Hello and welcome to the Travel & Tourism Department at Reigate College.
My name is Max Pearman and I’m the Head of Travel & Tourism, BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate. I’m looking forward to welcoming you to the department in person at the beginning of the academic year, and in the meantime I’d like you to complete a series of tasks over the coming months in preparation for starting the course.
These tasks have all been designed for you to complete independently from home. Please throw yourself into them as you’ll be sharing what you’ve learnt when you start in September.
The tasks are organised in three distinct steps and should all be completed by Choices Day on 25 August 2026. This is to give you the best insight into what the courses will be like and/or help prepare you for them.
Please note, some Course Leaders (for example for Music) may release their tasks earlier, as they may form part of the College’s audition process. If this applies to you, you’ll be notified separately.
New Starters Course Tasks and Activities
| Release date | Suggested Completion Dates | |
| Explore your Subject | 1 June | 1 July |
| Get Going | 1 June | 1 August |
| Aim High | 1 June | 1 September |
Explore your Subject
Your answers to the tasks and activities below should be completed (via a Word document, PowerPoint Presentation or notebook) and brought with you on both Choices Day and at the beginning of the Autumn Term. You’ll then have the chance to discuss your findings with your teachers.
Introduction
The UK Travel and Tourism industry is extremely important to the UK Economy. There are many different influences on the industry and these change continually in response to developments economically, socially and politically around the world.
What is Tourism?
‘Tourism is the movement of people to countries outside their usual environment for either personal or business reasons’ [United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNTWO)].
There are different types of tourism including:
- Domestic
- Inbound
- Outbound.
Activity 1
For your first activity please find definitions for the three types of tourism above and provide an example for each category.
For example, domestic tourism refers to someone travelling within their own country and staying away from home for at least one night. An example may be a couple from London going to Brighton to see their friend for the weekend.
Hint – Ensure you state the place of origin and the final destination.
Activity 2: Research Skills
Presented below are two questions relating to the three areas of Domestic, Inbound and Outbound Tourism.
Please answer each of these questions and then use your answers to create a short visual guide to UK Tourism in 2024. As part of the task, please create an infographic for each category of tourism, and use pie charts and graphs to help display your findings.
In order to find the information you need, please use the Visit Britain and Office for National Statistics (ONS) websites.
Domestic Tourism
- What was the value of domestic tourism in the UK in 2024?
- How many domestic trips were taken in the UK in 2024?
Great Britain domestic overnight trips | VisitBritain.org
Inbound Tourism
- How many inbound trips were taken in the UK in 2024?
- Which countries were the UK’s top 10 tourism generators in 2024?
UK Inbound Travel & Tourism Statistics | VisitBritain.org
Outbound Tourism
- How many overseas trips were taken by UK residents in August 2024?
- By what percentage was this more or less than, in August 2023?
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06022/SN06022.pdf
Get Going
Now you’ve carried out some research and produced some findings from 2023 & 2024 about the three kinds of Tourism (Domestic, Inbound Outbound), we’d like you to complete the following task.
The websites you looked at in order to complete the last tasks Visit Britain and Office for National Statistics publish statistics that are really important to the Travel and Tourism industry, for instance, statistics about:
- Accommodation
(e.g. hotels) - Transport
(e.g. airlines) - Tourist
Attractions (e.g. theme parks) - Tour
Operators (e.g. package holidays).
Why do you think these types of organisations need to keep up-to-date with statistics of this kind? Write an answer in approximately 150 words. You may find the following online article helpful for this task:
Aim High
External factors affecting Travel and Tourism
There are many external factors that affect the travel and tourism industry. One of these are Economic Factors.
The UK is currently experiencing a ‘cost of living crisis’. This may mean that people may decide not to take a holidays overseas.
Tour operators such as Tui, Jet2holidays and easyJet holidays may find that their bookings are down to certain destinations.
TASK: We would like you to create an e-poster showing:
- The type of holiday that is selling fast in 2025
- What destinations are popular for 2025. For each destination provide a holiday image and briefly describe the appeal of the destination. Try to get a ‘Top Five’
Destinations to Watch 2025 | ABTA - Why is the ‘All inclusive’ holiday such a popular choice for holidaymakers in a cost of living crisis.
Please be ready to share your e-poster in your first Travel & Tourism lesson next term.
Max Pearman
Head of Travel & Tourism
