Mathematics for Business and Personal Finance

Unit 2: Managing Your Money

WebQuests

Marathon Tourism

Introduction
Sports tourism is an important and growing business worldwide. Whether traveling to compete or simply to spectate, attending a notable sporting event is a fun way to see new places.

Marathons are major sporting events which attract increasing numbers of both professional and amateur athletes. Cities host marathons for civic pride and for the millions of tourist dollars they generate. With at least one marathon held in all 50 states, you can find a big race being run just about wherever you might travel!

In this WebQuest you will plan a detailed itinerary and budget for a trip to a big city marathon. Your itinerary and budget should include travel, accommodations, meals, and interesting activities for a group of running enthusiasts.

Task
A local running club is planning a trip to an out of town marathon. Your task is to select a race and organize an interesting itinerary and detailed budget for ten travelers. The budget for the trip is $1,300 per person and lasts four days.

Process
1. Your teacher will divide your class into groups of at least four.

2. Each group member will choose one big city marathon to investigate. Marathons to choose from include:
  • ING New York City Marathon
  • LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon
  • Honolulu Marathon
  • Marine Corps Marathon
  • City of Los Angeles Marathon
  • Boston Marathon
  • Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
  • Walt Disney World Marathon
  • Twin Cities Marathon
  • Portland Marathon
3. Prepare a detailed plan for air travel. Travelers will arrive two days before the marathon and leave two days after the race. Be sure to comparison shop in order to stay within your budget.

4. Find convenient and affordable accommodations. Be sure the hotel is not too far from the race location or from the airport. For budgeting purposes, assume two travelers stay in each room.

5. Investigate local attractions for the group to visit before and after the marathon. Use the Web to research museums, historic sites, landmarks, and cultural centers in the city. Choose which attractions you think are convenient and would most interest the group.

6. Create a detailed itinerary for the trip. Your itinerary should include travel arrangements, the marathon itself, local attractions, and meal times. Be sure to leave time for the group to travel from one scheduled event to the next.

7. Based on the travel plans, accommodations, and itinerary you created, outline a budget for the trip. Remember, each person's budget is limited to $1,300. That includes meals and other incidental expenses like souvenirs and snacks.

8. Once you have completed your itinerary and budget and are back in class, you will need to form groups based on students' selected cities. In groups, students will discuss their research findings and itineraries. Then, each group will come up with a creative way to present their marathon as an attractive destination for other tourists. The presentation should cover that marathon's route, history, and interesting facts. It should also include local attractions that tourists might want to see while in town.

Each group may choose a presentation format from the following list, or create their own:
  • Brochure
  • Poster
  • Visual Collage
  • Video
  • PowerPoint
Resources
Here is a list of Web resources to use while planning your trip.

Travel Plans
Accommodations
Local Attractions
Evaluation

 

Beginning
2

Developing
5

Accomplished
8

Exemplary
10

Score

Research

Information is inaccurate or inadequate

Information is complete but has little detail

Appropriate information has been gathered to satisfy the assignment

Clear and interesting information has been gathered and assignment is satisfied in detail

 

Itinerary Plan

Plan is incomplete, simple, or not organized

Plan is complete but includes limited detail

Plan is detailed, including timing and destination

Plan is organized, detailed, and chronological

 

Budget

Budget is incomplete

Budget includes only price information

Budget includes all costs and relevant details

Budget is organized, detailed, and under the target amount

 

Group Collaboration

No teamwork and bad use of time

Some teamwork, but not all team members put forth the same effort

Most team members contribute to the group task and are motivated

All team members work collaboratively and efficiently and are highly motivated

 

Creative Project

No signs of a unique presentation

Some unique elements but limited original work

Presentation shows original thought

Presentation stands out in its use of original thinking and visual creativity

 

Group Presentation to the Class

Not all team members participate in presentation

Presentation is given by the team, but presentation is not organized or clear

Entire team participates in an organized and clear presentation

Team works as a solid unit to make the presentation, using body language and good voice projection to address the class

 

Conclusion
You have successfully completed an itinerary and detailed budget for a group trip to a big city marathon. Your assignment required in-depth Web investigation, thoughtful planning, and careful budgeting. You have also explored a new city and learned about the growing opportunities in sports tourism.

Organized planning and budgeting skills are important whenever you put together a complicated project. These skills help you make the most of your time and money.

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