Which is the best ecotourism package for our ‘family’ to visit Laos?

Define · Locate · Select · Organise · Present · Evaluate Define the task Scenario Reading about the hill tribe people, newly discovered animals and ancient ruins has excited your 'family' about visiting Laos. You all want something slightly different in a holiday but you all want to make sure you contribute to the local economy and do not offend people or damage the environment. In this Global Learning Quest, you will take on the roles of members of a ‘family’ who are planning a trip to Laos. You will select a tour package that most interests your family and meets environmental, cultural and economic guidelines for sustainable tourism. You will learn about ecotourism and investigate the packages available so you can answer the global question: Which is the best ecotourism package for our family to visit Laos? Background The Lao Peoples Democratic Republic ( Laos) has a rich cultural heritage with many ethnic traditions. Its mountainous terrain and dense jungles are home to many birds and animals. Laos has some interesting ancient attractions, including the mysterious Plain of Jars, and two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the ancient city of Luang Prabang and the pre-Angkorian Vat Phou temple complex. Landlocked and isolated, Laos is a poor country with limited infrastructure but is rapidly changing as the government promotes ecotourism as a means of earning much-needed income. Guidelines for tourism development have been developed to ensure that local people benefit and the environment remains unharmed. Perspectives on the Global Question Team roles Form a ‘family' group. Take on the roles of children and parents and consider the following questions to help you decide which tour package will suit your ‘family' best: What do you think is important in a holiday (eg resting, visiting historic sites, being active, getting to know local people, having a good time)? How much money and time do you have? Locate

Finding out about Laos PDR

	Lao National Tourism Administration
	Ministry of Information and Culture of Laos
	Lonely Planet Guide to Laos

Finding out about ecotourism in Laos PDR

	Phou Khao Khouay National Protected Area
	UNESCO: Nam Ha Ecotourism Project

Guidelines for environmentally and culturally aware tourists

	Lao PDR Sustainable Tourism Network
	Wildside and Ecotourism in Lao PDR

Difficulties facing sustainable tourism

	Boom in Lao Tourism Threatens Local Culture
	Environmental conservation work in Laos (WWF)
	Tourism Offers Irawaddy Dolphins Protection, and Farmers, Income

Finding out about tour packages in Laos PDR

	Intrepid Travel: Laos
	Ecotourism Laos

Select Background questions What are the geographic, economic, cultural and environmental features of Lao PDR? What issues does Lao PDR face in managing ecotourism in the country? What guidelines are visitors to Lao PDR advised to follow to protect the culture and environment? What issues do you think each guideline is addressing? What places in Lao PDR would you be interested in visiting and why? What activities would you be interested in doing in Lao PDR? What tourism packages are available? How does each package benefit local villagers and protect the environment? Organise Define the features of environmentally and culturally sensitive tourism. Review the packages you have selected in terms of the features you have outlined. Select the package that best suits your ‘family' and meets the features outlined. Outline the positives, negatives and questions you have about the selected package so you can identify any further research you need to undertake to support your answer to the global question: Which is the best ecotourism package for our family to visit Laos? Present Prepare a presentation of the tour package you have selected (on PowerPoint or poster). Describe the places you will visit and the activities you will do. Highlight how the package suits each family member and how it demonstrates the principles of culturally and environmentally sensitive tourism. OR Create a poster or multi-media map of attractions in Lao PDR with written and/or audio descriptions of the key features. Describe how people are working to improve their income while protecting the environment and respecting ethnic cultures. OR Produce a flyer using photos, graphics and text to communicate a set of ‘dos and dont's' for tourists to Laos, showing them how to be environmentally and culturally sensitive. OR ‘Undesirable tourists’ might do things such as drop litter, take heritage items home, make fun of local culture or demand better facilities such as better toilets and showers and clean sheets every day. Write a play to make such people more aware of the impact of their behaviour and convince them to be more culturally and environmentally sensitive. Evaluate High Medium Low Collecting information Ability to gather relevant information Used a large number of appropriate resources to gather information that was important and related to the questions Used a variety of resources and collected information that was generally useful Used only one or two resources and did not select the key points to answer the questions Ability to use information to support a particular perspective Able to develop an understanding of a particular point of view about the issue and support this well with information gathered Presented a key aspect of a particular point of view about the issue and provided some information to support it Formed opinion with only limited use of the information gathered Working as a team Ability to work with others in a group Listened carefully to others, shared own information and supported others to express their point of view and keep the group working together well Listened to others and made some comments to support the group to work together Listened to some people but did not always encourage others to contribute their ideas Presenting information Ability to present information with rationale Presented the key points with supportive evidence Supported the key points with some evidence Presented some key points in a short manner Taking action Ability to apply learning by evaluating other ecotourism packages Able to explain sustainable tourism and question the accuracy of information Able to explain aspects of sustainability in the tourism industry Able to ask questions about the sustainability of tour packages

Task: In this Global Learning Quest, you will take on the roles of members of a 'family'; who are planning a trip to Laos. You will analyse how package tours meet environmental, cultural and economic guidelines for sustainable tourism. Which is the best ecotourism package for our 'family' to visit Laos? Learning Areas: Social education English Art   Year levels: Upper primary   Duration: Minimum of four 45-minute lessons   Tools needed: Access to the Internet, reference material, tourist brochures, atlas, travel guides, poster paper and markers, computer with PowerPoint