el_studentguide_10097.pdf

Transcription

1 BTEC Level 2 Travel & Tourism Link to Edexcel Student Guide: el_studentguide_10097.pdf The 15-credit BTEC Level 2 Certificate offers a specialist qualification that focuses on particular aspects of employment within the appropriate vocational sector. The BTEC Level 2 Certificate is a qualification which can extend a learner s programme of study and provide a vocational emphasis. The BTEC Level 2 Certificate is broadly equivalent to one GCSE. Skills gaps identified in the Sector Qualification Strategy (SQS) for Travel and Tourism include customer service skills, destination geography, business awareness and employability or soft skills. These qualifications seek to address these shortage areas and have been structured to encourage the acquisition and development of these competencies. Unit 2: Understanding Customer Service in Travel and Tourism is part of the core for both the Extended Certificate and the Diploma; there are three units focusing on destination knowledge for the UK, Europe and worldwide, a unit dealing with business skills and two units that deal specifically with employability skills. The assessment approach of the BTEC Firsts in Travel and Tourism allows for learners to receive feedback on their progress throughout the course as they provide evidence towards the grading criteria. Evidence for assessment may be generated through a range of diverse activities including workplace assessment, role play and oral presentation. Delivery strategies should reflect the nature of work within the travel and tourism sector by encouraging learners to research and carry out assessment in the workplace or in simulated working conditions wherever possible. Learners should be encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and achievement, taking into account sector standards for behaviour and performance. These qualifications have been designed to build on learning from Key Stage 3, for those that may wish to explore a vocational route throughout Key Stage 4, and in post-16 education. It provides a suitable foundation for further study within the sector on qualifications such as the Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Travel and Tourism or the Edexcel GCE in Travel and Tourism. Units Studied 1 The UK Travel and Tourism Sector Travel and tourism has become an important part of how we live today. Most people travel regularly for work and leisure, and the world of travel and tourism is of interest to the majority of people in the UK. This interest has been stimulated through the media and in particular the many travel and tourism-related television programmes screened over the last few years. There has been rapid growth across all component industries

2 of the sector and a rise in passenger and visitor numbers and those working within the industries. It is now one of the largest sectors in the world in terms of employment and income generation. It is a dynamic and vibrant sector to work in where the work hard, play hard ethos still exists. This unit concentrates on the main types of tourism, the motivating factors for travel and the contribution that travel and tourism makes to the UK economy. Learners will appreciate the wide range of organisations operating within the sector and learn about their roles and interrelationships. The unit will help learners to develop an understanding of the important role that UK travel and tourism organisations play within this dynamic global group of industries. 1 Understand the concept of the travel and tourism sector Main types of tourism: domestic; outbound; inbound Reasons why people travel: leisure; business; visiting friends and relatives; other eg health, education, sport Economic contribution of tourism: to the UK economy (gross domestic product (GDP), employment, UK tourist numbers) 2 Know the roles and interrelationships of organisations within the UK travel and tourism sector Sector: public; private; voluntary Roles: supply of products and services; other roles eg to make a profit, to support members, to regulate, to promote Interrelationships between organisations: working together; common ownership Domestic organisations: domestic tour operators; transport providers (rail, air, road); accommodation (youth hostels, self-catering, serviced accommodation, hotels); visitor attractions (heritage, natural, built); supporting organisations (national and regional tourist boards, VisitBritain); ancillary organisations eg insurance, car hire Outbound organisations: tour operators; travel agents (multiples, independents, online); transport (ferries, rail, airlines); supporting organisations (the Travel Association ABTA, the Federation of Tour Operators FTO, the Civil Aviation Authority CAA); ancillary organisations eg insurance, car hire Inbound organisations: tour operators; coach operators; guiding services; supporting organisations (UKinbound, VisitBritain, national and regional tourist boards); ancillary organisations eg car hire. 2 Understanding Customer Service in Travel and Tourism The travel and tourism sector is about people who are travelling and on holiday. They all have wants, needs and expectations about the products and services they are using and have purchased. All organisations need to be successful and to be so in the travel and tourism sector they need to ensure that the products and services that their customers receive meet their needs, are what they expect, give full satisfaction and at times exceed expectations. There are many similarities in the products and services offered by organisations within the sector, for example tour operators and travel agents, and it is becoming

