Unit 1: The Leisure and Tourism Industry
Unit 1 The Leisure and Tourism Industry The leisure and tourism industry is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the UK and the world. In the UK in 2008, the tourism industry employed over 1.45 million people.
Remember it 81% of households in the UK had a digital TV service in 2007. This figure was only 16% in 2000. (Source: Social Trends 2007)
In this unit you will learn about the key components of the leisure and tourism industries. You will learn about the different types of jobs available within these industries. You will be introduced to the business operations for both and their key aims and objectives. Following an introduction to sales and marketing within the leisure and tourism industries, this unit then covers how leisure and tourism organisations use up-to-date business systems and new technology.
Talk about it In groups, how many different types of job can you think of within the leisure and tourism industries? Make a list. Compare your lists as a class discussion.
The leisure industry is constantly changing and developing as many new and exciting activities are introduced, such as the Go Ape High Wire Forest Adventure. Similarly the tourism industry is also constantly changing to keep up with new developments and social trends. This unit will explore the reasons why UK leisure and tourism organisations need to adapt to the rapid pace of change.
Remember it Blackpool is the largest seaside resort in Europe. It has more tourist beds than the whole of Portugal. (Source: blackpooltourism.co.uk)
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The most important part of any industry is its customers. • Why would someone choose to visit a health club? • Why would a businessperson choose to travel by train rather than by car? • Why is security so important to travellers? These are just some of the questions you will learn to answer when studying this unit. Health and safety legislation is also explored.
Unit 1: The Leisure and Tourism Industry You will also examine some of the different types of leisure activities people are interested in and you will learn how to identify the different places where leisure activities take place. You will find lots of practical examples of the types of facilities that are need to support different leisure activities. This unit attempts to answer the question – why do people use leisure facilities? For the tourism industry, you will discover there are two main types of visitor attractions – natural and built. You will also explore the main types of holidays and different methods of travel and the factors that influence customer choice of travel method. This unit answers the question – what are the main reasons for travel? It also looks at the different types of tourist destinations. And finally, we need to look after our environment and protect it for the future. Tourism has affected our environment and our communities, and not always in a good way. You will look at examples of this, and explore ways in which tourism can develop using sustainable methods. This unit covers the following topics: 1.1 The nature of the leisure and tourism industry 1.2 Introduction to business operations in leisure and tourism 1.3 Factors influencing customer choice 1.4 Introduction to destination, impacts and sustainability.
How you will be assessed Unit 1 is a compulsory unit for all learners. This unit is assessed by an external examination, which is one hour long. The questions are of three types - multiple choice, short answers, and extendedanswer questions. Many of the questions will be based on case study information that will be within the exam paper, but you may also be asked to supplement this with examples from your own studies. You will find lots of useful hints and tips in the Make the Grade section at the end of this unit on page 72.
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Unit 1: The Leisure and Tourism Industry
1.1 The Nature of the Leisure and Tourism Industry Key components of the leisure industry What is leisure? One dictionary definition states that leisure is ‘time free from the demands of work or duty when you can rest or enjoy hobbies or sports’. (source www.dictionary.reference.com) The leisure industry is divided into five key components.
Research it
Sport and physical recreation
Leisure time is the time you have left after work, school, sleep, and household jobs, such as cooking, washing and cleaning. Play- and activitybased leisure
The Leisure Industry
Talk about it What is Leisure? In small groups, talk about the meaning of the word ‘leisure’ and decide on a definition in not more than one sentence.
Home-based leisure
Arts and entertainment
Countryside recreation
The five key components of the leisure industry
Sport and physical recreation Sport is a form of physical activity that usually has some element of competition and is usually governed by a set of rules. Physical recreation is participating in any physical activity that refreshes the body and mind. Some sports can be a physical recreation when the competition is not present, such as cycling, horse riding and sailing. Both sport and physical recreation may be aimed at improving health and fitness.
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Unit 1: The Leisure and Tourism Industry Sport can be: • Active or participative, e.g. playing rugby or badminton • Passive or spectator, e.g. watching a football match. Some sports you can play/do on your own or with a partner, such as gymnastics or golf; others you play as part of a team, such as cricket or hockey. Sport and physical recreation can take place indoors, outdoors, on land or on water. However the boundaries can often be blurred, for instance, athletics can be both indoor and outdoor, and some individual recreations can also be played as a team sport, such as playing in a tennis team in the Davis Cup, or sprinting as part of a relay team in athletics.
Talk about it What sports do different members of your class participate in or watch? Why?
