flagship course
Tourism and Hospitality Operations
Plan and run tours, stays and food service that guests trust, with safety, local culture and fair pricing.
about this course
What you will be able to do
Plan and run tours, stays and food service that guests trust, with safety, local culture and fair pricing.
- Define guest needs and local assets.
- Apply service routines and safety checks.
- Analyse bookings and costs.
- Evaluate risk and reviews.
- Create a tour or stay product.
Task, condition and standard
Task
Design and run a small tour or stay product for a group, with a costed plan and guest feedback.
Condition
About 10 weeks part-time. A local site, a small guest group, a mentor.
Standard
The plan is safe, priced above cost, respectful of local people and supported by guest feedback.
Who it is for: Hotel and tourism students, guides, homestay owners. Requirements: None. Materials: lesson text, templates, rubric, check with answers.
lesson by lesson
8 modules with worked examples
Module 1 Guests and local assets 4 hDefine
- Types of guests and what they want.
- Map heritage, nature, food and craft.
- Respect local people and rules.
Activity. Map ten local assets.
Standard to meet. Give each asset a guest benefit and a local permission.
Module 2 Design the experience 5 hCreate
- Story, route, time and rest points.
- Group size and pace.
- Accessible options.
Activity. Design a tour.
Standard to meet. Draft a timed plan with accessibility notes.
Module 3 Safety and health 5 hApply
- Risk assessment.
- First aid and emergency numbers.
- Food hygiene and water.
Activity. Write a risk assessment.
Standard to meet. Assign controls and owners to the risks.
Module 4 Service standards 5 hApply
- Greet, ask, serve, check, thank.
- Handle complaints calmly.
- Language and manners.
Activity. Role-play service.
Standard to meet. Follow the standards.
Module 5 Pricing and costs 5 hAnalyse
- Direct and shared costs.
- Margin and group size.
- Seasonal prices.
Activity. Cost a tour.
Standard to meet. Check that the numbers are correct.
Module 6 Booking and records 4 hApply
- Booking sheet and confirmations.
- Deposit and cancellation rules.
- Guest data privacy under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023.
Activity. Run bookings.
Standard to meet. Complete the records.
Module 7 Sustainable and fair tourism 4 hEvaluate
- Waste, water and crowding.
- Fair pay for local partners.
- Cultural respect.
Activity. Audit a tour.
Standard to meet. List the findings and actions.
Module 8 Capstone: run a tour or stay 4 hCreate
- Run the product.
- Collect feedback.
- Report.
- Improve.
Activity. Present.
Standard to meet. Complete the plan, records and feedback.
assessment
How you are checked
Evidence: the work product from each module, kept in one folder with dates. A mentor and two peers mark it with this rubric. Pass: no criterion at 'Not yet'.
| Criterion | Not yet | Meets | Exceeds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety | Missing or unclear | Meets the stated check | Controls in place |
| Service | Guessing | Evidence kept | Consistently excellent |
| Records | Gaps | Complete | Complete and reviewed by a peer |
| Safety and ethics | Overlooked | Followed | Followed and taught to others |
Ten-question check, with model answers
Q1. Why involve local people?
Model answer: Fairness and authentic experience. (Covered in module 1: Guests and local assets. To pass that module: Give each asset a guest benefit and a local permission.)
Q2. Why include rest points?
Model answer: Comfort and safety. (Covered in module 2: Design the experience. To pass that module: Draft a timed plan with accessibility notes.)
Q3. What is in a risk assessment?
Model answer: Hazard, who is at risk, control, owner. (Covered in module 3: Safety and health. To pass that module: Assign controls and owners to the risks.)
Q4. Name the five service beats.
Model answer: Greet, ask, serve, check, thank. (Covered in module 4: Service standards. To pass that module: Follow the standards.)
Q5. What is break-even group size?
Model answer: Guests needed to cover fixed costs. (Covered in module 5: Pricing and costs. To pass that module: Check that the numbers are correct.)
Q6. Why a cancellation rule?
Model answer: Fair for both sides. (Covered in module 6: Booking and records. To pass that module: Complete the records.)
Q7. Name one fair-tourism rule.
Model answer: Pay local partners fairly. (Covered in module 7: Sustainable and fair tourism. To pass that module: List the findings and actions.)
Q8. What proves quality?
Model answer: Safe delivery and guest feedback. (Covered in module 8: Capstone: run a tour or stay. To pass that module: Complete the plan, records and feedback.)
Q9. Why get consent from local people?
Model answer: Respect and trust. (Covered in: Task, condition and standard, near the top of this page.)
Q10. Why record guest feedback?
Model answer: To improve. (Covered in: Task, condition and standard, near the top of this page.)
seven levels
Your ladder, L1 to L7
This course sits at L4 Practitioner. Each level adds to the one below.
- L1 Basic. Know guest needs.
- L2 Awareness. Describe local assets.
- L3 Foundation. Assist on tours.
- L4 Practitioner. Run tours alone.
- L5 Specialist. Design products.
- L6 Advanced. Lead operations.
- L7 Super expert. Set destination strategy.
