surveyed had jobs connected with tourism. Not surprisingly, 90 percent of the businesses surveyed said tourism is important to their survival and that they cater to tourist wants and needs. Equally important, most of the jobs in tourism are held by locals. The students surveyed businesses that between them employed 132 people and determined that 76 percent of the jobs in tourism in the Wicklow Mountains are held by the local inhabitants rather than by workers imported from outside the area. The students concluded that tourism has become a critical component in keeping young people from leaving the mountains to find work.

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Country: Jamaica
Case Study Title: "The Accompong Maroons: Community Tourism in Action"
Students: Nadjira McKellar and Kadiann Malcom
School: Oberlin High School
Teacher: Audrey Francis
Case Study Overview:
The Maroons of Jamaica are descended from enslaved Africans who escaped from bondage into the wilderness areas of the island during the 17th and 18th centuries. The word "maroon" comes from the words "Cimarrones", the term Spaniards used then to describe wild or runaway groups. The Maroons of Jamaica formed self-sufficient communities and successfully fought off attempts to destroy them. Their descendents still live in distinct semi-autonomous communities under the leadership of elected "Colonels." One group of Maroons settled in the western part of the island and later called their community Accompong. After years of guerilla warfare the British Army and the Maroons agreed on January 6, 1738 to peace terms under which the Maroon freedom was recognized. They also received 1,500 acres and autonomy in return for keeping the peace and returning future runaway slaves. Maroons still celebrate the date peace was signed. Today maybe 15,000 Maroons live in other parts of the island or overseas. Accompong is home to about 700 Maroons, who farm small plots of land where they grow a starchy tuber called "dasheen," ginger and rice. Jobs are scarce and the community is worried about economic and cultural survival. Visitors who spend money in the community may be one answer to its needs. The Oberlin High School students set out to review the resources that Accompong can call on to make it attractive to tourists, identify impediments and suggest possible solutions. January 6 has become a three-day festival and celebration of Maroon customs and culture. In 2003 an estimated 25,000 visitors came to listen to Gumbay drums, the sound of an Abeng horn --- a cow horn used by the guerillas to pass messages---watch traditional dances, hear choral groups, eat and drink. However 80 percent of the people they talked to felt that the January 6 event does not bring in enough money to support the development of Accompong. The students were troubled by some of the attitudes they encountered. "The residents lack self-motivation and confidence," the students reported. Nevertheless, some steps have been taken, mostly with the help of the Jamaican government and others, including the Austrian and Canadian governments. Road conditions are improved, public toilets built that visitors can use, as well as an African-style "Bickle" (food ) Village and a herbal garden.

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Country: Russia
Case Study Title: "Dimitrov: The Site of Community Tourism Development" Students: Svetlana Sukhareva and Georgy Mailov
School: School 1228, Moscow
Teacher: Natalia Zezerova
Case Study Overview:
Dmitrov on the Yakhroma River, report the students, is an attractive and historic city of about 150,000 people about an hour by car from Moscow. It is a town that could benefit from the development of its tourist industry, especially its younger workers. Dmitrov is a town that people like to move to, not away from, and more jobs are needed. The town has many advantages. It has an ancient Kremlin or citadel, complete with a 12th century embankment around it; two important cathedrals, 105 schools, colleges and universities. The town's economy is well developed: machine tools, dredging equipment and automobiles are made here. There is light industry. The Dimitrovsky porcelain factory dates back to 1766. The town is surrounded by forests, lakes, small rivers and hills and the city administration has made efforts to protect the environment. Almost half of Dmitrov's citizens are regular users of the city's 50 libraries. Residents also have access to extensive sports facilities, including the Volen sports park which offers snowboarding and skiing in the winter and swimming in the summer. At the Solontsovo Health Complex you can hire a horse or a boat, play tennis and eat the organic products of Solontsovo's own farm. However Dmitrov shares a problem with other attractive and historic towns: it lies outside the main tourist routes and is not well known as a tourist destination. The students set out to develop basic information about tourism in Dmitrov by surveying those tourists who do manage to come to Dmitrov. They talked to 73 adults and 21 children during a three-week period. Most visitors---just over three-quarters---come from Moscow usually by their family or in a group, the students found. They come in winter, late spring or early summer. Volen is the No. 1 attraction but they want to see everything. They prefer to stay in hotels rather than in guest houses or camp grounds. Most of the visitors are over 60. Many are nature lovers. Sports lovers are the second most important group, followed by business people, school groups and cultural groups. So far visitors are not big spenders. The over-60s spend US$15 to US$20 per day, the sportsmen US$17 to US$35 per day. The students suggest that hotels and other facilities be expanded, as well as facilities for sports and relaxation since they are so popular. They suggest that an effort be made to get residents interested in the tourist industry. The city administration expects that in the next two years new facilities, ranging from a golf course to a new snow boarding center will be completed and will add about 5,000 jobs.

