Travel Agent Professional Certification

Travel Agent and Tourism

Travel Agent and Tourism Module 1
The Travel Industry and Marketing

• Services and Tourism
• What is Tourism?
• History of Travel and Tourism
• Maps
• Tourism’s Challenges and Opportunities
• Foundations for Understanding Tourist Motivations
• Specialized Tourist Segments
• Delivering High Quality Service

Travel Agent and Tourism Module 2
Delivering Quality Tourism Services

• Quality
• Service Encounters
• Quality and Customer Satisfaction
• Anticipating and Meeting Guest Needs
• Serving Traveler Needs
• Why Use Intermediaries?
• One-Level Distribution Channels
• Two and Three Level Distribution Channels
• Selling

Travel Agent and Tourism Module 3
Technology and Transportation

• Improving Operating Efficiency and Effectiveness
• Changing Communication and Distribution Channels
• Improving Profitability
• Point-of-Sale Systems
• Management Information Systems
• Surface Transportation
• Scenic Railroads
• Highways and Byways
• Airlines

Travel Agent and Tourism Module 4
Accommodations and Food/Beverage

• Lodging
• Classifications and Rating Systems
• Franchising
• Management Contracts
• Major Influences on the Development of Food and Beverage
• Building a Culinary Heritage
• Building Profitable Operations
• Beverage Operations

Travel Agent and Tourism Module 5
Attractions and Destinations

• Heritage Attractions
• Commercial Attractions
• Gaming
• Shopping
• Live Entertainment
• Classifying Destinations
• Sporting Activities
• Year-Round Playgrounds

Travel Agent and Tourism Module 6
Economic, Political, Environmental, and Social Impacts

• Economic Growth and Vitality
• Multiplier Concept
• Tourism and Politics
• Public/Private Organizations
• Tourism Planning
• Social and Cultural Benefits of Tourism
• Using Culture to Attract Tourisms
• Unintended Consequences of Tourism

Travel Agent and Tourism Module 7
Sustaining Tourism’s Benefits

• When is Tourism Too Much of a Good Thing?
• What’s in a Name?
• Establishing Standards
• Going Green
• Future of Sustainability
• The Shape of Tourism Markets
• Emerging Tourism Markets
• Transportation Transformations
• Service Enhancements
• Tourism Research
  **Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**

Travel Agent Geography

Travel Agent Geography Module 1
Introduction

• Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism
• Geography and Tourism
• Explaining and Measuring Tourist Flows
• The Demand for Tourism: Concepts and Definitions
• Economic and Population Factors

Travel Agent Geography Module 2
Resources, Climate, and Transport

• The Characteristics and Management of Tourism Resources
• Tourism Resources at the Global, National, and Local Scale
• The World Climate Scene
• Climate Elements and Tourism
• Principles of Interaction

Travel Agent Geography Module 3
Europe

• An Introduction to the Tourism Geography of Europe
• An Introduction to the Tourism Geography of Britain
• The Regional Geography of Tourism in Britain
• The Tourism Geography of Ireland
• The Tourism Geography of Scandinavia

Travel Agent Geography Module 4
Africa and the Middle East

• The Tourism Geography of the Middle East
• Cultural Features of the Middle East
• Physical Features of the Middle East
• The Tourism Geography of Africa
• North Africa

Travel Agent Geography Module 5
Asia and the Pacific

• The Tourism Geography of South Asia
• Physical Features of South Asia
• The Tourism Geography of East Asia
• South-East Asia
• The Tourism Geography of Australasia

Travel Agent Geography Module 6
The Americas

• The Tourism Geography of North America
• The Tourism Geography of the Caribbean Islands
• The Tourism Geography of Central and South America
• The Tourism Geography of Antarctica
• Tourism Futures

**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**

Start Your Own Business

Start Your Own Business Module 1     
Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship  

• Defining Entrepreneurship
• Free-Enterprise System
• What is a Small Business?
• Paths to Enterprise Ownership
• Benefits and Costs of Becoming an Entrepreneur
• Lean Startup Methodology
• What is a Business Plan?
• Business Plan Components

Start Your Own Business Module 2   
Creating Business and Exploring Your Market

• What Defines a Business?
• Business Opportunity Decision Process
• Your Competitive Advantage
• Determining the Value of a Business
• Product Life Cycle
• Customer Research
• Segment and Industry Research
• Market Positioning

Start Your Own Business Module 3       
Marketing Mix and Smart Selling

• The Marketing Mix
• Product, Price, Place, Promotion
• Advertising and Sales Promotion
• Publicity Potential
• Developing a Marketing Plan
• Sales Call
• Creating a Sales Force
• Customer Relationship Management Systems

Start Your Own Business Module 4     
Costs and Financial Statements

• Start-Up Investment
• Estimate Value
• Fixed and Variable Costs
• Calculating Critical Costs
• Income Statements
• The Balance Sheet
• Financial Ratio Analysis
• Balance Sheet Analysis

Start Your Own Business Module 5    
Cash Flow, Taxes, and Financing Strategies

• Cash Flow
• Working Capital Cycle
• Using a Cash Flow Statement
• Capital Budgeting
• Gifts and Grants
• Debit and Equity Financing
• Investing

Start Your Own Business Module 6
Legal Issues and Operating for Success

• Business Legal Structures
• Contracts
• Commercial Law
• Intellectual Property
• Protecting Tangible Assets
• Licenses, Permits, and Certificates
• Production-Distribution Chain
• Supply Chain Management
• Defining Quality

Start Your Own Business Module 7
Management, Leadership, Financing, Licensing

• The Entrepreneur as Leader
• Business Management
• Creating and Managing Organizational Culture
• Ethical Leadership
• Social Responsibility and Ethics
• Focus Your Brand
• Harvesting and Exiting Options
• Creating Wealth by Selling a Profitable Business

**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**

Internet Connection

• Broadband or High-Speed - DSL, Cable, and Wireless Connections

*Dial-Up internet connections will result in a diminished online experience. Classroom pages may load slowly and viewing large audio and video files may not be possible.

Hardware Requirements

• Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
• Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended

PC Software Requirements

• Operating Systems - Windows 7 or higher
• Microsoft Office 2013 or higher. Also, you could use a general Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
• Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
  • Cookies MUST be enabled
  • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
• The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
• PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)

• Adobe PDF Reader

• QuickTime, Windows Media Player &/or Real Player

MAC Software Requirements

• Operating Systems - Mac OS x 10 or higher with Windows
• Mac office programs or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
• Internet Browsers- Google Chrome is highly recommended
  • Cookies MUST be enabled
  • Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
• The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
• PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
• Adobe PDF Reader
• Apple QuickTime Media Player