Another semester done, and another class over with. Before this semester I would have never even considered writing a blog. And, honestly I don’t think I would ever, really, willingly do so again. To write a truly informative and proper blog it takes a lot of work. A lot. Equal, if not more so, than a thesis driven paper. But, even still, my time going to class, reading and reading class material, researching and researching information to make blog posts acceptable, and juggling other responsibilities along the way, wont particularly be forgotten.
Of course, this experience has surely had its returns. I’ve always been interested in the topic I covered in the class, and in this blog for that matter; that being Alberta Canada. And so, this class gave me an opportunity to research it more, and come to a better understanding of the culture, challenges, and possibilities Alberta has to offer. If I could change one thing about this blog, I wish I would have or could have posted something about the wealth of National Park goodness Alberta has to offer. Alberta has great national parks like: Waterton Lakes, and Banff, and Jasper, as well as some I had not known of before I stepped into this experience, like that of Elk Island National Park. I also, wanted to post something about the truly GRAND hotels that are in the region of Alberta like Lake Louise Chateau or the Banff Springs Hotel – otherwise know of as “The Castle”.
I learned more of course than just how to go about writing a blog or how to speed read through a litany of readings.
I was introduced to topics that I hadn’t really considered in my major area of study concerning the area of tourism and what we as tourists and hospitality professionals should be in our minds as we travel. Individually, the funds spent on trips to foreign destinations has great impact on the actual location(s). Leakage is a huge problem for local communities. And tourism, though highly service oriented and caring for the people they/it serves, is however, highly fragile. Any natural disaster, political “problem”, infrastructural issues, or even just the weather can greatly affect the extent to which individuals choose to spend their highly valuable leisure time and money there. As such, this course of international tourism has shown me the extent to which one’s own personal actions and choices have far reaching affect. I understand that such a statement to some, well more than some, would and does seem a bit “granola-ee” but, despite this, our own actions and also the importance of being responsible as a tourist, and supporting the tourism industry, and geographic locations and people for which it encompasses is by far, far reaching. Poverty of local populations is a big part in this. And, yes, there will always be poverty. And, yes, there will always be the rich. Meaning, generally, those who do travel for leisure. However, though this be so, it does not undermine the importance of the intent to try and positively affect the circumstances of the local populations for which we geographically visit and professionally are a part of as Hospitality professionals. The choices we make as we travel, do actually affect people. Above all, with in this course, I learned ( to a greater extent) what is involved in that responsibility. So therefore, with this greater understanding, I suppose, this course has really fulfilled its greater purpose. To create, at least in me, a better citizen. If not of the world, as Hospitality is a worldwide industry. Than instead, as just another person who, well…, hasn’t had a real vacation in 10 years and probably won’t, yet, for a while still.
Of course, this experience has surely had its returns. I’ve always been interested in the topic I covered in the class, and in this blog for that matter; that being Alberta Canada. And so, this class gave me an opportunity to research it more, and come to a better understanding of the culture, challenges, and possibilities Alberta has to offer. If I could change one thing about this blog, I wish I would have or could have posted something about the wealth of National Park goodness Alberta has to offer. Alberta has great national parks like: Waterton Lakes, and Banff, and Jasper, as well as some I had not known of before I stepped into this experience, like that of Elk Island National Park. I also, wanted to post something about the truly GRAND hotels that are in the region of Alberta like Lake Louise Chateau or the Banff Springs Hotel – otherwise know of as “The Castle”.
I learned more of course than just how to go about writing a blog or how to speed read through a litany of readings.
I was introduced to topics that I hadn’t really considered in my major area of study concerning the area of tourism and what we as tourists and hospitality professionals should be in our minds as we travel. Individually, the funds spent on trips to foreign destinations has great impact on the actual location(s). Leakage is a huge problem for local communities. And tourism, though highly service oriented and caring for the people they/it serves, is however, highly fragile. Any natural disaster, political “problem”, infrastructural issues, or even just the weather can greatly affect the extent to which individuals choose to spend their highly valuable leisure time and money there. As such, this course of international tourism has shown me the extent to which one’s own personal actions and choices have far reaching affect. I understand that such a statement to some, well more than some, would and does seem a bit “granola-ee” but, despite this, our own actions and also the importance of being responsible as a tourist, and supporting the tourism industry, and geographic locations and people for which it encompasses is by far, far reaching. Poverty of local populations is a big part in this. And, yes, there will always be poverty. And, yes, there will always be the rich. Meaning, generally, those who do travel for leisure. However, though this be so, it does not undermine the importance of the intent to try and positively affect the circumstances of the local populations for which we geographically visit and professionally are a part of as Hospitality professionals. The choices we make as we travel, do actually affect people. Above all, with in this course, I learned ( to a greater extent) what is involved in that responsibility. So therefore, with this greater understanding, I suppose, this course has really fulfilled its greater purpose. To create, at least in me, a better citizen. If not of the world, as Hospitality is a worldwide industry. Than instead, as just another person who, well…, hasn’t had a real vacation in 10 years and probably won’t, yet, for a while still.