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Country: South Africa
Case Study Title: "Ko Gae---a Traditional Lifestyle Awaits you: Community Tourism in Hammanskraal (Gauteng)".
Students: Zanele Nxumalo and Lesedi Gare
School: Prestige College, Pretoria
Facilitator: Mrs. Elna Schwalkwyk
Case Study Overview:
"Ko Gae" translates as "at home" in the Tswana language spoken the Hammanskraal area 40 miles north of Pretoria, the capital of South Africa. The phrase reflects the underlying theme of the two students' thesis: that the daily life of ordinary black South Africans can be interesting to visitors who live very different lives. Hammanskraal is named after a livestock farmer called Hamman who many years ago built a holding pen or "kraal" for his oxen, cattle and sheep. Over time, especially during the years when it was official government policy to separate the races in South Africa, various communities grew up at and near what had been the kraal. Many residents work in Pretoria. At first glance opportunities to attract tourists to the Hammanskraal area seem limited, but the two students have explored the area and suggest that visitors would be interested in seeing how people like Salomina, her husband and four children live in what is known in South Africa as a "tin house," made of corrugated iron. She already welcomes some tourist visitors to her home. A nearby game reserve, Kwalata Game Ranch, already brings 200 to 500 visitors per month to tour Hammanskraal. A traditional beer available locally is Chibuku, brewed out of sorghum. It has the consistency of thick yoghurt and can be purchased at shebeens or informal drinking establishments. Some businesses have expanded their bars into taverns also serving food and offering music. Traditional healers or Sangomas, who are knowledgeable about the medicinal use of herbs and plants, work in the area. They also function as fortune tellers and welcome visitors. The area supports a craft market which houses makers of traditional clothing, mostly to local customers. The market also houses makers of beadwork to be worn on arms, around the neck and the waist and creators of wood and stone sculptures. Traditional dancers can be booked to perform for visitors. The students recommend that tourism be encouraged on two different levels. There is a need for some basic facilities such as public toilets in some of the communities in the Hammanskraal area, and an information office. Secondly they believe that a village built in traditional styles but designed to accommodate visitors, would encourage more tourists. But they also have questions. "Will the people of Hammanskraal have the vision to see the benefits of tourism development in their area? Will they participate and share in the benefits of tourism? Will they open their homes and hearts so that the tourists can share in true African warmth and hospitality to eventually ensure a better future for all?" they wrote.

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Country: United Kingdom
Case Study Title: "Community Tourism Featuring The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum"
Students: Daniel Gausden and Neil Thrower
School: Ratton School, Eastbourne
Teacher: Timothy Isard
Case Study Overview:
The cluster of buildings in the Singleton community north of the town of Chichester in West Sussex is the "Weald & Downland Open Air Museum," and it is, report the students, "a fine example of the community and a tourist attraction working together." Since 1967 the Museum has rescued from destruction 43 examples from the past 800 years or so of traditional homes and workplaces found in the counties of Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire and rebuilt them on its 50-acre site. Here in Singleton are to be found a cottage probably built in the 13th century; a working early 16th century Tudor kitchen that still had late medieval soot from its open fireplace when rescued; a working 17th century watermill; an 1807 toll cottage where road-use fees were collected; an 1880s plumber's workshop, and many other structures that have been dismantled, moved and then rebuilt and restored at the Museum. There are craft workshops and also collections of artifacts used in rural crafts and industries, the building trades and agriculture. In 2003 some 130,000 visitors toured the Museum or attended events, while 1650 students attended restoration-related courses offered by the institution. In the broadest sense, the Museum serves the wider community by first preserving samples of a common physical heritage that otherwise would be lost and then making them accessible to many thousands of people. In addition, the Museum offers instruction in historic building conservation. Courses range from teaching the skills used in "Construction & Repair of Timber-framed Buildings" to "Flint Walling: A Practical Course," thereby preserving expertise that could easily be lost. More narrowly, the Museum is a major and positive influence on its immediate neighbors in the Singleton area. Some 300 volunteers donate their time to work at the Museum, which receives no regular government aid but depends on contributions and fees. The museum provides employment opportunities, while visitors spend money in local pubs and restaurants, bed and breakfast establishments, and local shops. Local farmers supply farm products for sale at the Museum's shop.

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Country: United States
Case Study Title: "How Can Two Divergent Communities Work Together To Promote Tourism and Strengthen the Economic Bases of Both?"
Scheduled Presenters: Sierra White and Allison Worrel
School: Miramar High School, Hollywood, Florida
Teacher: Jan Beggs
Case Study Overview:
There are two issues in the United States today guaranteed to arouse public debate and controversy. The first is how best to improve urban areas described as "blighted," "troubled" or "rundown." The second is the issue of whether to allow gambling casinos to operate in a community. Hollywood, on south Florida's Atlantic coast, is dealing with both. Hollywood also has a third issue to contend with: the right of the Seminole Tribe of Florida to determine its own affairs on its own land---land that is largely exempt from U.S. Law and government regulation. It is a right that the Seminoles of Florida fought long and hard for over nearly two centuries. Current members of the tribe trace their descent from the handful of Seminoles in Florida who never surrendered to the U.S. government after conflicts in the 19th century. In their case study the Miramar High School team explores all three issues, which are complex and filled with paradoxes. For the city government of Hollywood the area of the city known as the "State Road 441 Corridor" is a problem. The congested corridor encompasses some of the area's poorest housing, poorest roads, and outdated commercial buildings so marginal that businesses hesitate to move into them. "Because of the current situation, the City of Hollywood voted to suspend all corridor development until a new redevelopment plan is created," the students reported. Then thanks to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, a solution seems to have appeared. The Tribe is building a casino complex in the blighted area on land owned by the Tribe. It includes a 500-room luxury hotel; a 4-acre lagoon style pool; a 20,000 square foot health spa; a 25,000 square foot convention center; a 115,000 square foot casino offering slot machines, bingo and poker games; and an outdoor shopping and dining area called "Seminole Paradise." A parking lot so large it has its own bus service has displaced a traditional meeting area of the Tribe. The complex is expected to be completed by 2006. Some of it is already in operation. The developers of the complex expect to create 3,459 jobs in the complex, plus another 3,310 as a result of expenditures by the hotel in the community. The Tribe has already paid US$17 million to improve the 441 area. Employees in the complex are expected to earn over $100 million in pay and social benefits, which will be a big boost to the economy of Florida. The Seminole Tribe of Florida expects to receive US$80 million per year from the complex to fund its extensive social services and cash payments to members of the tribe. However there are critics. Some worry that the casino will create gambling addicts, with all the corrosive impact on lives, families and finances that implies. They worry about the social pathologies reported in other communities with casinos. Florida is no stranger to gambling. The state government operates a lottery, and betting on dog races and horse races is legal, as are other casinos in the state, also on Indian land. Within the Tribe critics worry that the casino complex will crowd out other Seminole businesses and alter the culture of the tribe. In Hollywood there is concern that the casino complex is now marketing itself not just to tourists visiting Florida but also to local residents, raising further fears about gambling addiction. A proposed change in Florida law to permit taxes on casino gambling will not extract any money from the complex, which as a tribal enterprise is exempt from the law. Instead the new law will end up allowing gambling machines to be installed at race tracks and other locations for the first time. "The Seminole Tribe has opened Pandora's box for the expansion of gambling in South Florida. It now needs to accept the responsibility for protecting, not only benefiting from, the surrounding Hollywood community," wrote the students. "The two factions within the Seminole community and Hollywood governmental leaders must learn to work collaboratively to survive the competition for tourist dollars, while preserving their culture and lifestyle."

