Travel & Tourism - AS/A2
GCE AS/A Travel & Tourism
This course employs an investigative approach to studying the travel & tourism industry in the UK and overseas. It combines well with a wide range of subjects, adding interest to your portfolio of AS/A levels. You will study three Units in each year, with second year units building on what you have learned at AS. In each year, two units are assessed through coursework assignments and one unit is examined externally.
The AS units you will study are:
The A2 units you will study are:
Inside Travel & Tourism - Back to Top
This unit will provide you with an introduction to travel and tourism. You will discover that it is a complex and dynamic industry composed of a large number of diverse organizations and you will learn about how those organizations inter-relate and depend upon each other. You will investigate the development of travel and tourism and the roles of the different sectors of the travel and tourism industry.
This unit is assessed by means of an external examination which takes place in June. This consists of both short and extended answer questions.
A People Industry - Back to Top
Within the travel and tourism industry there are a number of organizations providing similar products and services, and it is often the quality of customer service that distinguishes one from another. Travel and tourism organizations have a positive attitude to the level of customer service they provide and many employees place a high value on service. Customers expect high standards of service and all staff employed by an organization need to be aware of the part they play in giving customers what they need.
In this unit you will find out why customer service is so important to travel and tourism organizations and gain an understanding of how training and induction are important in preparing staff to provide customer service. High levels of customer service can be provided only by staff with a good level of product knowledge, and you will learn why this is important.
Different types of customer also have different needs, and you will learn how customer service and technical skills can be applied to situations in which customers have a variety of needs. Through practicing customer service skills in role plays you will develop your own values and attitudes towards the delivery of customer service.
This unit is assessed by means of coursework assignments and role plays, all of which focus on customer service at the Marriott Hotel and Country Club, Worsley Park.
Travel Destinations - Back to Top
From this unit you will gain core knowledge of travel geography and be able to identify major tourist generating and receiving areas in Europe and North America. You will learn about the significance of physical and human geography characteristics that affect tourism and that each destination has key features that appeal to different types of tourist. You will also consider the advantages and disadvantages of different types of transport for different types of customer.
You will also acquire research skills so that you can extend and update your knowledge of tourist destinations.
You will demonstrate your knowledge of tourist destinations and your research skills by researching two different destinations – Orlando in North America and Barcelona in Europe – and assessing their suitability for different types of customers.
The A2 units you will study are:
People and Quality - Back to Top
Developing and extending the work done in Unit 2 – A People Business, this unit deals with the ways in which travel and tourism organizations manage customer service delivery. To do this, you will study customer service delivery and management at the Midland Hotel in Manchester and at Alton Towers.
Organisations need to manage the customer service they provide, and this includes monitoring and evaluating their customer service procedures and practices. Travel and tourism organizations also have responsibilities for the health, safety and security of their customers and employees, and need to provide a safe and controlled environment. In doing this, they need to comply with a variety of laws and regulations. You will learn about these, and about the awareness that each sector has its own particular requirements.
This unit will be assessed by means of an external assignment which you will complete in class time.
Current Issues in Travel & Tourism - Back to Top
The travel and tourism industry is vulnerable to a variety of events, developments and changes which may b e unforeseen, outside the industry’s control and rapid in their onset.
After investigating a range of current issues, you will identify one which particularly interests you, and will carry out an in-depth investigation into its impact on travel and tourism and the industry’s response to it.
This unit is assessed by coursework only.
Travel & Tourism Project - Back to Top
In this unit you will work as part of a team wo plan and carry out a real travel and tourism project, which can be either a travel excursion or a tourism event.
You will be asked to plan, research, cost and time manage the project, working as team members with your colleagues. Customers for the project should be real, not simulated.
In past years students have organized a coach trip to the Christmas markets in York and a trip to the Clothes Show at the NEC.
This unit is assessed by coursework and practical work only.
