Leisure and Tourism is taught as a vocational subject at GCSE level only. It is a Double Award GCSE, so will give you 2 GCSE grades.
Are you interested in working with people? Do you like to be out and about doing things from sport and going to the cinema to going to the park with your friends? Are you interested in travel and the holiday business? Can you plan and organise people and events? Are you concerned about leisure facilities in your area? If you really do not like it when you are not treated very well when you visit somewhere ….. in fact if any of these things have made you take notice, this course could well be for you.
The Leisure and Tourism industries are amongst the fastest growing in the UK, offering a huge range of employment opportunities. This course could be the first step on the ladder to a career in this field.
Interested? Read on!
What is involved? What will you study?
You will study three units, all worth 33.3% of your marks for the course.
Units 2 and 3 will be assessed through coursework, Unit 1 by examination.
Unit 1: Investigating Leisure and Tourism
You will learn about the leisure industry. You will investigate the range of activities and facilities which make up the leisure industry, focusing on the key components of sport and physical recreation, arts and entertainment, countryside recreation, home-based leisure, children’s play activities, visitor attractions and catering. You will investigate how well the provision of leisure facilities meets the needs of different people in the area and how this provision has changed. You will look at the different kinds of leisure facilities in other parts of the U.K. You will investigate leisure facilities such as leisure centres, cinemas, theatres, museums, galleries, sports venues and theme parks to see how they cater for visitors. You will find out about the range of products and services centres for leisure provide for their customers. You will investigate why some people use these facilities and others do not, what companies do to try and encourage new customers and how they plan for change.
You will find out all about the travel and tourism industry. What exactly is tourism? The work of travel agents, tour operators, tourist information centres, accommodation and catering, attractions and transportation. You will look at the many different types of holiday and methods of travel available. There will be an in-depth study of travel destinations in the UK from National Parks to theme parks and places of historic interest.
You will find out about the huge range of job opportunities that come from the leisure industry and from the travel industry.
Unit 2: Marketing in Leisure and Tourism
Investigating how companies get the right product to the right people in the right place at the right price using the right promotion is the focus for this unit. Students will learn about market segments – age, gender, lifestyle, ethnicity – and how and why companies use target marketing. They will discover the processes involved in market research, pricing, products and promotions. They will design and run promotional campaigns as part of coursework.
Unit 3: Customer Service in Leisure and Tourism
Students will study all aspects of customer service – providing information, giving advice, dealing with problems, keeping records, providing assistance, dealing with dissatisfied customers. What makes for good customer service, why it is important to the leisure and tourism industry and how it operates. They will look at the different types of customer using leisure and tourism facilities and how good customer service meets all their needs. Students will learn about communicating with customers – the language they use, pitch and tone of voice, body language. They will learn the importance of listening and responding, asking appropriate questions and the importance of personal presentation. They will learn how to handle complaints by customers.
By following the Leisure and Tourism course you will:
• Have an understanding and knowledge of the leisure and tourism industries in the UK
• Have the chance to apply your knowledge of leisure and tourism industries by visiting, meeting and working with businesses.
• Have an insight into related sectors like retail and distribution, hospitality and catering.
• Be giving yourself the opportunity to progress into the leisure and tourism industry for employment. Examples include travel agents, conference organisers, coach drivers, air cabin crew, tourist guides, resort representatives, leisure assistants, fitness instructors, lifeguards, ground staff, park rangers, restaurant managers…… the list is endless!