Learn how the tourism industry operates | Improve your career prospects in tourism | Online Course
- Self-paced online course | Start anytime | Work as quickly or as slowly as suits you | No cut off date for the end of the course.
- 6 Modules | Develop practical skills in customer service, communication, tourism operations, marketing, business etc | Study specialist tourism opportunities including ecotourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism and destination management | Learn to plan and manage tours etc.
- Written assignments marked by highly experienced tutors.
- Improve your job and career prospects in tourism | Set up your own tourism business.
Modules
Note that each module in the Qualification - Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism is a short course in its own right, and may be studied separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What employment opportunities are there in tourism?
There are a range of roles from customer facing to management or specialist services, such as –
- Hotels and accommodation, including receptionist, reservations, housekeeping, guest services, accommodation manager, hotel manager,
- Travel and tourism – travel agents, tour operators, travel advisors etc.
- Tour guides, including ecotourism, adventure tourism, garden tourism, farm tourism, heritage guide etc.
- Event management and coordination, including weddings, exhibitions, parties, festivals etc.
- Food and beverage, include wait staff, bar supervisor, catering manager, chef, kitchen staff etc.
- Transport working at airports, on planes, coaches, rail, car hire etc.
- Attractions and leisure services
- Marketing and sales
- Specialist tourism, such as ecotourism, farm tourism, garden tourism, wildlife tourism, sports tourism and adventure tourism.
What is the tourism industry?
The tourism industry provides goods and services that are primarily for consumption by tourists, for example: transport services, accommodation, travel agencies, package tours, reservation systems, and tourist attractions such as theme parks, guided tours, and retail outlets.
Tourism is a diverse industry that often encompasses the skills and resources of other industries. Industries that may start out as primary or secondary producers can very easily become (at least in part) a tourist facility. For example:
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Farms might offer bed and breakfast facilities to supplement their income
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Factories conduct factory tours
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Shops that originally catered to local trade add new products to their shelves to cater for tourists
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Local craftspeople can cooperate to attract tourists to their workshops, galleries etc.
Whilst some businesses only cater for tourists (e.g. cruise ships and guided tours) others, such as restaurants and car rental firms, might be predominantly a tourism product in one locality but attract a different clientele (e.g. local and business people) in another locality.
The tourism industry provides a wide range of services; some essential, others optional. Accommodation, transport, food and toilet facilities are essential services. Sightseeing might not be essential, but without appropriate points of interest, the tourism value of a destination is certainly diminished.
What does the hospitality industry include?
Hospitality can encompass providing accommodation, food services (catering, restaurants), managing events, or any other services geared to make like comfortable and enjoyable for the client.
