What general observations or recommendations would you make about the potential of special events in your community?

Introduction
You have been hired as a research assistant in your local tourism office. You have been asked to evaluate the appeal of local festivals and events in your region according to the markets they attract and the needs of each.
Go to the linked page from the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. On this page you will see several links to travel motivators survey results on the righthand side of the page. Two reports in particular will help you with this assignment; The Culture and Entertainment Overview Reports for both Canada and the US present a summary of what the motivators are for travelers. As you can see there are many detailed reports as well, on very specific sectors some of which may be of interest to you (similar interests) or to your community. Note the date that these reports were prepared. Some of them are now quite old and this is because the resources required to collect and analyze the information is quite intensive. Your task is to use the information from these reports that you feel is appropriate to prepare a 5 to 7 page, double spaced business report that addresses the following questions. Note: if you are uncertain as to how a business report should be written, please refer the following document; writing business reports.
How well does the local tourism industry meet these identified needs and motivators?
Think about the five sectors as well as the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs model presented in Activity 2.2. What are the significant gaps between what is available in the community and what is desired by the festival visitor?
If the gaps were closed, could the community attract more tourists? Explain.
Should the community attempt to change the types of events or should the community try to attract different markets? Perhaps festivals and events are not the ideal market for the community.
What general observations or recommendations would you make about the potential of special events in your community?
Rubric
The student clearly understands the research reports and is able to link the information to the community in question.
The student clearly understands Maslow’s Hierarchy and is able to apply it in this context.
Gaps are clearly identified and consequences of gap closure logically explained.
Recommendations presented are clear and logical and reflective critical thinking. Understanding of assigned readings is demonstrated.
Activity 2.2: Review: An Introduction to the Tourism System
This SlideShare presentation, An Introduction to Tourism, by Magiel Venema, introduces many of the key concepts and theories about the tourism system and tourism motivations commonly found in academic discussions about the tourism industry. While we would like you to view the presentation in its entirety, below we have highlighted some of the more important theories or ideas. As your review the slides, try to think about the concepts that are both familiar and unfamiliar to you. Reflect on how you could apply these ideas or concepts to your own personal experience as a tourist or to events and festivals in your local community. An introduction to tourism (Rev. ed.)
(Venema, M, 2017)
Slides 22 and 23, reviews the theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. For years, marketers have focused on including images and words that the consumer can relate to in terms of satisfying these needs. For example, Maslow’s theory suggests that you must offer security and shelter before consumers can satisfy their need for the higher stages of belonging, esteem and self-actualization. The goal, within the tourism context, is to provide opportunities for satisfying all of these needs. In this manner, you will increase the chances that your organization will be successful in providing a great customer experience.

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