Tourism and Hospitality Studies (THS)


Plans

Tourism and Hospitality Studies is one of the six elective subjects in the Personal, Social and Humanities Education (PSHE) Key Learning Area. It provides opportunities for students to develop generic skills, such as communication, interpersonal, information-processing, problem-solving and decision-making skills for life-long learning.

1. Curriculum Objectives

Students are expected to develop knowledge and understanding of:

  1. the structure and nature of the various interdependent components of the tourism and hospitality industry;
  2. the relative importance of the tourism and hospitality industry to host destinations and global economy;
  3. the tourism and hospitality issues and analyzing the main factors affecting the demand for and supply of tourism and hospitality services;
  4. evaluating sustainable tourism strategies that can be used to minimize the negative economic, environmental and social impacts of tourism and maximize the positive ones;
  5. appreciating the importance for tourists and tourism/hospitality operators of fulfilling responsibilities in an ethical manner;
  6. applying information technology skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills and critical thinking skills effectively in the context of a dynamic tourism and hospitality industry;
  7. demonstrating the basic principles and skills of providing quality customer service.

2. Curriculum Structure and Organization (S.4 –S.6)

The curriculum framework of Tourism and Hospitality Studies (THS) consists of two parts: a Compulsory Part and an Elective Part. The Compulsory Part aims at helping students to acquire basic concepts, knowledge and information about the tourism and hospitality industry. The Elective part aims to cater for students’ aptitudes and interests, and enhance their understanding of a selected topic.

  2.1 The Compulsory Part comprises five sections:
    I : Introduction to Tourism
    II : Introduction to Hospitality
    III : Destination Geography
    IV : Customer Relations and Services
    V : Trends and Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry
  2.2 The Elective Part comprises three sections:  (Students to choose ONE only)
    I : Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE)
    II : Theme Parks and Attractions
     III : Hospitality Marketing
     

Module I:
Introduction to Tourism
  1. Tourism concepts and principles
  2. Tourism and the tourists
  3. Classification of tourists
  4. Travel motivations
  5. Typology of attractions and forms of tourism development
  6. Tourism product planning
  7. Channels of distribution
  8. Part played by government in the development and management of tourism
  9. Part played by travel and tourism organizations in the development of tourism
  10. The local tourism industry
  11. The development of tourism in Hong Kong
  12. Different sectors of the tourism industry and their linkages
  13. Impact of tourism
  14. The role of technology in the travel and tourism industry
  15. The development of technology in the travel and tourism industry
  16. The way technology changes improve the operation efficiency of the tourism industry

Module II:
Introduction to Hospitality
  1. Hospitality industry
  2. Nature of hospitality industry
  3. Accommodation sector
  4. Classification of accommodation establishment
  5. Introduction to hotel operations
  6. Front Office operations
  7. Housekeeping operations
  8. Food and beverage Sector
  9. Food and Beverage operations in hotel
  10. Classification of food service establishment
  11. Types of food and beverage services
  12. Food and beverage service principles
  13. Food safety and personal hygiene
  14. The development of technology in the hospitality industry
  15. Development of technology in the hospitality industry
  16. The importance of employing up-to-date information technology in hotel
  17. The property management system in hotels

Module III:
Destination Geography
  1. World geography
  2. Basic concepts of world geography
  3. Physical and human resources for tourism developments
  4. Tourism regions
  5. Global distributions system (GDS)
  6. Basic features of GDS

Module IV:
Customer Relations and Services
  1. Customer services
  2. Professional services
  3. Customer relations
  4. Cultural issues
  5. Customer expectations and perceptions
  6. Challenges in providing quality customer services
  7. Dealing with difficult customers
  8. Communication skills
  9. Ways of communicating with customers

 

Module V:
Trends and Issues in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry
  1. Current issues in tourism
  2. Sustainable tourism development
  3. Social tourism issues
  4. Effects of globalization on tourism development
  5. Current issues in hospitality
  6. Trends and issues shaping accommodation development
  7. Trends and issues shaping the food service sector

3. Learning and Teaching

In order to meet learners’ diverse needs and different objectives of the lessons, a wide range of strategies such as case studies, project learning, field trips, role play and group discussion will be deployed.