NARRATOR:
You will hear two students, Natalie and Dave, discussing how to prepare a tourism case study.
NARRATOR:
First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 26.
NARRATOR:
Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 26.
NATALIE:
Dave, I'm getting worried about our case study.
NATALIE:
I've done some reading, but I'm unclear about the process of writing one, because I missed Dr. Baker's lecture on it.
DAVE:
It's fairly straightforward.
DAVE:
We already have our focus, tourism at the Horton Castle site, and you've begun reading about it.
NATALIE:
I found several articles and noted their main ideas.
DAVE:
Did you also record the sources of all the information?
NATALIE:
I know how frustrating it is when you forget to do that.
DAVE:
We can compare our reading, then identify one particular problem or need at the site.
DAVE:
After that, we decide whom to interview for further information.
NATALIE:
Who should we speak to?
NATALIE:
Employees at the site?
NATALIE:
And perhaps some visitors?
DAVE:
So we'll need to travel there.
DAVE:
We could also interview people away from the castle, including city officials responsible for tourism.
NATALIE:
Then we must prepare the interview questions and arrange the times and locations.
NATALIE:
This will take quite a while?
DAVE:
If possible, we should also ask interviewees to provide numerical data that can support our findings.
NATALIE:
What about photographs?
DAVE:
We already have enough.
DAVE:
But Dr. Baker said we must ask whether we may use interviewees' names in the study, or whether they prefer to remain anonymous.
NATALIE:
I wouldn't have remembered that.
NATALIE:
Once all the material has been collected, I suppose we analyze it.
DAVE:
We combine everything, select what directly relates to the problem, and examine it closely for patterns or regularities.
DAVE:
Recognizing those is more important at this stage than collecting endless details and facts.
NATALIE:
And after the analysis?
DAVE:
We choose the clearest visual format for the selected data, perhaps graphs, tables, or charts.
DAVE:
Writing the case study itself is mostly conventional.
DAVE:
We introduce the problem and provide some background before moving through the main sections.
DAVE:
What surprised me is the ending.
DAVE:
A standard report would normally finish with proposed solutions to the identified problem.
DAVE:
A case study instead concludes with one or more questions for its readers, who decide what should be done.
NATALIE:
I hadn't realized that.
NARRATOR:
Before you hear the rest of the conversation, you have some time to look at questions 27 to 30.
NARRATOR:
Now listen, and answer questions 27 to 30.
NATALIE:
So our main issue is why Horton Castle attracts so few visitors.
NATALIE:
The interviews should tell us more, but an online report suggested that poor transport access might be one reason.
DAVE:
I saw that report, but it was written 10 years ago, when the road was in a terrible condition.
DAVE:
The road has since been improved.
DAVE:
The site has enough interesting features for a full day's visit, but the castle's website makes it sound dull.
DAVE:
I think inadequate publicity may be the real problem.
NATALIE:
The website is very dry.
DAVE:
I also found a proposal for a visitor center.
DAVE:
We could research that idea online.
DAVE:
What information would we require?
NATALIE:
First, we'd need to know who would use it.
NATALIE:
It would help to identify visitor categories, such as school groups and retired people.
NATALIE:
But the site staff would probably have to supply those figures.
DAVE:
Since we may recommend a visitor center, we also need to examine possible difficulties.
DAVE:
Building it would obviously require substantial investment.
NATALIE:
True, but it could be worthwhile.
NATALIE:
Because the castle is a historic site, special planning permission would be necessary, and obtaining that might be extremely difficult.
DAVE:
Especially since the only possible space is by the entrance, directly in front of the castle.
DAVE:
The center might benefit the town of Horton.
DAVE:
At present, the town feels almost deserted.
DAVE:
Once young residents leave school and gain skills or qualifications, they move to the city for employment.
DAVE:
The population left behind consists mainly of children and retired people.
NATALIE:
Another area to investigate is the environmental damage that additional tourists might cause.
NATALIE:
Visitors can currently walk anywhere around the site.
NATALIE:
If numbers rise, restrictions may be necessary, such as requiring everyone to remain on marked paths.
NATALIE:
Guides and wardens would have to ensure that people followed the rules.
DAVE:
Yes, we should include that.
