Travel & Tourism

Travel & Tourism AS and A level

This course aims to help students understand the different elements which make up the tourism industry: customers, stakeholders, technology, destinations and host communities. Students will learn about the wider ethical, social and cultural dimensions of tourism, and they will understand its impact on the environment and the importance of sustainable development.

AS Units

Unit 1 - Introducing Travel and Tourism

This unit will provide candidates with an introduction to travel and tourism and the travel and tourism industry. Candidates will need to learn about the nature of travel and tourism and how the terms can be defined. Candidates will also need to learn about and understand the major developments in the industry since the mid-twentieth century, the sectors of the industry and their roles and their interdependence. Candidates will need to be able to interpret statistical information about the travel and tourism industry. Additionally, candidates will need to study appropriate case studies of tourism destinations and travel and tourism organisations.

Unit 2 - Investigating Tourism Destinations

Candidates will need to acquire knowledge of locational geography and be able to identify major tourist generating and receiving areas within the UK and Europe. The candidate 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. Candidates will need to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of different types of travel for different types of customer. The candidate will also be required to acquire research skills to develop their knowledge of tourist destinations and demonstrate their knowledge of tourist destinations and research skills by researching two destinations and providing information about the destinations for different types of customers.