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Countryside Recreation & Tourism

84ND - HND - 3 years (including 9 months work experience)

Introduction

The Recreation and Tourism sectors are becoming increasingly important in rural life. This course provides an understanding of how the countryside works and interacts with the activities of recreation and tourism. The emphasis of the course is on gaining practical experience of rural tourism enterprises, harmonising the needs of the countryside with that of visitors, rural communities and tourism operators. You will study a wide range of subjects through a combination of practical sessions, lectures, visits, study tours and work related assignments.

The second year of the course is spent gaining work experience with a relevant employer. This dynamic course provides you with the skills, knowledge and background needed to enter a successful career in countryside recreation and tourism. Many students chose to continue their studies, after gaining a good HND, by progressing to the final year of the BSc degree in Countryside Recreation and Tourism.

Content and Structure

This vocational course focuses on the underpinning knowledge of recreation and tourism and applies it to the background of the countryside. A broad range of subjects is therefore available to you on
this course. Example subject areas include:

Year 1

The tourism industry; tourism in practice (study tour); countryside recreation; countryside organisations; rural communities; archaeology;ecology; geology and landform. There is also a week's study tour in semester 2, which seeks to analyse locations and activities by bringing together material from the different topics which you have covered.

Year 2 - Work Experience

A sandwich year gaining relevant work experience with a rural recreation and tourism employer.

Year 3

Rural tourism management; international tourism; visitor management; wildlife management; access to the countryside; human impact on the environment; landscape; individual project; advanced information technology. There is also the option of an overseas study tour to a tourist destination such as Malta.

Detailed Course Structure

Assessment

You will be assessed through a mixture of continuous assessment and formal examination. Continuous assessment is in the form of assignments, which are designed to be as realistic as possible and will develop your skills as well as your knowledge. Example assignments include:

• Producing a recreation plan for a countryside site
• Developing a sustainable tourism project for an area
• Producing an interpretive leaflet or panel
• Carrying out a community audit

Career Opportunities

The course will equip you with the practical skills, knowledge and experience of the workplace necessary for a career in many sectors of the countryside recreation and tourism industry. Employers include local authorities, national parks, the National Trust, and rural tourism enterprises. The course is your way into this expanding rural sector.