Unit 9: Retail and business travel operations BTEC National Travel & Tourism © Owned by or under licence to Harcourt Education Limited 2007 [202] In this unit students will explore the retail and business travel environment. They will investigate interrelationships between retail and business agents and other organisations within the travel and tourism industry. The unit also looks at the trade associations, licensing, membership and legal frameworks agents work within. Advances in technology and their impacts are also studied. Students will look at the strategies adopted to enable agents to try to obtain competitive advantage. This unit involves students in selecting different products and services to meet customers’ needs and producing itineraries for customers. Retail and business travel operations Learning outcomes On completion of this unit learners should: 9.1 understand the retail and business travel environments 9.2 understand how advances in technology have affected retail and business travel operations 9.3 understand how retail travel organisations seek to gain competitive advantage 9.4 be able to produce complex travel itineraries for retail and business travel customers. Suggested activities The At-a-glance activity grid shows how the activities in the Assessment and Delivery Resource (ADR) relate to the content of the unit. The activities include introductory and plenary activities and a variety of case studies, research tasks, discussions and presentations using written, verbal and presentation skills. The activities may help learners prepare for assessment and the grid indicates which assessment criteria are relevant for each activity. Copies of activity sheets can be given to learners. How this unit will be assessed This unit is assessed internally. To reach Pass level, the evidence must show that the learner is able to: P1 describe the retail and business travel environment (including the relationship between retail and business travel agents and other sectors of the travel and tourism industry), using examples where appropriate P2 describe how technological advances have affected retail and business operations P3 explain how retail travel organisations seek to gain a competitive advantage P4 use appropriate resources to produce two complex travel itineraries for retail travel customers to given client briefs P5 use appropriate resources to produce two complex travel itineraries for business travel customers to given client briefs. To reach Merit level, the evidence must show that, in addition to the Pass criteria, the learner is able to: M1 explain how relationships operate in the retail and business travel environment and its impact on the travel industry as a whole M2 compare the effectiveness of two retail travel organisations seeking to gain a competitive advantage. unit overview
