BTEC Travel and Tourism

You will explore the structure of the travel and tourism industry, learning about the organisations that make up this sector and the interrelationships between them. You will investigate different types of tourism, from leisure and business travel to ecotourism and adventure holidays. A key part of the course focuses on customer service and the skills required to deliver outstanding visitor experiences.

You will also study marketing and promotion within tourism, examining how destinations build their brand identity and appeal to international audiences. The course includes analysis of major global destinations, sustainable tourism development, and how political, social, and environmental issues affect travel. Digital research, report writing, and presentation skills are developed throughout.

This course provides a strong foundation for progression to higher education or employment within the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. Many students progress to university courses such as International Tourism Management, Hospitality and Event Management, or Marketing and Business.

Future career paths include airline operations, cabin crew, hotel management, travel agency consultancy, event planning, destination marketing, and sustainable tourism development. The skills developed — communication, organisation, customer focus, and global awareness — are highly valued across multiple sectors.

This qualification follows the Pearson Edexcel BTEC National Extended Certificate specification. Assessment combines internally assessed coursework units with externally assessed tasks.

The internally assessed units allow students to demonstrate understanding through practical projects, investigations, and presentations. The externally assessed units test the ability to apply knowledge to realistic travel and tourism scenarios. Each unit is graded Pass, Merit, or Distinction, and final results are calculated from the overall portfolio of evidence.