5.01/2/3 TRAVEL, Tourism, Hospitality Management & English Studies

Certificate/Diploma

Programme Aim

The Diploma programme in Travel, Tourism, Hospitality Management and English Studies is designed for students with a minimum intermediate level of English, who wish to continue to improve their General English language skills as well as to develop knowledge of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management.

The aim of this programme is to provide students with a broad foundation in the theoretical and practical aspects of tourism and hospitality management so that they can work as front line employees, perhaps with some supervisory responsibilities, in an English speaking environment. Students can undertake the City & Guilds selected assessments of their knowledge and understanding in respect of “The Vocational Certificate/Diploma in International Tourism”.

UK University Admissions Tutors have accepted that the MLS assessments, linked to previous qualifications, provide evidence that the relevant study skills and levels of achievement have been gained for entry to a specialist undergraduate honours degree, or a specialist postgraduate programme. Many MLS students choose to join UK universities after their Diploma programme.

Programme Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have gained knowledge and understanding of International Tourism and Hospitality Management Principles, and will have developed skills in a range of related business aspects. Overall, they will have:

• increased confidence and fluency in speaking in the English language, and will have improved reading, writing and listening skills;

• gained a broad understanding of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry;

• identified the skills of “Customer Service”, and developed skills in dealing with computerised and manual reservation systems;

• examined “Tourism Geography” and reported on the process of “Developing a Visitor Attraction”.

• developed the skills of “Marketing” with a view to demonstrating the best “Presentation of Products & Services”.

Programme Structure

The programme is designed on the basis of “units of study”. Each unit involves approximately 100 hours study to include class contact; directed study and self-study.

Entry Requirements

Minimum Age — Adult

Students must have a minimum Intermediate level of English on arrival and have completed secondary education in their own country.

On arrival all students complete an English language entry test, followed by an MLS business assessment and are placed in classes accordingly.

Counselling Service

A comprehensive counselling tutorial support programme is available to all students throughout their stay at MLS. All students have access to the MLS University Counsellor.

Indicative Content

Topics

The Diploma Programme is made up by 12 units of study, with credits awarded for successful completion of the MLS assessments. Students registered for the Certificate and Higher Certificate courses will undertake General English, and Specialist Tourism topics in line with their period of registration.

General English

All three units focus on the development of the following language skills:

• Oral Communication, Role-Play and Discussion

• Pronunciation, Stress and Intonation

• Listening and Reading Comprehension

• Written English for Various Purposes

• Preparation for various external language examinations

• Study Skills

Tourism & Hospitality Industry

Students will identify the importance of the international and national tourism and hospitality industry; identify roles in tourism; state factors affecting growth and development; identify types of transport routes; describe types of accommodation

Tourism Geography and Customer Service

Students will identify key map features with the use of a world atlas; identify the location of continents and countries involved in international tourism; use reference books to identify major types of tourist destinations and attractions; prepare a report of how topographical features influence tourism, based on research into different climates; identify the major tourist flows; prepare a report on two major tourism transportation routes, based on research into different world time zones, and the positive and negative effects of at least one of the country’s geographical features on tourism. They will identify the main types of customer, and their service expectations of the different tourism organisations; describe elements of customer service communications; use effective customer service in different situations.

Indicative topics are:

• Tourist destinations

• Effects of topography and climate

• Major transport routes

• Customer service - levels of satisfaction

• Customer with specific needs

Computerised and manual reservation systems in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

• Specialist language competencies for dealing with the English speaking customer

• The principles of reservation systems

• Technology and reservation system development

• Interpretation of screen information

• Comparative costing of travel and hospitality arrangements

• Ticketing and the internet

• Practical skills involved in using the Galileo Global Reservation System/CRS

Presentation/Marketing the Tourism and Hospitality Industry and Developing Visitor Attractions

Students will identify the key principles of marketing and ways information can be presented relating to different tourism products and services; describe the elements of the marketing mix particularly identifying promotional methods and media, including merchandising, and visual presentation; state how market research is conducted and prepare a report relating to product promotion and its effective verbal presentation. They will categorise visitor attractions, identifying their role; identify stages in developing visitor attractions; report on a comparison of the sales and promotion activities in at least two contrasting visitor attractions.

Indicative topics are:

• Marketing within the Tourism Industry

• Effective merchandising

• Market research

• Presentation of products/information

• Developing a visitor attraction

• The sales process

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