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Summary of 2003 Sustainable Tourism Case Studies

In November, 2003, students and teachers met at the Amadeus Training Center in Bad Homburg, Germany. ACCOR provided hotel rooms and meals, and Lufthansa provided air tickets.

Global Partners attended several sessions where the students presented their research and were impressed with the high quality of the students' research.

Summaries of the 2003 case studies are included below. Click on the case title to see the full report.

Summaries of the 2003 Winning Case Studies in Sustainable Tourism

If you want to see the complete case studies click here.

Country: Brazil
Case Study Title: "Sustainable Tourism in the Atlantic Rainforest"
Students: Twenty-nine students at School Ayrton Senna da Silva, Sao Vicente-SP, and School Maria de Melo, Sao Jose dos Campos-SP
Advisors: Eliane Cavassani, Wellington de Souza, Beatriz Veroneze Stigliano
Case Study Overview:
Most of us have heard of the Amazon Rainforest and its ecological riches. But less known outside of Brazil is the country's Atlantic Rainforest, much of which stretches inland from the Atlantic coastline of the state of Sao Paulo and shelters one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on the planet.
For example, the better-known Amazon Rainforest is home to some 300 species of tree per hectare: its much smaller Atlantic cousin in some areas nourishes nearly 454 species per hectare.
The Atlantic Rain Forest is also home to communities of Guarani, Kaingang, Potiguara and Pataxo Indians; of Caicaras, people descended from Indians and Portuguese colonists; and Quilombolas, descendents of slaves who set up their own rural communities, with some dating back to the 17th century.
Although plant and other life is abundant, only about 7 percent of the original forest remains.
The students at the two schools surveyed local people in their areas and determined that there is support for tourism that makes use of the areas' natural attractions. However there is concern that the fragile ecosystems are not further damaged.
One theme that emerged from respondents to a student survey in the inland community of Sao Francisco Xavier, which is located in an official conservation area, was that tourism-related activity "be developed in an orderly and conscious fashion, respecting both Nature and the local people."
The students noted that the Sao Francisco area would be attractive to visitors interested in hiking, horseback riding, adventure activities and staying at existing inns and farms.
Students who examined the coastal county of Sao Vicente made recommendations that included the creation of a surf school; preparing locations that could be used for bird and animal watching and fishing; creating of board walks in sensitive areas; establishing a "farm hotel" in a region of waterfalls.

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Country: Canada
Case Study Title: "Mount Robson Provincial Park"
Students: Angela Peters and Savanna Bakala
School: Prince George Secondary School, Prince George, British Columbia
School coordinator: Suzanne Sharp
Case Study Overview:
At 3,954 meters, Mount Robson is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. The 217,200-hectare park that surrounds the mountain has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique beauty. The park, which includes wilderness areas, attracts some 100,000 visitors each year who use the park in different ways and stay for varying lengths of time. Activities range from helicopter trips to hiking to overnight camping.
While human pressure on the park environment is increasing, resources available to protect the park are decreasing because of lack of money.
As a result of their research, the students believe that the park staff is doing as good job as it can, under the circumstances, to protect the park. The tools it uses include regulation, usage-quotas, signage and education to protect the park's amenities. However the students believe more public funding is needed to properly protect the park as a public resource and also keep it accessible to all.
But that raises a problem faced by the park.
The government department which manages Mount Robson, in addition to many other responsibilities, received Canadian $38.2 million in user fees in the 2002/2003 fiscal year, but spent Canadian $43.7 million on services, a gap of Canadian $5.5 million.
Making all British Columbia parks pay for themselves through user fees is a major issue facing the parks.
"In order to make BC parks profitable user fees would need to increase for all activities from hiking to camping," the students note.
That would reduce public access to the park to only those able to afford the higher fees, suggest the students.
And already low staffing levels could be affected.
"There would possibly be further staffing cutbacks and there would be increased development within the parks," the students suggest.
There is also public discussion about privatizing BC parks.
The financial pressure on Mount Robson translates into pressure to introduce new activities to the park, including the building of ski lifts and facilities for motorized vehicles in order to increase revenue.
The students believe that adding new activities is not desirable.
"The park and its natural beauty should remain the attraction, not expanded recreational use."

