International Travel, Tourism and Hospitality

Aims

1. Become aware and develop an understanding of the patterns, principles and management of the international tourism, travel and hospitality industry.

2. Be able to identify various components of the tourism industry, and be able to understand how these different components interact and relate to international patterns of tourism.

Programme Content and Learning Objectives

After completing the programme students should be able to:

1. Understand the scale, patterns and flows of international tourism, identify the determinants of tourism demand, and evaluate the relative importance of these determinants with respect to tourism generating regions.

2. Identify the barriers to international tourism at both the global and individual scale, and to be able to assess and account for the changing nature of tourism demand.

3. Identify the different components of the international travel and tourism industry (intermediaries, attractions, accommodation, transport and support facilities), investigate the characteristics and operation of these components, and understand the role each plays as an integral part of the tourism product.

4. Evaluate the potential for market segmentation based on the determinants of tourism demand, to trace the development of tourism products, and understand travel purchase decisions.

5. Demonstrate an in depth understanding of the importance of international hospitality as part of the tourism product, and to explore the responsibilities and implications of providing a service based product.

6. Differentiate between the different impacts caused by the international tourism industry at the destination (economic, socio-cultural, and environmental) and to access how these impacts vary between the developed and the developing world.

7. Assess the extent to which the positive benefits of tourism can be enhanced, and the negative impacts of tourism reduced in a range of countries and destinations.

8. Demonstrate an awareness of the tourism planning process, apply a tourism development plan to a range of destinations, and to understand how and why tourism can fail.

9. Identify the major sources of international tourism and hospitality statistics, explain why countries should collect tourism statistics, and evaluate the way tourism statistics are used to assess the value of, and demand for, international tourism.

10. Investigate the demand, supply and technological changes that could shape the future demand for international tourism, and to evaluate the likely impacts these changes will have on the development of travel and hospitality products.

Method of Assessment

By written examination. The pass mark is 50%. Time allowed 3 hours.

The question paper will contain:

Eight questions from which four must be answered.