Could you develop a thriving tourist attraction? This was the challenge given to our Y7 boys this week as part of their studies on tourism in geography.
In the exciting lessons, each team had a virtual 100 acres of bare land and £150 million to spend on items ranging from mountains and rivers to roller coasters and casinos to cafes and hotels to hospitals and fire stations. The boys were soon busy working together to create a successful attraction with the advice to take their target audiences’ needs and interests into account, while also looking out for potential pitfalls.
The pros and cons of each team’s plans were then put to the test to see if they would be raking in cash in five years or losing money.
Scenarios included:
- SWINE FLU! If you don’t have a hospital, you lose £10 million.
- Everyone likes the water! If you have windsurfing and jet-skiing, you gain £25 million.
- There’s a fire, but the local fire brigade put it out before your firefighters even have their trousers on! If you have a fire station, it was a waste of time and you lose £15 million.
- Thrill rides have become incredibly popular. If you have any type of roller-coaster, you gain £10 million for each one.
After working out how much money they had gained or lost, the boys then had the opportunity to turn their attractions around by making changes (unless they had lost all their money already!). Which parks would stand the test of time? Which would last ten years or even 25? And who would be the best tourism business teams?
While not every team was successful, the lessons proved a real hit with the boys and helped solidify their learning on the types of tourism and tourism trends.
