📋 The Scenario Text
This is a short paragraph (usually 3–6 sentences) describing a destination. It will mention things like the type of tourism, recent changes, problems, or opportunities. Read it twice before you answer anything.
Paper 2 - Managing and Marketing Destinations Preparation » Paper 2 Practice - Scenario-Based Question on Destination Management
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
- How to tackle a full scenario-based Paper 2 question from start to finish
- How to apply destination management strategies to a given scenario
- How to structure answers for 2, 4, 6 and 8-mark questions
- How to use real-world examples and case studies in your answers
- Common mistakes students make and how to avoid them
- A full worked example with examiner commentary
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Unlock This Course🎯 What is a Scenario-Based Question?
In Paper 2, you will be given a scenario a short description of a real or fictional destination facing a tourism challenge or opportunity. Your job is to use what you know about managing and marketing destinations to answer questions about it.
Think of it like this: the examiner drops you into a situation and says, "Right you're the tourism manager. What do you do?" You need to show you understand the issues, can suggest solutions and can back up your ideas with real examples.
Key Definitions:
- Destination Management: The process of planning, organising and controlling tourism in a place to make it sustainable and enjoyable for visitors and locals.
- Scenario: A description of a situation at a destination, usually including some stimulus material like a photo, map, or short text.
- Stakeholder: Anyone who has an interest in tourism at a destination tourists, local residents, businesses, governments and conservation groups.
- Carrying Capacity: The maximum number of tourists a destination can handle before damage occurs to the environment, culture, or visitor experience.
📌 Remember: Scenarios Are Not Random
Every detail in a scenario is there for a reason. If it mentions a beach getting crowded, that's a hint about carrying capacity. If it mentions local residents complaining, that's about stakeholder conflict. Train yourself to spot the clues.
📄 Anatomy of a Scenario Question
Let's break down what a typical Paper 2 scenario question looks like. Understanding the structure helps you know exactly what to do when you open the exam paper.
📈 The Stimulus Material
This could be a photo, a graph, a table of data, or a short quote. It supports the scenario and gives you extra information to use. Always reference it in your answers using "Figure 1" or whatever label it has.
❓ The Questions
These will range from short 2-mark questions to extended 8-mark responses. Each question builds on the scenario. Later questions are usually harder and require more developed answers with examples.
📝 The Command Words
Words like describe, explain, suggest, assess and discuss tell you exactly what the examiner wants. Getting these right is the difference between a Level 1 and a Level 3 answer.
🔎 A Full Practice Scenario Let's Work Through It
Here is a realistic exam-style scenario. Read it carefully, then we'll work through how to answer each question type.
🌍 Practice Scenario: Koh Samui, Thailand
Koh Samui is a popular island destination in the Gulf of Thailand. In recent years, visitor numbers have grown rapidly, reaching over 2 million tourists per year. The island is known for its white sandy beaches, coral reefs and Buddhist temples. However, local residents have reported increased traffic congestion, rising property prices and damage to coral reefs from tourist boat anchors and sunscreen chemicals. The Thai government is considering new management strategies to protect the island while keeping tourism as the main source of income.
Figure 1 shows a photograph of a crowded beach on Koh Samui. Figure 2 shows visitor number data from 2015–2023.
✍ Question 1 (2 marks): "Describe one problem shown in Figure 1."
This is a describe question short, factual and worth 2 marks. You need one clear point with a small amount of detail. Do NOT over-write. Two or three sentences is plenty.
✅ Strong Answer
"Figure 1 shows a very crowded beach with tourists packed closely together. This suggests the beach has exceeded its carrying capacity, which could reduce the quality of the visitor experience and cause environmental damage to the sand and coastal ecosystem."
❌ Weak Answer
"The beach is busy and there are lots of people on it."
This is too vague. It describes what you see but doesn't use any geography terminology or explain why it matters.
✍ Question 2 (4 marks): "Explain two reasons why overtourism can cause problems for local communities."
This is an explain question you need to give a reason AND develop it. Use the P-E-E structure (Point, Evidence, Explain). Aim for two separate, well-developed points.
📚 Model Answer 4-Mark Explain Question
Point 1: Overtourism can lead to rising property prices in local areas.
Evidence: In Koh Samui, as tourism has grown, demand for land and housing from developers and wealthy tourists has pushed up rents and property costs.
Explain: This means local residents may no longer be able to afford to live in their own communities, leading to displacement and loss of cultural identity.
Point 2: Overtourism can cause environmental damage that harms local livelihoods.
Evidence: In Koh Samui, coral reefs have been damaged by boat anchors and chemicals from tourist sunscreen.
Explain: Local fishing communities depend on healthy reefs for their income. If the reefs are destroyed, fish populations decline and fishermen lose their livelihoods.
✍ Question 3 (6 marks): "Suggest how the Thai government could manage tourism on Koh Samui more sustainably."
A suggest question at 6 marks needs three or more well-developed ideas. You should link each suggestion to the scenario and use real-world examples where possible. This is where your case study knowledge really pays off.
📍 Visitor Quotas
The government could introduce a daily visitor limit on the most popular beaches. This directly controls the number of tourists and prevents carrying capacity from being exceeded. Example: The Philippines closed Boracay Island in 2018 for six months to allow environmental recovery.
📍 Zoning
Zoning means dividing the island into areas with different rules for example, a no-anchor zone around coral reefs, or a quiet zone near temples. This protects sensitive areas while still allowing tourism elsewhere. Example: The Great Barrier Reef in Australia uses marine zoning to protect coral.