Slide by slide
Seven slides, one per level. Open each for the slide text and the speaker notes.
Slide 1 L1 Basic: Guest needs
List 8 common guest needs, such as food, safety and information, and match each to one service action.
Speaker notes. Teacher gives 4 guest requests and checks the match. Covered in module 1.
Slide 2 L2 Awareness: Local assets
Describe 5 local assets (places, crafts, food, stories, events) with one fact and one visitor tip for each, with local consent for stories.
Speaker notes. Teacher checks permission was asked before a story was used. Covered in module 1, Guests and local assets.
Slide 3 L3 Foundation: Assist on tours
Assist on 2 tours by counting guests at 3 checkpoints, handling one first-aid or safety step and recording guest feedback.
Speaker notes. Teacher checks the head count at each checkpoint. Covered in modules 3 and 4.
Slide 4 L4 Practitioner: Run tours alone
Run a tour of at least 10 guests alone, on time within 10 minutes, with a safety briefing and a costed booking record. Check local licence rules with an expert.
Speaker notes. Teacher checks the briefing was given and the booking sheet matches the headcount. Covered in module 8, Capstone: run a tour or stay.
Slide 5 L5 Specialist: Product design
Design a new tour or stay product with a price, a cost sheet showing at least 25 percent margin and a plan for fair pay to local partners.
Speaker notes. Teacher recomputes the margin from the cost sheet.
Slide 6 L6 Advanced: Operations leadership
Lead operations for a season with a team of 5, a rota, a guest feedback score above 4 out of 5 and a monthly review.
Speaker notes. Teacher checks the feedback data and rota.
Slide 7 L7 Super expert: Destination strategy
Set a destination strategy with 4 measured aims for visitors, income and nature care, and consult at least 10 local people before finalising it.
Speaker notes. Teacher checks the consultation list and the aims have numbers.
jobs this leads to
Where this takes you
- Tour guide
- Homestay host
- Front-of-house staff
- Tour coordinator
- Hospitality entrepreneur
ten locations and global
Your place
Local rules change licences, data handling, pricing words and names of bodies. Check them for your place before you act.
India (Bengaluru)
Language: English, Hindi, Kannada. Currency: INR. Data rule for what you publish: Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. Skills frame to cite: National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and the national credit framework.
Netherlands (Eindhoven area)
Language: Dutch, English. Currency: EUR. Data rule for what you publish: EU GDPR (Dutch: AVG), supervised by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens. Skills frame to cite: the Dutch qualification framework (NLQF) linked to the European Qualifications Framework.
UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi)
Language: Arabic, English. Currency: AED. Data rule for what you publish: Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 (personal data protection). Skills frame to cite: the emirate education and training regulators (for example KHDA in Dubai) and the national qualifications framework.
Brazil (Sao Paulo)
Language: Portuguese (Spanish and English support). Currency: BRL. Data rule for what you publish: LGPD (Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados). Skills frame to cite: the national technical-education catalogue and the national S-system training bodies.
Canada (Toronto)
Language: English, French. Currency: CAD. Data rule for what you publish: PIPEDA, with provincial rules where they apply. Skills frame to cite: the provincial colleges framework and the national credential-recognition guidance.
United States
Language: English, Spanish. Currency: USD. Data rule for what you publish: state privacy laws (for example California), and COPPA for children under 13. Skills frame to cite: state and community-college credit systems.
Singapore
Language: English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil. Currency: SGD. Data rule for what you publish: Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Skills frame to cite: the Singapore national skills frameworks and the national credit system.
Australia
Language: English. Currency: AUD. Data rule for what you publish: the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles. Skills frame to cite: the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels.
Hong Kong (Eastern Asia)
Language: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin), English. Currency: HKD. Data rule for what you publish: the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance. Skills frame to cite: the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework.
Georgia and Israel (Western Asia)
Language: Georgian, Hebrew, Arabic, English. Currency: GEL or ILS. Data rule for what you publish: the personal data law of the country where the learner lives. Skills frame to cite: the national qualifications framework of that country.
Cayman Islands (Caribbean)
Language: English. Currency: KYD. Data rule for what you publish: the Data Protection Act. Skills frame to cite: the local education and training framework.
Mexico
Language: Spanish, English. Currency: MXN. Data rule for what you publish: the federal law on personal data held by private parties. Skills frame to cite: the national competency certification system and the education ministry levels.
next
Draft
Draft flagship. Own wording. Not live.
All rupee amounts in the worked examples are rounded estimates for practice, not quotes or advice. Prices, tariffs and taxes change by place and over time: check current local figures before you use them.
Risk lesson (estimates, not quotes). In India a rough sheet figure is Rs 1,300 per guest served against a unit cost of Rs 900 and a fixed cost of Rs 40,000 a month: a margin of about 31% and a break-even of about 100 units a month. If the price falls 25% to about Rs 975, break-even rises from 100 to 534 units a month. Plan a price floor or a lower cost before you launch, and test the plan at the lower price. These sheet figures are separate from the sample numbers in the modules. Check them with a local price expert.