Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to assess the general costs and benefits of tourism development with or on behalf of local communities. It requires the ability to seek all relevant information about potential tourism developments, critically analyse that information and make it available for community consensus and decision.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

Application of the unit 

Assessing strategic tourism opportunities for local communities focuses on the overall and long-term operation of tourism as an activity or industry for the community. The assessment might focus on potential tourism developments or on the expansion of current activities.

An assessment would normally be conducted for a particular tourism venue or individual tourism product. However, it could be conducted for a whole region or local area that wants to develop tourism as a new or complementary industry to expand its economic base.

The local community wishing to operate a commercial tourism venture would normally make a request for the assessment. However, the assessment process could be instigated by local and regional tourism or industry organisations. In either case, the assessment is based on a need for communities to make informed decisions about their potential involvement in tourism and the potential for success.

This unit applies to senior tourism industry personnel from local, regional or state and territory tourism organisations, to senior community members and to tourism business management consultants who operate autonomously and have a strategic tourism planning role.

Prerequisite units 

Nil

Employability skills 

The required outcomes described in this unit of competency contain applicable facets of employability skills. The Employability Skills Summary of the qualification in which this unit is packaged will assist in identifying employability skills requirements.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the required performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised  text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge and/or the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1

Seek and analyse information about tourism opportunities.

1.1

Choose appropriate communication methods , consult the local community  about the possibility of community involvement in tourism and seek agreement to investigate tourism opportunities .

1.2

Gather information from the community on their proposed tourism products.

1.3

Identify and access general information sources  for tourism, tourism market trends and distribution and marketing networks.

1.4

Identify product and service gaps within the local area and region and analyse the potential for future development, based on community proposals.

1.5

Identify current market trends and the need for tourism products and services and analyse the potential for future development, based on community proposals.

1.6

Identify distribution and marketing networks that would support the proposed tourism product and analyse the ability to successfully market the proposal.

2

Liaise with external stakeholders.

2.1

Establish and maintain contacts with relevant people outside the community.

2.2

Exchange information and advice with external stakeholders .

2.3

Consult external stakeholders on customer and tourism industry service and quality expectations for tourism products and services.

2.4

Obtain information from other communities with experience in establishing and developing tourism products and use during analysis and consultation.

2.5

Seek specialist assistance from external individuals and organisations when required.

3

Analyse local community issues relevant to establishing tourism activities.

3.1

Identify and analyse potential economic and social impact on the community .

3.2

Identify and analyse the currently available infrastructure and infrastructure development required to support the delivery of tourism.

3.3

Identify and analyse current skill levels and the need for training or specialist expertise.

3.4

Identify and analyse potential conflicts between tourism and other community values.

4

Consult with the community.

4.1

Choose appropriate communication methods and conduct consultation with the community  about opportunities and potential tourism developments.

4.2

Provide the community with relevant , current and accurate information  to facilitate informed debate and decisions.

4.3

Invite external individuals and organisations to talk to the community where appropriate.

5

Make decisions about tourism opportunities.

5.1

Make decisions about tourism opportunities within the appropriate timeframe, taking into account all information that has been gathered and analysed.

5.2

Make decisions that reflect the wishes of the community.

5.3

Integrate information collected in the assessment process into future planning of tourism activities.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

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

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

• research skills
• high-level communication skills to conduct:

• comprehensive and culturally appropriate consultation with local community stakeholders
• detailed consultation with external stakeholders

• critical thinking skills to facilitate rational and logical analysis of:

• input from the broad community, key community stakeholders and external stakeholders
• all research information collected.

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

• general knowledge of the social, cultural and economic impact of tourism
• detailed knowledge of the tourism industry, including structure and interrelationships, tourism industry networks and information sources
• in-depth knowledge of distribution and marketing networks, especially those that would support any proposed tourism product
• in-depth knowledge of the main stakeholders in local, regional, state or territory, and national tourism organisations and the structures of these organisations at each level
• current market trends, products and service styles that would meet certain market requirements and customer and tourism industry service and quality expectations for tourism products and services
• in-depth knowledge of the current tourism product base for the particular community
• the key features of environmentally or culturally sensitive areas in the local or regional area
• in-depth understanding of the main stakeholders, the infrastructure within the particular community, and social, cultural and economic aspects of the area
• cross-cultural awareness and in-depth knowledge of consultative and communication mechanisms commonly used by organisations and the local community.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

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

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

Evidence of the following is essential:

• ability to assess tourism opportunities for a specific community and determine the potential for success
• ability to fully research, analyse and provide information on the full range of issues that relate to the proposed tourism development within a community
• detailed knowledge of the tourism industry, including structure and interrelationships, tourism industry networks, information sources, and distribution and marketing networks
• ability to consult and communicate with the broad community, key community stakeholders and external stakeholders
• project or work activities conducted over a commercially realistic period of time so that the research, analysis and consultation aspects of this assessment of opportunities can be assessed.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment must ensure:

• access to a fully equipped office environment using appropriate computers, communication technology, information programs and publications to facilitate the processes involved in assessing tourism opportunities
• access to a community for which tourism opportunities would be assessed or  access to comprehensive and sufficient information about that community to allow the candidate to fully assess tourism opportunities
• access to current tourism industry data and information sources about tourism market trends and appropriate product match
• involvement of key stakeholders, both internal and external to the community so that research and consultation can be achieved.

Methods of assessment 

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

• project to fully assess tourism opportunities for a given community
• project activities to assess tourism opportunities in conjunction with a local, regional, state or territory tourism organisation, community or industry organisation, or tourism business management consultancy
• review of a completed assessment report for a specific community
• case studies to assess the candidate's ability to evaluate communities with differing social, cultural and economic structures and issues
• case studies to assess the candidate's ability to evaluate community areas with different tourism product bases, and distribution and marketing networks
• written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge such as structure of the tourism industry, tourism industry interrelationships, distribution networks, community communication and consultation processes, and the structures of tourism management organisations
• review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

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

• SITTPPD008A Develop host community awareness of tourism
• SITTPPD010A Develop and implement local or regional tourism plan.

Assessing employability skills 

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

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

RANGE STATEMENT 

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

Appropriate communication methods  may involve:

• using interpreters
• following cultural protocols
• face-to-face meetings
• limiting the amount of jargon and printed material and using as much visual information as possible.

Community  may relate to:

• traditional communities on ancestral lands
• local residents in urban, regional or rural settings
• extended families in urban or rural settings
• small groups with common cultural links and interests
• individuals who identify with and are accepted by a particular group.

Tourism opportunities  cover the full range of tourism development opportunities, including:

• tourism retailing operations
• tour operations
• attractions, events and festivals
• accommodation development
• visits to the community by external tour operators
• community involvement in providing staff for external operations
• community involvement in training for the tourism industry.

Information sources  may include:

• local, regional, state or territory, and federal tourism organisations
• local regional, state or territory, and federal tourism and tourism marketing plans
• other government agencies
• government funding bodies
• government and private tourism research bodies
• tourism industry associations
• destination marketing companies
• tour operators, tour wholesalers and inbound tour operators
• business management and marketing consultancies
• reports on tourism
• privately owned tourism businesses
• national parks and land management agencies
• other local communities
• local people
• internet.

External stakeholders  may include:

• wider community
• local businesses
• local, regional, state or territory, and federal tourism organisations
• state, territory or local government authorities
• land management and protection authorities
• privately owned tourism businesses
• tourism industry associations
• tourism marketing organisations
• destination marketing companies
• business management and marketing consultancies
• tour operators, tour wholesalers and inbound tour operators
• training agencies.

Impact on the community  may include:

• benefits:

• economic benefits to local community
• improved local facilities
• employment opportunities
• cultural benefits, including cultural preservation
• visitor education
• greater understanding between host and visitor cultures

• costs:

• trivialisation of culture
• effect on social structures
• damage to environmentally or culturally sensitive areas.

Consultation with the community  may involve:

• verbal presentations to individuals or groups
• public or community meetings
• presentations or talks from specialist advisers
• preparation and presentation of comprehensive written reports
• preparation and presentation of plain English excerpts from comprehensive written reports
• presentation of notes or fact sheets about research findings
• copies of information provided from external stakeholders.

Relevant , current and accurate information  to be provided to the community must include:

• community's proposed tourism products
• product and service gaps within the local area and region
• current market trends and needs
• need for tourism products and services to meet certain market requirements
• customer and tourism industry service and quality expectations for tourism products and services
• general information on distribution and marketing networks
• information on particular distribution and marketing networks that would support the proposed tourism products
• analysis of:

• community's ability to successfully market their proposed tourism products
• community's ability to successfully deliver their proposed tourism products
• positive and negative impact of operating the proposed tourism products

• summary of all component analyses above and potential for success of the tourism development
• information about other communities that have experience in establishing and developing tourism products
• recommendations, including any alternative product offerings for the community to consider.

Sector 

Tourism

Competency field 

Planning and Product Development