📍 Tourist Tax
A tourist tax charges visitors an extra fee which is used to fund conservation and local infrastructure. This makes tourism pay for the damage it causes. Example: Bhutan charges a Sustainable Development Fee of $200 per day to control visitor numbers and fund conservation.
✍ Question 4 (8 marks): "Assess the effectiveness of different strategies used to manage tourist destinations sustainably."
This is your extended response the big one. You need to show balanced judgement. That means discussing more than one strategy, giving advantages AND disadvantages, using real examples and finishing with a conclusion that directly answers the question.
📄 How to Structure an 8-Mark Answer
- Introduction (1–2 sentences): Define the key idea and set up your argument.
- Point 1 with evidence and evaluation: Strategy + example + does it work? Any problems?
- Point 2 with evidence and evaluation: Different strategy + example + balanced view.
- Point 3 (optional but impressive): A third angle or contrasting example.
- Conclusion: Make a clear judgement which approach is most effective and why?
📚 Worked 8-Mark Answer
Sustainable destination management involves balancing the needs of tourists, local communities and the natural environment. Several strategies are used globally, each with varying levels of effectiveness.
One widely used strategy is visitor number management, such as daily caps or timed entry systems. In Venice, Italy, the city introduced a day-tripper entry fee in 2024 to reduce pressure during peak periods. This can be effective because it directly limits footfall in the most damaged areas. However, critics argue it is unfair to lower-income tourists and does not address the root cause of overtourism the city's popularity as a cruise ship destination.
Another strategy is ecotourism development, which encourages tourists to visit in smaller numbers but spend more money. Costa Rica is a leading example over 25% of its land is protected and ecotourism generates significant income while preserving biodiversity. This is highly effective because it aligns economic and environmental goals. However, it requires significant investment in infrastructure and training, which many developing destinations cannot afford.
Community-based tourism is a third approach, where local people manage and benefit directly from tourism. In Kenya's Maasai Mara region, community conservancies allow Maasai communities to earn income from wildlife tourism while protecting their land. This is effective at reducing conflict between locals and the tourism industry, though it can be difficult to scale up or maintain without outside support.
Overall, no single strategy is universally effective. The most successful destinations, like New Zealand and Costa Rica, use a combination of approaches regulation, community involvement and careful marketing tailored to their specific context. Visitor number management alone is rarely enough without addressing the economic incentives that drive mass tourism.
📌 Key Management Strategies Quick Reference
Make sure you know these strategies inside out. In a scenario question, you need to be able to pick the right one for the situation described.
🌿 Hard Management
Physical or legal controls that directly restrict tourist behaviour or numbers.
- Visitor quotas and timed entry
- Fencing off sensitive areas
- Banning certain activities (e.g. no swimming near coral)
- Closing destinations temporarily (e.g. Boracay, Philippines)
🌎 Soft Management
Education, incentives and marketing to encourage responsible behaviour without direct restrictions.
- Tourist education campaigns
- Promoting off-peak travel
- Eco-certification schemes for businesses
- Spreading tourists to less-visited areas (demarketing)
🌟 Examiner's Top Tips for Scenario Questions
- Always refer back to the scenario don't just write general knowledge. Link your answer to the specific place and situation given.
- Use geography vocabulary words like carrying capacity, stakeholder, sustainability and multiplier effect show the examiner you know your stuff.
- Name your examples "a country in Asia" is not good enough. Say "Thailand" or "Bhutan" and give a specific fact.
- Balance your 8-mark answers always show both sides. If a strategy works, also explain its limitations.
- Finish with a conclusion make a clear judgement. Examiners love a confident, well-reasoned final sentence.
📋 Stakeholder Conflict A Key Theme in Scenarios
Many scenario questions are really about conflict between different groups who want different things from a destination. You need to be able to identify who the stakeholders are and explain why they disagree.
👥 Common Stakeholder Groups in Exam Scenarios
👤 Local Residents
Want: Jobs, affordable housing, quiet communities, preservation of culture.
Fear: Noise, congestion, rising rents, loss of identity, environmental damage.
💼 Tourism Businesses
Want: Maximum visitor numbers, easy access, minimal regulation.
Fear: Restrictions on opening hours, visitor caps, extra taxes.
🌿 Conservation Groups
Want: Protection of ecosystems, wildlife and heritage sites.
Fear: Habitat destruction, pollution and unsustainable development.
🌍 Case Study Snapshot: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam receives over 20 million visitors per year nearly 25 times its resident population. The city has introduced some of the toughest tourism management policies in Europe:
- A ban on new hotels in the city centre
- Restrictions on Airbnb rentals (max 30 nights per year)
- "Stay Away" campaign targeting disruptive tourists (2023)
- Cruise ship ban from the city centre from 2026
This is a brilliant example to use in any question about hard management strategies or stakeholder conflict in an overtourism scenario.
✅ Final Checklist Before You Write
Use this checklist every time you tackle a scenario-based question in Paper 2. It takes 30 seconds and can save you several marks.
- 🔍 Have I read the scenario twice?
- 📌 Have I identified the key issue (e.g. overtourism, environmental damage, stakeholder conflict)?
- 📝 Have I checked the command word (describe, explain, suggest, assess)?
- 🌟 Have I planned my answer with P-E-E for each point?
- 🌎 Have I included at least one named real-world example?
- 📄 For 8-mark questions have I included a conclusion with a clear judgement?
- ⏰ Have I kept an eye on the time?