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Country: Hong Kong SAR
Case Study Title: "Hoi Ha Wan-The Marine Kaleidoscope of Hong Kong"
Students: Yiu Wing-Yee, Winnie and Ng Yuet-Man, Natalie
School: Belilios Public School.
Advisors: Au Yiu-Keung, Aaron and Ma King-Yan, Johnaphen
Case Study Overview:
On July 5, 1996 a small bay called Hoi Ha Wan "was designated one of the first two Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's marine parks, specifically to protect its delicate coral communities."
The 260-hectare marine park is an old drowned river valley shallow, but with steep sides. It is about a mile wide at the mouth and home to about 50 coral species.
It natural attractions include a sandy beach, coral reefs, and mangroves. On shore are some old lime kilns which have been restored, and Hoi Ha village.
The park is ideal for scuba diving, kayaking, and hiking.
But the park also has some rough history to overcome.
From 1983 to 1988 the Wan Tsai peninsula was a source of topsoil for construction, and rainfall washed topsoil into the bay, covering sub-tidal corals on the eastern shoreline with silt. Time and the tides and currents will eventually take care of the problem, but only slowly.
There are other man-made challenges to overcome.
Facilities are sparse, including hiking paths that need to be improved, and toilet facilities that need to be both improved and expanded.
Residents dislike some of the new park regulations that affect how they live and work, and they complain about the loudspeakers used by tour guides.
Service at local businesses is often unfriendly.
Visitors also make an impact on the site. They poke and prod corals, shells and plants, or take them home as souvenirs.
What the student researchers wanted to know was whether improving Hoi Ha Wan's facilities will create more problems than they solve. Better facilities will in turn attract more people and they in turn will put new burdens on the park and the residents.
On the whole they are optimists.
Better education facilities will sensitize visitors to harmful behavior and expanded consultation with residents will also help improve local attitudes to the park and gain their support for conservation work in the park.
"In general, we realize that there are more advantages than disadvantages should sustainable tourism [be] developed in Hoi Ha Wan Park," they report.

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Country: Hungary
Case Study Title: "Ecological Park at the Banks of the Backwaters of the River Tisza in Tiszakecske"
Students: Dalma Antik, Timea Balla.
School: Moricz Zsigmond Grammar School
Teacher: Mrs. Katalin Vargane Mate
Advisor: Jozsef Bagota
Case Study Overview:
The river Tisza begins in the Carpathian Mountains and flows across the Great Hungarian Plain into the Danube River. Along the way the river slowly creats "back waters" or "ox-bow lakes" as it meanders across the plain.
The town of Tiszakecske, population 12,500, is located near 200-year old backwaters and over the years there have been proposals to expand their use as recreation areas. The plans have ranged from building a rowing course to creating swimming centers.
The students developed SWOT analyses (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) and determined that current proposals were either too expensive or too risky for a small community with limited financial resources. Private investment is unlikely until issues relating to property ownership are resolved.
Instead the students recommend that an ecological park be established to take advantage of the existing strengths of the backwaters. They recommend that the park be enhanced with low-cost improvements, starting with the creation of trails for walking, biking and riding, and marked with information signage so that visitors will understand what they are seeing. Other low-cost recommendations include improvement to a small forest preserve; reestablishing a traditional grazing area for farm animals as well as replanting traditional fruit trees and creating a small facility for bottling or drying the fruits for sale to visitors. Similar low-cost attractions and small businesses based on crafts utilizing local willow, reed, bulrush, as well as river clay for pottery, were suggested by the students.

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Country: Ireland
Case Study Title: "Sustainable Tourism: The Wild Beauty of the Irish Bogs"
Students: Roisin Bolger and Eimear Farrell
School: Scoil Dara, Kilcock, County Kildare
Advisor: Mrs. Ellis Kirwan
Case Study Overview:
After the end of the last Ice Age some 9,000 to 10,000 years ago, Ireland's landscape included many shallow lakes created where debris from glaciers made drainage difficult. In time plants grew in the shallow lakes, and then lakes slowly filled with decayed vegetation and began turning into bogs some 7,000 years ago. As the bogs grew upward, they also spread outward.
A hundred years ago bogs covered 17 percent of Ireland. Today bogs cover about 4 percent of the country, reflecting the commercial use made of the bogs as a source of fuel for electricity generation, domestic fuel and as a soil conditioner for gardens.
However, report the students, there is a growing realization that bogs are important in other ways.
Bogs are a living record of climate change over the past 10,000 years and "the main reserve of ecological diversity in the Irish landscape."
They are archeological store-houses, preserving entire 5,000-year old field systems and their stone walls; 2,100-year old log roads; bodies; tools; treasure. Thanks to the preservative power of bogs, we know from ancient pollens that between 8,400 and 9,000 years ago temperatures were 5 degrees warmer than they are today.
The students believe that in order to preserve the remaining bogs people must be taught to appreciate their wonders and no longer use them merely as a source of fuel.
The bogs are not suitable for mass tourism but they are valid destinations for people interested in the ways of the natural world, according to visitors surveyed by the students. The bogs would benefit from ongoing investment in keeping them in a pristine state.
A program of local festivals and summer schools also would help deepen awareness and appreciation of the bogs as ecosystems.

