The travel, tourism and leisure course covers all the important aspects of the industry, and they include:

Travel and Tourism Organisations in a Global Context
1. Understand the context within which global travel and tourism organisations operate

Key differences :

• Overview of the sector – size, value, number of organisations, numbers employed
• Legal status/ownership –
  e.g. sole trader, partnership, company, corporation (e.g. limited and unlimited, public limited and international equivalents), joint ventures
• Structure and size – changes in structure and size of tourism businesses due to globalisation
  e.g. small businesses can promote themselves without the input of larger tourism agencies
• What they offer (products and/or services)
• Where they operate
• Image e.g. eco-tourism, luxury travel, budget etc.

 

Travel and tourism organisations e.g.

• Travel agency
• Tour operators
• Resort management
• Internet based businesses
• Visitor attractions
• Transport services, transport terminals e.g. airports
• Government based tourism services etc.

The responsibilities of tourism businesses

• to the environment
• to people in tourist destinations
• ethical issues
• to Government
• to supply chain – businesses involved in travel and tourism offer

Strategies employed by tourism businesses

• human resources policy
• environmental strategy
• equal opportunities policy
• ethics
• financial policy
• international partnering policy

electronic modes of marketing and communication

2. Understand the impact of external factors on the travel and tourism sector

Changes within a national economy
For example:

• Size – population, labour market, education/training levels
• Growth/wealth – gross national product (GNP), balance of payments, inflation rates, government borrowing,
  trade balance, public finances, taxation, national debt, availability of credit
• Business confidence – investing, cost of borrowing, consumer buying/confidence, government policies
• Global patterns of supply and demand for tourism
• Influences on holiday and travel activities of economy, policies etc. e.g. influence on holiday choices – home or abroad, propensity to travel

Government policies:

• Monetary policies, interest rates, quantitative easing, unemployment
• Fiscal policies, spending (in central and local government), fiscal policies to encourage tourism or encourage sustainable tourism
  (e.g. tax on fuels), public sector borrowing, controlling demand, taxation, distribution of income
• Competition Policy – how general policy affects tourism organisations e.g. in airline sector
• Sector regulation e.g. limits on tourism, support for tourism
• Environmental policies – sustainable and ethical tourism
• Regional policies – e.g. development of tourist areas• Skills agenda, apprenticeships in travel and tourism and similar training programmes internationally

National and global events:

• Political unrest
• Natural disasters
• Accidents and disasters caused by human error e.g. sinking of Costa Concordia, BP oil spill.
• Major sporting events e.g. Olympics, world cup

3. Understand the impact of global factors ontravel and tourism organisations Global integration

• trading blocs
• World Bank, IMF, Global/trading bloc policies and directives (e.g. EU), G20, OPEC and other relevant organisations
• market size
• transnational corporations

International tourism

• Opportunities e.g. emerging markets and new destinations
• Growth
• Trade duties and tariffs – general and travel taxes e.g. airport tax
• Increased competition
• Increased supply of tourists/visitors

Impact of global economy

• Increased competition
• Increased customer choice – of destinations and of businesses
• Increased need for innovation in designing travel products
• Economic downturn and upturn

New Technologies

• Remote workforce – advantages of being able to locate workforce in other countries where labour may be cheaper/may have more relevant skills etc.
• The role of the internet in tourism
• Easy communication e.g. skype, email, social networking
• Customer choice – customers can book direct with businesses in destinations, customers can design and book own packages
• Comparison websites

4. Be able to review current issues impacting on a named travel and tourism organisation that operates globally

• review
• Domestic tourism market in chosen country
• Global tourism market
• Domestic and global policies e.g. sustainability, ethical tourism, government support for tourism
• Other global factors e.g. war and unrest, natural disasters
• Other issues – fashions in tourism destinations, desire for eco-tourism, costs of air travel etc. (eco-costs and financial)
• Characteristics of global travel or tourism business
• Development issues for a global business organisation

Strategies:

• New markets
• New destinations
• New environments e.g. move business
• New technologies
• Growth/shrink
• Change of suppliers, importers, exporters
• Change in business structure e.g. from sole trader to company/ corporation

Opportunities to deal direct with businesses internationally e.g. smaller hotel groups etc. due to ease of communications etc.