The city is by itself an attractive tourist environment. Big cities often stock various cultural and natural tourism resources, produce multiple tourism activities, and supply tourism services [1-3]. Therefore, many urban tourism environmental protection teaching activities are included in the Tourism Environmental Protection course [4]. Teaching includes lectures, group discussions, report preparation, and essay writing.

The basic principle of choosing urban tourism environmental protection cases is to be close to life and close to reality. The students are very emotional and intuitive about the city they live in. Hence, teaching tries to use socially influential and exciting cases in local cities. At the same time, the case should be universal for tourism environmental protection courses. This article uses cases of urban tourism ecological environmental protection and urban signs to illustrate the use of teaching cases that affect students’ daily lives and physical health, as well as interesting teaching cases to stimulate students’ interest in learning the Tourism Environmental Protection course.

Choosing Appropriate Tourism Environmental Protection Cases to Stimulate Students’ Interest in Learning the Course

Teaching activities can keep up with hot news, especially the travel environment issues that are closely related to students’ daily life and physical health. Those issues will attract students’ attention in class, stimulate interest in class, and increase active participation. And they can trigger a lively discussion between students and teachers and between students and students. 

For example, dust pollution on construction sites in Chengdu [5] and environmental air quality issues [6] are closely related to students’ daily life and physical health and accordingly are good cases for urban tourism ecological environmental protection. In the class, not only do teachers give lectures but also can group discussions be organized. Each group submits a report with different characteristics based on their own experiences and feelings. In 2019, there was a source investigation of atmospheric particulate matter jointly compiled by the Key Laboratory of Urban Particulate Pollution Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Nankai University and the Chengdu Academy of Environmental Sciences. It shows that fugitive dust is the primary source of PM2.5 in Chengdu’s central urban area, and the average annual contribution rate reaches 21.2%, and also the primary source of PM10 contribution, with an average yearly contribution of 27.5%. 

Therefore, public complaints have become an essential measure for environmental protection. People often complain about severe dust pollution on construction sites and roads on the national and Sichuan provincial network management platforms. The government has made every effort to rectify dust pollution problems on construction sites, dust pollution from slag trucks, and illegal dumping of slag. The government actively builds green benchmark construction sites. For example, there are nearly 14 green benchmarking sites set up by the City Park Bureau. To stimulate the classroom atmosphere, the lecture mentioned that in 2020, many construction sites, enterprises, and vehicles had to stop operating due to the impact of the COVID-19. However, in 2021, many construction activities have made it challenging to improve air quality.

Interesting Case Teaching of Urban Road Traffic Signs

Tourism service is an integral part of urban tourism environmental protection. From a tourism perspective, large cities and provincial capitals are not only cities for local urban residents but also travel destinations for tourists from all over the world. Therefore, urban roads and traffic signs are part of the city’s image, which should provide tourists with sufficient transportation convenience and leave a good first impression for tourists entering the city.

To reflect this exciting theme, the lecturer shows that Chengdu East Railway Station is the largest train tourism hub in Chengdu and West China. However, there are several English versions of Chengdu East Railway Station, such as Chengdu Dong Zhan and Eastern Chengdu Railway Station. Although various translations have their advantages and disadvantages, these different translation versions frequently confuse foreign tourists who do not understand Chinese and even affect their travel in the city by bus or underground railway. Chengdu Dong Zhan and Eastern Chengdu Railway Station are two different translations for the same railway station. However, foreign tourists may regard them as two different railway stations; accordingly, confusion and errors may occur during their city traffic travel.

The North Railway Station is the oldest in Chengdu. It has long been the largest railway station in Chengdu, the gateway to the outside world, and a distribution center for foreign tourists. Therefore, the long-formed familiar name is that Chengdu Railway Station often refers to North Railway Station. in the subway station, it is marked as Chengdu Railway Station. However, after Chengdu East Railway Station is put into operation, many people do not know this sign and believe that Chengdu Railway Station is Chengdu East Railway Station. As a result, tourists buy tickets for Chengdu Railway Station but go to Chengdu East Railway Station to take the train, which has caused great inconvenience and disturbance to their travel itinerary and inevitably complains about the urban tourism environment.

In recent years, Chengdu’s subway has developed rapidly. The subway ranks among the top cities in China and has become a critical business card for China and Chengdu. However, some English signs in subway stations still need to be improved. Translations are not uniform at various subway stations, even within one subway station. For example, there are Mind the Head and Mind the Heads. The former is more appropriate, and the latter makes people think that a person has multiple heads. There are signs of cautioning gaps in subway stations: Mind the Gap and Mind the Gaps. The former is correct.

Urban toilets are a window of civilization in the tourism environment. In gentleman’s toilets, there are ‘Close and You will be civilized,’ ‘The closer, the more civilized,’ and ‘One step forward, one big step to the civilization.’ These logo translations will not have a negative and essential impact on foreign tourists and even make them feel very interesting. But these signs may be directly replaced by Gentleman in English.

In mountain cities, many steep sections of cliffs may collapse and fall off the rocks. There are different logos: Pass quickly and take care of rolled stone, Beware of stone, Dangerous stone. The last logo is straightforward. The syntax error of the first logo is obvious.

Many urban tourism environmental protection teaching activities are involved in the Tourism Environmental Protection course. The use of local cities’ socially influential and interesting cases, as well as general issues for tourism environmental protection courses, can stimulate and strengthen students’ interest in the tourism environmental protection course.

This paper selects hot news closely related to students’ daily life and physical health to teach tourism ecological environmental protection. In recent years, the problems of dust pollution and ambient air quality at construction sites have become more prominent. Fugitive dust is the primary source of PM2.5 in the downtown area. This topic has triggered a lively discussion among students on how to solve related problems and optimize the tourism environment in Chengdu.

Enjoyable case teaching of urban road traffic signs can help strengthen students’ interest in learning the Tourism and Environmental Protection course. There are several versions of the English signs for Chengdu East Railway Station, the traffic signs for Chengdu Railway Station and Chengdu East Railway Station, the signs for Chengdu subway stations, the signs for urban toilets, and signs for dangerous cliffs and steep sections in mountainous cities. They are all excellent teaching cases.

1. Zeng, J. et al. "Effect of tourism development on urban air pollution in China: the moderating role of tourism infrastructure." Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 280, 2021, p. 124397.

2. Yürüdür, E. and M. Dicle. "Settlements—natural environment relationships and tourism potential in Çamiçi (Tokat—Turkey)." Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 19, 2011, pp. 208–215.

3. Tian, X.-L. et al. "Exploring the nexus between tourism development and environmental quality: role of renewable energy consumption and income." Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, vol. 56, 2021, pp. 53–63.

4. Arrobas, F. et al. "Measuring tourism and environmental sciences students' attitudes towards sustainable tourism." Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, vol. 27, 2020, p. 100273.

5. Sohu News. "Chengdu City’s press conference on the special rectification of construction site dust pollution in the first half of 2021." Sohu News, 3 Mar. 2021, https://www.sohu.com/a/453862836_355544. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.

6. Sichuan Daily. "Sichuan Provincial Ecological and Environmental Protection Inspectorate feedback to Chengdu City." Sichuan Daily, 25 June 2021, https://www.sc.gov.cn/10462/c106463/2021/6/22/4ce1d3f3d2bc44799b8b6dd2c98e2cc8.shtml. Accessed 25 June 2021.