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Country: Jamaica
Case Study Title: "Sustainable Tourism Development in Port Royal, Jamaica"
Students: Shari Oliver and Samuel Morgan
School:
Jamaica Gov't Representative: Essie Gardner
Case Study Overview:
Today Port Royal mainly attracts the attentions of a few visitors and of archaeologists in scuba gear who investigate its sunken streets and houses and consider the site a 17th century underwater version of Pompeii. Until late in the morning of June 7, 1692, Port Royal, Jamaica, and Boston, Massachusetts, competed for the title of the most important British city in the Americas. Port Royal had grown rich on pirate and buccaneer loot, and richer on trade with Latin America. The earthquake that hit on June 7 put half the town underwater, where it remains. Fire and hurricanes put paid to efforts to restore Port Royal's former glories.
Today Port Royal is a quiet friendly backwater of about 1,200 people. It lies at the end of a 12-mile-long spit of sand called the Palisadoes which curves around from Kingston to create the 7th largest natural harbor in the world. The town lies clustered around old Royal Navy and Royal Artillery installations built over the past 400 years, and is home to fishermen and visitors who stay at the Morgan's Harbour Hotel and eat and drink at the "Why not on the Deck" bar and marina.
The director of the Jamaica National Trust at Port Royal estimates that on a typical day 80 to 100 visitors walk through old Fort Charles, which dates to the 1650s.
Given the town's history, some Jamaicans see potential for creating an environment that would attract more visitors and remind both visitors and Jamaicans of the area's heritage.
They point out that the Port Royal site is rich in architectural gems, including old forts; an 18th century Royal Navy shipyard, and a 19th century former Navy hospital.
They note that the Port Royal area offers visitors off-shore reefs and cays to explore.
They recommend a variety of new amenities to enhance the area. These include a board walk along the edge of the Sunken City, with special illuminations at night to mark the site; an African-Jamaican Pavilion which would function as a center for the arts; an entertainment center; a cruise ship pier.
But the vision of a new Port Royal comes with a big price tag: US$78.76 million and the Jamaican government's master plan for sustainable tourism development has suggested that if funds cannot be raised then a scaled-down version of the recommendations should be the goal.

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Country: Russia
Case Study Title: "Yelagin Island"
Students: Ekaterina Kasperovich and Natalia Prokopenko
School: School No. 61, St. Petersburg
Teacher: Frida Naumovna Zaytseva
Case Study Overview:
The students conducted a survey to see if foreign tourists visiting St. Petersburg had ever heard of Yelagin Island on the edge of the central city. Not one had. They also surveyed tourists from other parts of Russia. Not one knew anything about the Island, either about its 18th century gardens, pavilions or palace.
But St. Petersburg residents know about the island.
They know it as the site since 1930s of entertainments which draw huge crowds year-round. The events are rowdy sources of vandalism and pollution that damage the plant and animal life of the park.
Rowdy or not, the island and its events are a profitable and important source of revenue for the administration of the Petrograd district. But there is little re-investment of those profits in the park's architectural and landscape heritage, or in facilities whether they be toilets, parking or signs with directions.
A big part of the problem is that the palace is officially a museum, and the park in which it stands is not.
"Little attention has been paid to tourism development, because the island hasn't got the status of the park-and-palace ensemble and, consequently, is not financed in this way, but as separate entities. The profit from all the numerous events goes back to the Petrograd district and they decide how much money the CPKO [the department which manages the island and its events] should spend on management, advertisement, restoration, gardening, etc," wrote the students
"The staff of the CPKO ... tries its best to preserve the rare flora and fauna. They believe it can be the main attraction for visitors. With so many visitors attending the events, preservation is very difficult if not impossible," the students wrote.
The students developed SWOT analyses (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) of the island and believe that the island could a much stronger tourist attraction if there was more investment in its facilities, in restoration and in marketing.

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Country: South Africa
Case Study Title: "Sustainable and Responsible Tourism in the Vredefort Dome"
Students: Elanie Raath and Linda Pretorius
School: Schoonspruit High School, Klerksdorp, North West Province
Facilitator: Mrs. Yolande Heymans
Case Study Overview:
The Vredefort Dome is what remains of a crater caused by the impact of a meteor 10 kilometers wide that hit the planet some 200 million years ago. Much eroded, the dome, which is some 250 to 300 kilometers in diameter, is now the location of several micro-habitats and climates that are home to more 400 different species of birds, 99 species of plants and many different wild animals.
The dome has also been home to humans since the early Stone Age, and succeeding cultures have left their mark across the landscape.
Today the area is host to tourists who want to white water raft, hike, go canoeing, ride horses, do rock climbing, abseil, mountain bike, and go fly fishing
Supporting these activities are guesthouses, holiday farms and resorts which offer services ranging from conference facilities to safari drives. There is even a "wedding village."
But the students, after interviewing local officials and business people, sound a note of caution when it comes to the future.
If what makes the dome so attractive is to be preserved, the area and it inhabitants need to be concerned about growing water pollution; infestation by vegetation not native to the area, including water hyacinths which clog the Vaal River and Bluegum trees which siphon up to 200 liters of water each day; soil erosion; and poverty and unemployment where agriculture is of declining importance.
However the students are optimistic, noting, for example, that the work that needs to be done to solve some problems will create new jobs that in turn will reduce unemployment and poverty and the crime problems that accompany them.
"Is sustainable tourism possible in the Vredefort Dome? Only if all Stakeholders and South Africans work together to conserve all that is unique and precious to the Vredefort Dome for future generations," they write.