Arts and entertainment Arts and entertainment refers to things that take place outside your home which ‘entertain you’. Again this can include things that you watch, e.g. a musical at a theatre, or things that you can actively take part in, e.g. bingo, youth theatre, dance troops, orchestras, bands, choirs, karaoke, and reading groups. Included in this component of the leisure industry, you will find: • Theatre – including musicals and plays • Opera • Classical music, orchestral and individual recitals – including fireworks concerts • Popular music – including bands, individuals, compilation tours, e.g. The X Factor Live • Dance – including ballet, folk and morris dancing • Cinema – including IMAX • Cabaret – including tribute bands • Stand-up comedy • Art galleries • Exhibitions
Research it Using a local newspaper or website, find out what entertainment is offered in your local area. What range of productions are offered? What are the ticket prices?
• Others – include festivals, magic shows, ice shows, children’s shows.
Talk about it Take it further Compare the prices of theatre tickets in London’s West End to those in your local area. Why do you think there is this difference?
Does your school/college offer any art/entertainment outside your normal lessons?
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Unit 1: The Leisure and Tourism Industry
Countryside recreation Countryside recreation can take place in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), on the coastline, or on the moors. A place is visited not just for its landscape and scenery, which may be mountains, hills, valleys, lakes, sand dunes or even just fields, but also for the many activities that can take place there, such as walking, canoeing, potholing, or skiing.
Talk about it ‘The countryside is boring.’ Do you agree? In your group, make a list of what is good and not so good about the countryside. Then discuss reasons that you think different types of people visit the countryside.
Research it Do you know the difference between walking, hiking, rambling and trekking? Is there any? Rambling is a very popular leisure pastime
Remember it Countryside recreation is ‘recreation that uses or is linked in some way to the landscape of the countryside’.
Some charities, like the Ramblers Association, work to promote walking in the countryside and to improve conditions for all walkers. Walking is generally a free activity. Other free activities in the countryside include photography, landscape painting, picnicking, and cycling. These tend to be ‘low’ level activities, suitable for all age groups. However, the countryside increasingly offers highly active recreational activities, such as caving, skiing, snowboarding, climbing, mountain biking, and on the coast, a variety of water sports such as windsurfing and sailing.
Take it further New recreational activities are being introduced all the time. Have you heard of ‘canyoning’, ‘zorbing’, ‘coasteering’ or ‘geocaching’? You will learn more about these in Unit 3.
Home-based leisure It is not always necessary to leave your home to take part in leisure activities. Home-based leisure includes: • Music – including playing and listening • Television related entertainment • Crafts • Home improvements and gardening • Internet-based leisure • Reading The Fantasticable ride between two mountains in Chatel, France
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• Games – including interactive games You will learn more about home-based leisure in topic 1.4 and 1.5.
Unit 1: The Leisure and Tourism Industry
Play- and activity-based leisure Play-based leisure is activities that are mainly associated with children. Examples range from ‘paint a plate’ to bouncy castles for children. Activity-based leisure is a fast-growing component of the leisure industry. Many new activities have been introduced as people are not content to just sunbathe when on holiday or just walk when visiting the countryside. Examples of activity-based leisure include whitewater rafting and aerial adventures like forest adventure courses that involve rope bridges and zip slides for older children, teenagers and adults.
Talk about it In groups, talk about what you did last weekend. How many of these activities took place in your home? Do you think if you were to ask a different age group, e.g. older people or families with small children, the activities listed would be totally different?
Research it Read the newspaper article and answer the questions that follow.
“When the wide world was our playground” By Keith Waterhouse, Daily Mail August 7th 2008.
Yesterday was National Playday. It is a pity I was too busy to play marbles or conkers. Playday is supported by Persil under the slogan “Dirt is Good”. Does playtime have to be organised, pasteurised and supervised? One of the most depressing things I have seen lately is the installation of a shiny new climbing frame in a playground. It was the replacement for a gnarled
old tree that has stood for years, but was now said to be “dangerous”. In my day, we made our own playgrounds. We chalked hopscotch grids onto the pavement, played marbles with cats eyes from the road, climbed trees, made a den, sneaked into orchards for apples, went picking blackberries in the hedgerows, all without a thought for “health and safety”.
1 How old do you think the writer of this article is? 2 Why do you think children do not play outside or in their neighbourhoods as much anymore? 3 How do you think the developments in home-based leisure have affected ‘free’ play as described above? Remember that play- and activity-based leisure activities are available in towns, cities and seaside resorts, as well as in the countryside. Many types of leisure in this component are free, such as mother and toddler playgroups, local park playgrounds for younger children, beach activities such as paddling, swimming, or body boarding for older children, and tea dances or power-walking for older people.
Summary • The key components of the leisure industry are: sport and physical recreation, arts and entertainment, countryside recreation, home-based leisure, and playand activity-based leisure.
Research it Over £77 million was spent in the UK alone on cookery books in 2007. What are three other popular home-based leisure activities in the UK?
Talk about it Consider a range of age groups, and think of a possible free play- or activity-based leisure activity for each age group.
Assessment tip Make sure you know the exact names of each of the five components that make up the leisure industry and that you can describe what is included in each component. You will also need to be able to give examples of activities in each component and match different activities to the correct component.
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