3 increasingly difficult to differentiate by product or price. This unit enables learners to understand how customer service can be the differentiating factor that will attract new customers and ensure customer loyalty. Learners will explore how organisations approach customer service. They will corroborate this by investigating the customer service provision in travel and tourism organisations and considering the systems and processes that are in place to support the delivery of excellent customer service. Understand different approaches to customer service in travel and tourism organisations Organisations: size eg small, medium, large; type eg independent, integrated, private, public Policies: customer service policy; complaint policy; mission statements Processes interaction between the customer and the organisation: customer interface (remote, face to face); reacting to feedback; increasing loyalty eg rewards; keeping records eg customer details, bookings and reservations, invoicing; staff training eg induction, specific, ongoing; customer after-sales service eg customer service call centres Resources: staffing eg sufficient numbers employed, abilities and disposition, previous experience, qualifications; organisation approach to staff (internal customer service) eg sufficiently trained, treated with respect, valued (pay, conditions, rewards), staff incentives; financial budgets eg for staff training, budgets to support customer and staff reward schemes, budgets to provide adequate levels of staff, budgets for uniforms and furnishings Measuring and monitoring customer service: comment cards; customer service questionnaires; mystery shoppers; customer forums/focus groups; customer reviews eg websites; statistics from customer service departments eg number of customer complaints 2 Understand the needs and expectations of different types of customers in the travel and tourism sector Different types of customers: age groups; families; couples; singles; groups; ethnicity/culture; special interests; organised groups; customers with special needs eg mobility, sensory impaired Needs: accurate information eg directions, facilities, price, availability, product knowledge; health, safety and security; assistance eg with luggage, with language, for parents with toddlers; advice eg suitability of a destination or a flight, how to obtain a visa, in relation to a solving problem; products and services eg provided as booked, specific to a special need Identification and recognition of needs: customer requests to organisation in writing eg on booking form, in a letter, in an ; customer requests to representative of organisation verbally (face to face, telephone) eg in resort, on the tour, at the venue, in the booking agency, via reservation staff; recognising unstated needs eg by booking agent, by representative, by guide, by cabin crew Expectations: meeting expectations (level of products, level and efficiency of service); exceeding expectations (over and above what is expected, pre-empting needs, solving problems)

4 3 Understanding the Nature and Effects of World Travel Working in the travel and tourism sector requires employees to have a welldeveloped sense of the world. In this unit learners will develop their knowledge of the world to enable them to recognise and locate continents, natural features and global aspects including the equator, tropics and poles. They will also develop their ability to use resources effectively to identify and locate countries, their capital cities, resorts and major gateways. Learners will learn about world climatic conditions that affect travel to worldwide destinations. They will develop an awareness of varying climatic conditions in different parts of the world. They will learn about the differences between the southern and northern hemispheres in relation to winter and summer travel and night and day. Learners will also develop knowledge of monsoons, dry and wet seasons and hurricane seasons that influence the timing of travel and holidays. They will develop further knowledge of areas of the world where yearly snowfall results in the availability of winter-sports holidays. This knowledge will enable learners to appreciate the world with regard to location of places and the timing of travel to meet the needs of a variety of customers. This will establish a good foundation that can be developed in other units to enable learners to provide customers with appropriate travel and holiday information. Learners will identify time zones and learn how to use these zones to give customers information on local times around the world. They will calculate worldwide time differences and examine the effect on travellers of travelling across time zones. Unit Content 1 Be able to identify and locate significant features and major destinations of the world The world: global aspects (northern and southern hemisphere; the equator; the poles; the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn); continents (North America; South America; Europe; Africa; Asia; Australasia) Natural features: oceans (Pacific; North and South Atlantic; Indian Ocean; Arctic); major seas or lakes eg Mediterranean, Caribbean, Lake Superior; major rivers eg the Nile; major mountains and mountain ranges eg Kilimanjaro, Andes; other eg deserts, rainforests Holiday destinations: countries, capitals and resorts or resort areas in Europe eg United Kingdom, France, Spain; countries, capitals and resorts or resort areas in North America eg USA, Cuba; countries, capitals and resorts or resort areas in South America eg Brazil; countries, capitals and resorts or resort areas in Africa eg Kenya; countries, capitals and resorts or resort areas in Asia eg Thailand; countries, capitals and resorts or resort areas in Australasia eg Australia Gateways: location of major hubs and airports and their three-letter codes; location of major passenger seaports Resources: eg atlases, maps, brochures, internet

5 2 Know world climatic conditions affecting travel to worldwide destinations Climatic conditions: eg tropical storms, monsoons, high humidity, low humidity, extreme heat and cold, wet and dry seasons, sun, snow Seasonal variations: locations and times of the year to avoid eg hurricane season, monsoon season; locations and times of the year with favourable conditions eg snow for skiing, sunny, dry seasons with low humidity for comfort, low-risk times for hurricanes; unusual or extreme conditions eg lack of seasonal snowfall, too much snowfall, hurricanes out of season, floods Effects: eg disruption to travel, cancelled holidays, repatriation, restricted seasons, personal safety, effect on visitor numbers 3 Understand the effect of worldwide time on travellers Time zones: Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); lines of longitude; time differences when travelling through the eastern and western hemispheres; countries having a number of different time zones eg USA, Russia; Daylight Saving Time (DST); location of the Prime Meridian (International Date Line and Greenwich Meridian); calculation of worldwide time Effect on travellers: travellers (business, leisure); travelling through different time zones losing and gaining time; jet lag; crossing the International Date Line and losing or gaining a day