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Country: United Kingdom
Case Study Title: "Eastbourne-A Sustainable Tourist Plan For The Future"
Students: Dean Putland and Daniel Wheatley
School: Ratton School, Eastbourne
Advisors: Tim Isard
Case Study Overview:
Eastbourne, on England's south coast, has been an established tourist and retirement destination for over 150 years. One local business, Allchorn Pleasure Boats, which takes visitors for 45-minute rides along the coast, has been in continuous operation since 1861. This city of some 90,000 inhabitants is host to some 400,000 visitors each year. The city is most popular with visitors 65 and older.
The challenge facing this aging resort is how to compete in the years to come for customers who have many options now, both in the UK and overseas, on where to spend their vacations. In other words, what does the community need to do to nurture the most important segment of the city's economy.
The students interviewed visitors, tourist industry officials and local business people and reviewed studies of the Eastbourne tourist industry and developed a SWOT analysis ((Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) of the industry and a PESTLE analysis (Political-Economic-Social-Technical-Legislative-Environmental) of Eastbourne.
On the positive side the students report that Eastbourne has a good range of attractions, including its seafront, clean beaches, good quality accommodation, theatres. There is also good parking, easy access to the London market and other strengths.
Weaknesses are equally clear: Investment is needed to improve the quality and range of shopping choices in an age where shopping is a recreation as well as a necessity. Investment is needed in higher quality hotel accommodation.
Investment is also needed to broaden the range of tourism products that will appeal to the younger visitors that Eastbourne wishes to attract in greater numbers.
And work needs to be done on the way Eastbourne makes itself known to potential visitors.
As one report notes: "The lack of a clear image and identity ... remains the greatest barrier to economic growth and demands a concerted marketing effort across the resort."

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Summary of 2002 Heritage Tourism Case Studies:

The topic for the 2002 Aldo Papone Award competition was "Heritage Tourism."

In November, 2002, students and teachers met in Nice, France. Their meeting was hosted by Amadeus at its Executive Briefing Center. ACCOR provided hotel rooms, KLM provided tickets, and American Express and Amadeus hosted dinners.

If you want to see the complete case studies, click here.

Summaries Of The 2002 Winning Case Studies In Heritage Tourism:

Country: Brazil
Case study title: "Brazil: Singular or Plural."
Students: at Sao Jose dos Campos, School Duque de Caxias and Fenix Organization, all in the state of San Paulo.
Advisors: Prof. Maria de Melo; Prof. Marco Antonio F. de Souza; Prof. Ana Claudia dos Santos.
Case Study Overview:
The culture of modern Brazil and its population of 175 million is the product of three cultural streams: European, Indigenous Indian (primarily the Tupi peoples), and African.
The term "culture" is used in the broadest sense and includes food, music, architecture, religion, traditions, festivals, dances, ways of earning a living. All offer opportunities for Heritage Tourism.
For example, the festival of The Ox, which is heavily influenced by musical themes originating in Africa is an important festival in northern Brazil and the state of Bahia offers a cuisine with origins in Africa.
The state of Minas Gerais offers many examples of European Baroque urban architecture.
Meanwhile much of Brazil retains the place-names given by the Indigenous Indians, who number about 350,000 today in some 219 groups with different languages and customs.
To develop their case study the students conducted a cultural and historical survey of the city of Sao Vicente in the state of Sao Paolo, which is Brazil's oldest city; studied the "Piraquaras," riverside dwellers in the Paraiba Valley in southeast Brazil; and a study of the efforts to preserve the historic structures of the city of Barueri, which means "Enchanting Red Flower" in the Tupi-Guarani language.

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Country: Canada
Case study title: "Developing and Managing a Sustainable Heritage Attraction."
Students: Kelly Rolland and Alaina Harmon.
School: Quesnel Secondary School, Quesnel, British Columbia.
School coordinator: Loretta Fogarty
Case Study Overview:
Some 26 kilometers from the city of Quesnel in Canada's far west is Cottonwood House, a relic of the gold rush era of the 1860s when it was used to house and feed miners on their way to the gold fields. Declared an official Heritage Site in 1961 by the government of British Columbia, the 26-acre site attracts some 8,000 to 12,000 summer visitors to this attractive region of the country. However those numbers are just one-tenth the number of visitors to nearby Barkerville, another attractive tourist destination.
In 1999 a partnership agreement was signed between BC Heritage and the Quesnel area school district. Under the agreement, the school district would operate Cottonwood House, which in turn would function as a student-training center in tourism.
The double challenge facing Cottonwood House is to increase the number of visitors and also to increase to the amount of money spent by each visitor.
Student staffers organized a comprehensive survey of visitors to determine what needed to be done, and a similar survey of residents of Quesnel, who also visit the site.
During the 2000 and 2001 tourist seasons facilities at the Cottonwood House site were improved; staff training programs were instituted and new activities for visitors were added. The improvements were followed by price increases.
However while revenues have increased the number of visitors have not.
Student suggestions for increasing attendance have ranged from creating better roadside signage to marketing alliances with other tourist destinations in the region.
The case study by the Quesnel students is very much a report of work-in-progress. The emphasis in 2003 will be on making the improvements to the site better known, to attract bus tours and to add an overnight camping program.

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Country: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.
Case study title: "Touring Walled Villages: an alternative experience in East-Meet-West Cosmopolitan Hong Kong."
Students: Katie Chong and Yen Li.
Teacher: Crishner Lam
School: Lok Sin Tong Young Ko Hsiao Lin Secondary School.
Case Study Overview:
Inland, away from the glittering collection of glass-sheathed skyscrapers that form the image that most of us have of Hong Kong, lies another Hong Kong. This is the Hong Kong of small walled villages, some dating back to the 14th century and mostly associated with clans such as the Tang, the Chan and others.
The Hong Kong government encourages heritage tourism associated with museums, archaeological sites, religious sites and relics of the pre-colonial era, and the 19th century and 20th centuries.
The students have surveyed Kong Kong's walled villages and assessed what each has to offer and what could be done to make them easier to visit without compromising their character as places where people live.
The world of the six walled villages surveyed by the students is a world of watchtowers and gatehouses, protective moats, ancestral halls, distinctive cuisine and architecture and festivals. Not all are open to the public.
The students report that they found examples of careful restoration, such as Sam Tung Uk village, built in 1786 and restored in 1986 and opened as a public museum with interpretative information. There are also well-maintained villages and villages which need repairs made. Some villages contain both traditional and more modern architecture.
Most, report the students, would benefit from better road signage, the creation of small shops selling souvenirs and refreshments, as well as volunteers to collect fees from tourists which could be used to pay for routine village maintenance and care-taking chores.

