Overview

Introduce context and characteristics of Experiential, Special Interest and Heritage Tourism. Explore how tourism operators can maximise opportunities within these niche domains, develop business and expand markets. Understand consumer behaviour within these sectors, and subsequently the importance of developing and managing immersive and memorable tourism experiences that engage visitors, and also the importance of customer loyalty and repeat custom. Investigate how heritage based attractions are evolving, establishing how heritage is interpreted in a range of contexts and looks at the challenges relating to interpretation techniques and how they work within an experiential context. Students will have an opportunity to study and research authentic experiences designed to connect travellers to special places, people and cultures within Uzbekistan to improve their product knowledge of what their country offers visitors and the potential for experiential tourism.

Learning Outcomes

• Appreciate the importance of developing and managing immersive and memorable tourism experiences that engage visitors, and also the importance of customer loyalty and repeat custom.

• Critically assess the ethical/ educational functions special interest, heritage-based and experiential tourism interpretation may seek to achieve (e.g. consumer education, heritage preservation, and wellbeing etc)

• Develop a critical understanding of complex consumer behaviour driving special interest, heritage-based and experiential tourism attractions

• Explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for both managing and operating businesses within these industries and maximising on opportunities within these niche domains/ developing business and expanding markets

• Understand the definitions, nature, and characteristics and differences between experiential tourism, special interest tourism & heritage tourism

• Understand the local and national context, issues, challenges for experiential tourism, special interest tourism & heritage tourism and how management leadership and international business can seek to reconcile key issues