Here at West Boca High School, they offer an AICE Travel and Tourism class for students. This is a great opportunity for students to grasp new techniques that evolve around planning and managing the economic and financial needs of travel and tourism. This class learns about how the travel and tourism industry affects the world. During the first semester, students are taught about the effects of travel and tourism globally, economically, and environmentally. This teaches students how to plan effectively by analyzing the benefits and disadvantages of travel and tourism. In the second semester, there is a big project that reflects on everything learned so far. In this big project, students choose a specific destination and plan the financial costs, activities, and include the benefits of traveling to that destination. Afterwards, they present to their classmates, make cultural food, and bring souvenirs, creating an unforgettable experience for their classmates. While their peers are eating the food, students take turns presenting the research they have gathered about their chosen destination. Then, at the end of the year, they have to write a 4,000-word essay about how they applied what they learned to the project. This class helps students learn how to plan travel and tourism effectively and apply their knowledge creatively.
For instance, a group of 9th-grade students planned a trip to Crete, Greece. They made a slideshow explaining the benefits of traveling to Greece and providing details on hotel costs, flight costs, and fun activities to do in Crete. They make their classmates’ tickets as souvenirs, resembling traveling to Greece. Students also acknowledge the ancient history of the towns and mention convenient times to travel to that area. In the meantime, they hand out popular Greek food for their classmates to enjoy and learn more about the cultural food and lifestyle.
After the presentation, Mr. Frank Cook, the teacher of the AICE Travel and Tourism class, hands out a form for the students to complete, which will enter the 4,000 word composition as a graph, summarizing their responses. This presentation gives students a real-life experience of traveling, teaching students how to spend time efficiently and budget accurately for Crete, Greece. The AICE Travel and Tourism class combines academics with creative, practical application, preparing students for future opportunities in business and tourism.