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Country: Hungary:
Case study title: "Heritage Tourism in Veszto-Magor."
Students: Mark Csaszar and Evelin Urmos.
Teacher: Mrs. Magdolna Weber
School: Sandor Petofi High School
Case Study Overview: Deep in the historic Hungarian heartland, south and east of the capital Budapest, in the area called the Sarret. The flat countryside is marked by hundreds of artificial mounds dating back five thousand and six thousand years. These small artificial hills are called "Kun-mounds." Some were used as living areas. Some were built as grave sites. Others were built as watchtowers for soldiers, and even built as landmarks. The most famous is the Mound of Magor in Bekes County in the Koros-Maros National Park. Archaeologists have explored the mound and recovered skeletons painted red from the Neolithic period; scallop shells from the Copper Age; ceramics from the Bronze Age; a church-monastery complex from the Middle Ages.
The students at Sandor Petofi High School believe that the Mound of Magor could be made more interesting to visitors, especially in the non-summer months when most tourist come. Attracting more tourists would create more jobs in the area.
One approach they believe would attract visitors is to offer four-day packages of activities that would explore the history, folklore and customs of the region.
Activities would range from weaving to preparing meals using ancient methods to archery and falconry demonstrations.
The students also surveyed fellow students to see how aware they were of the Mound of Magor and what can be seen there. Most---69 percent--were not.
The Sandor Petofi students believe that educating the residents of the area about the attractions the area has to offer is an important part of making the area more accessible and attractive to visitors.

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Country: Ireland
Case study title: "A taste of Ireland's Past."
Students: Declan Foy and Fergus O'Donoghue
Supervisor: P.J. Luddy
School: St. Brendan's College, Killarney, County Kerry.
Case Study Overview: Ireland is an island on the western rim of Europe and County Kerry is on the western rim of Ireland. "Because of its isolation it has been possible to preserve the rich heritage of the county," report the two students from St. Brendan's College. The county is now the second most popular tourist destination in Ireland and in the past 10 years or so the number of visitors has increased by 500 percent. The two major tourism centers in the county are Tralee and Killarney.
Each year some 1.5 million tourists visit Killarney, where heritage attractions include a national park; a period house; landscaped gardens; reconstructed farms from the 1930s and a medieval castle, Ross Castle. In other words, unlike some countries, heritage tourism is well established not only in Ireland but in Kerry. So the suggestions offered by the students are for incremental improvements rather than major investments.
The St. Brendan's students note that Queen Victoria visited Killarney in 1861. They suggest an a wax works display of the central personalities involved in the event could be created and installed in a local period house being restored by the state. Cost would be Euro 240,000 and would create between 10 jobs and 15 jobs and attractive maybe 35,000 visitors, based on the number of visitors to nearby Ross Castle.
The students also suggest that an 11th century chronicle, The Annals of Innisfallen, last exhibited in Killarney in 1983 and now stored in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, be exhibited more frequently. A permanent interpretative center to house the work in a Killarney period house should be developed. Cost would be Euro 325,000, create some 10 jobs and attract more than 35,000 visitors annually and generate income of some Euro 400,000. They note that the 9th century Book of Kells in Dublin attracted some 500,000 visitors in 2000.

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Country: Jamaica:
Case study title: "Heritage Tourism in Black River, Jamaica: a case study."
Case study theme: Examines how Black River, a small town on Jamaica's less-visited South Coast, could use its amenities, which includes about 100 18th century and 19th century buildings, to encourage visitors interested in heritage tourism.
Students: Richard Rhone and Korey Neil
Advisor: Kenneth Bailey
School: Munro College
Case Study Overview: Once upon a time exporting logwood, used in dyes, made the little port town of Black River rich. Today the logwood trade is long gone and the town is off the beaten tourist track, but the buildings created by the wealth of the 18th and 19th centuries remain.
Those buildings, believe the students at nearby Munro College, could be the focal point for attracting visitors interested in heritage tourism and creating the jobs that this town of 6,000 people needs.
The structures reviewed by the students range from the "Farquharson Wharf," formerly known as the "Town Wharf," and used in the 18th century as a site for slave auctions, to Invercauld Great House, a 19th century example of the Jamaican Georgian style, now a boutique hotel.
The area's amenities include "The Great Morass," a 125 square mile freshwater wetland, home to many species of birds and other animals, including crocodiles; black-sand beaches; and the Black River, navigable for some 25 miles.
The students also look at others areas of Jamaica that have potential for being developed as sites for visitors interested in heritage tourism, including the former pirate town and naval base of Port Royal; Spanish Town, the original 16th century capital of the island; Falmouth, also the site of many examples of 18th and 19th century architecture; and Seville, the site of the first Spanish outpost on the island, dating to 1509.
Although the students believe that Black River has the potential to attract more visitors, they also say that there is a lot of work to be done to make this happen. The residents of the town need to be that the work will pay off. Tasks to be done range from improving the sewage disposal system to upgrading streets and parking, as well as improving harbor facilities and recreational facilities.

