Components of the Industry and Organisations

The parts of the industry

Leisure, travel and tourism is not one business but many, working together. The leisure industry covers how people spend free time close to home: sport and recreation, arts and entertainment, the countryside, and eating out. Travel and tourism covers getting away: the tour operators who build holidays, the travel agents who sell them, the transport that carries people, the places they stay, and the attractions they visit. Behind all of these sit organisations from the public, private and voluntary sectors. This module maps out the components and shows how they link to give a customer one complete trip.

Industry words to know

Learn these before you study the industry. They name the main businesses and parts you will meet again and again.

Match the organisation to its job

Travel agent against tour operator

Two businesses are easy to confuse, but they do different jobs. Knowing the difference is a common exam question.

Who does what?

A business combines flights, a hotel and transfers into one holiday and sells it as a package. Which type of business is this?

• A tour operator
• A travel agent
• An attraction
• A transport provider

Show how the parts connect

In this subject, do not just list the parts of the industry. Show how they connect to give the customer one smooth trip. For example, do not stop at there is transport and there are hotels. Explain that the tour operator books the flight, the transfer coach and the hotel together, and the travel agent sells the whole thing, so the customer arrives without arranging each part alone. Naming the link between components is what earns the marks.

Pick the leisure components

Select every option below that is a component of the LEISURE industry, rather than travel and tourism.

• A leisure centre
• A cinema
• A country park
• A tour operator
• An airline

Order booking a package holiday

Put the steps of a customer booking and taking a package holiday in order, showing how the components connect.

• The customer chooses a holiday at a travel agent
• The travel agent books the package from a tour operator
• Transport carries the customer to the destination
• The customer stays in the booked accommodation
• The customer visits local attractions
• Transport brings the customer home again

Complete the industry facts

A business that combines holidays into packages is a _____. A business that sells holidays to customers is a _____. The places people stay are the _____. A place people visit for enjoyment is an _____.

One trip, many businesses

Think about a single family holiday and count the businesses behind it. A travel agent sells them the trip. A tour operator built it by booking a flight from an airline, a coach transfer, and a week in a hotel. At the destination they visit a museum, a theme park and a beach, all attractions. They eat in restaurants, part of the catering component. A tourist information office helps them plan a day out. One holiday draws on transport, accommodation, attractions and catering, each a separate business, all linked so the customer barely notices the joins. Seeing those links is the heart of this topic.

Spot the travel and tourism parts

Tap the TWO options that are components of TRAVEL and TOURISM, rather than leisure close to home.

• A hotel offering rooms to holidaymakers
• A tour operator building package holidays
• A local gym used after work
• A cinema in the town centre

Point the customer to the right business

A customer needs help. Choose the right part of the industry each time.

• A customer wants advice and to book a holiday in person. Where do you send them?
• A customer needs a place to stay for a week. Which component do they need?
• A customer wants something to do at the destination. Which component fits?

Build a point about the industry

Choose the word for each gap to complete one correct point about how the industry works.

Quick-fire industry check

Answer each question. You have three lives, and losing them all restarts the run.

Explain how the industry fits together

A customer thinks a holiday is arranged by just one company. Explain the different components of the leisure, travel and tourism industry and how they work together to deliver a complete trip.

• Name some components of the leisure industry
• Name some components of travel and tourism
• Explain the difference between a tour operator and a travel agent
• Explain how the components link on one trip
• Mention the public, private and voluntary sectors