Tourism Planning for Park and Recreation Agencies Certificate Program
Time limit: 365 days
2.5 credits
Full course description
Program summary:
More and more, tourists are seeking outdoor and nature based tourism opportunities. Parks and other recreation facilities are in a prime position to take advantage of this trend and help the community economically, environmentally, and culturally. The Tourism Planning for Park and Recreation Agencies Certificate Program will discuss the benefits of utilizing recreation assets for tourism and will lead you through the process of planning, implementing, and gaining public support for this effort.
Program objectives:
After completing this certificate program, learners should be able to:
- Explain how park and recreation agencies are an integral part of the tourism industry.
- Engage the public when planning park facilities and tourism related activities.
- Analyze supply, demand, and visitor attitudes for impact of your use of park asserts for tourism.
- Create a needs assessment that helps fill gaps between current and desired conditions.
- Gather public support for your tourism development efforts.
- Create and market parks and recreation facilities and programming for tourist use.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of your tourism development efforts.
Recommended background:
This certificate program is intended for park and recreation agency directors and staff who wish to create or better utilize parks and recreation assets for tourism. Completion of the Park and Recreation System Master Planning Certificate Program would be very beneficial for foundational knowledge about the planning process. To successfully complete the portfolio pieces, it is recommended you have access to agency and community planning resources.
Program topics:
Each course in this program builds upon the previous in a logical progression leading to the creation of a plan to use park and recreation assets for tourism. The courses should be taken in this specific order:
- Course 1: Preparing to Plan
- Course 2: Public Engagement
- Course 3: Analyzing the Market
- Course 4: Assessing Needs and Enabling Local Support
- Course 5: Product Creation, Marketing, Branding, and Evaluation
The certificate program includes the following elements:
- Five self-paced, self-study e-courses
- Companion assignments, which allow you to apply what you have learned in the courses and are reviewed by course instructors, with substantive feedback provided
- Downloadable worksheets to complete and keep for your agencies use
- Real world case studies and learning opportunities
- Supplemental reference materials
- Informal quizzes and knowledge checks
- Final assessments
These courses are self-paced, allowing learners the flexibility to complete the courses as quickly or slowly as they need.
After completing the content and activities in each course module, you will complete a final quiz to demonstrate your understanding of key course concepts. Upon successful completion of all course module quizzes and assignments, you will be awarded a program certificate of completion.
Creators:
This certificate program was designed and developed by the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University.
How to access:
Upon enrolling, you will receive instructions and the link to the Canvas course. Note: When you register, you will receive an email invitation. Be sure to accept that invitation, or Canvas will not allow you to open the course modules.
Enrollees can move through content modules at their own pace within the course timeframe.