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Country: Russia
Case study title: "Lefortovo." (The old German and foreigners' district of Moscow.)
Case study theme: Examines what needs to be done to make the Lefortovo district more attractive to visitors and steps that need to be taken to protect the area's unique characteristics.
Students: Kirill Kozlov and Dinara Akmetova
Teacher: Natalia Zezerova
School: School 1228, Moscow.
Case Study Overview: In the 16th century foreigners living in Moscow were told to leave the city and move to what was called the German or Foreign settlement. Dutch German, English, Polish and other foreigners created a suburb where they lived a more European style of life. The German Settlement was renamed Lefortovo after Franz Lefort, a Swiss who was a friend of Czar Peter The Great.
Today Lefortovo is a place of schools and hospitals, of parks, palaces, museums, churches and monuments.
But Lefortovo is also a polluted industrial center, threatened by various road-building projects and suffering from decades of neglect of its historic structures.
"This place is dear to our hearts because we live and study here, and we are really worried about the destiny of Lefortovo that combines history with unrepeated charm and beauty of the present," wrote the students.
They believe that if more people visited Lefortovo and appreciated what was there, there would be more support for protecting Lefortovo.
The students conducted a survey that revealed that most Muscovites interviewed thought of Lefortovo "as a residential area of Moscow rather than a historical place or place for rest. However, people who live in Lefortovo firstly think of it as a historical area."
The area has an excellent new museum but it needs more marketing to attract visitors.
A survey by the students suggested that only10 percent of Muscovites had been to the museum, although 20 percent had visited a nearby park.
Based on interviews with officials, the students note that Lefortovo "badly needs advertising and improved conservation and preservation of buildings," not to mention more and better hotels, restaurants and improved transportation. But, as in so many countries with heritage sites to protect, finding money is difficult.

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Country: South Africa
Case study title: "Pella's People...A Vanishing Culture: an in-depth look into Heritage Tourism Potential at Pella, Bushmanland, Northern Cape, South Africa."
Students: Sumey LeRoux and Leandra Brand
Teacher: Elsabe Engelbrecht
School: Duineveld High School, Upington.
Case Study Overview: They fled war in Namibia and found refuge at the Pella Mission Station in neighboring South Africa. Today a hundred years later the 6,000 or so descendants of the Nama people who fled still live at the mission, still wear the fashions and sun bonnets of the late 19th century and still live in portable, round dome-houses, although fewer make them out of the mats used in the old days. Once hunter-gatherers, the Nama tend now to work on farms or as stock farmers. It is an austere life in an austere part of world. A few have realized that their way of life might attract visitors who will pay to stay in traditional dome-houses and learning about the Nama. Others have opened European-style facilities, complete with swimming pool.
The Duineveld students surveyed visitors to find out what they want in a tourist destination, how much they spend.
The students believe that with an investment of time and money in new facilities, more outsiders would enjoy visiting the Nama at Pella, enjoying their music, songs and poems; dancing the Nama-stap; eating mielie pap and mahango with their goat, lamb or beef stew, not to mention drinking watermelon wine and palm-spirit. And they could take home as souvenirs reed flutes, clay pots, maybe a leather apron. Behind they would leave their money, which the people at Pella could certainly use.
But the Sana may not be so sure about the benefits of tourism.
"Only a few individuals are involved in tourism and the rest of the community seems indifferent to, or unaware of the prosperity that tourism can offer," the students report.
And the Sana themselves have all-too-human problems.
"The case writers discovered serious conflicts of interest, often amongst members of the same family," reported the students.
They also found "envy, unhealthy competition, backstabbing and possessiveness..."
Younger members of the Sana community appear embarrassed to speak the "click" language spoken by the older folks, and embarrassed by their culture and traditions.
The students are fans of the Sana at Pella and their culture.
They want to help.
"We could not control the urge to sigh, 'WHAT A WASTE."

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Country: United Kingdom
Case study title: "An investigation into the role of the Tower of London as a leading heritage tourism attraction in the U.K."
Students: Lisa Hara and Anna Bateson
Teacher: Paul Banthorpe
School: Croydon College.
Case Study Overview: Examines the 1,000-year old Tower of London as a "heritage product," and reviews its advertising and promotion methods, the market segment the Tower cultivates, the Tower's need for brand positioning and other aspects of the Tower as a business.
The Tower is managed by Historic Royal Palaces, an agency of the UK's Department of the Environment which manages four other royal properties. The agency hired a marketing director for the first time in 2000 and has set a goal of growing "market share by 8 percent." the students report.
The Tower of London, which started charging visitors admission as long ago as 1599, today uses standard market research tools to measure visitor perceptions, including customer surveys, suggestion cards, and anonymous "mystery visitors."
Most ---78 percent---of visitors in 2000 were from overseas; 35 percent had been to the Tower before; the average length of visit is 2 hours to 3 hours; 47 percent bought something; 91 percent gave their visit a god or excellent rating; 73 percent thought they got value for their money.
Although the Tower as a product has many strengths---98 percent of overseas visitors are aware of the Tower---there some weaknesses.
For example, "Expectations of some visitors not met---Tower not 'gruesome enough,' report the students, referring to the Tower's somewhat overblown reputation as an execution site. The students point out only seven prisoners were beheaded inside the walls over a 400-year period.
"Expectations are not met because the gorier aspects of the Tower play a greater role in anticipation than in delivery of the experience."
However the agency has been careful not to yield to the temptation to "entertain at the expense of informing and educating."
To shift to a more entertainment-oriented visitor experience could put at risk the Tower's reputation as "a word leader in the interpretation of heritage," report the students.