Spotlight on…Tourism
Travel & Tourism is a key sector in North Wales as domestic tourism is presently providing a much-needed boost to help sustain many tourism destinations and businesses, and will continue to be a key driver of recovery in the short to medium term. It is also predicted to be one of the UK’s and the world’s fastest-growing industries post-pandemic.
Studying within this exciting, multi-award winning programme area across Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s campuses, you will have the opportunity to gain a wide range of qualifications: from Level 2 all the way up to degree level!
There are many great reasons to choose Travel & Tourism at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai as restrictions begin to ease and external opportunities resume: great career prospects through the annual employers’ fair; residential and day trips including cultural visits and experiences; lecturers with up-to-date industry experience; exciting placements with top hotels, airlines and international airports, and excellent connections with travel companies.
Working in the sector is vibrant, exciting, and constantly changing, giving you the opportunity to meet new people and travel across the world. Career opportunities exist both in the UK and abroad in tour operation, tour management, and within the airline industry.
On completion of your training at college, you will have gained the advanced industry skills and qualities to work with a range of local, national and global companies, including tourist offices, travel agencies, tour operators, and airlines including British Airways, Titan Airways and TUI.
Careers options include: Travel Agent, Airport Management, Tour Operator, Cruise Manager, Resort Representative, Catering Manager, Sales Executive, and Hotel Manager.
Tourism already employs more than 42,000 people across North Wales – which adds up to one in every seven jobs in the area. Tourism is big business in Wales as a whole. Tourists spend around £17 million a day whilst in Wales, amounting to around £6.3 billion a year (pre-Covid). During 2019, there were 87,300,000 tourism day visits in Wales. These visits generated expenditure of £3,447 million.*
Our Tourism students participate in a programme of outside visits to attractions and tourism companies in North Wales, across the UK, and abroad. You will also have the opportunity to undertake work placements across Europe, fully-funded by Erasmus+.
To allow students to gain real-life work experience on a regular basis without travelling long distances, there is a working travel agency at the Rhos-on-Sea campus where students work shifts, improving their employability skills.
Each year, Coleg Llandrillo’s Travel & Tourism students organise a careers conference for nearly 100 students from across North Wales, which include seminars, interactive stands and workshops from a wide range of renowned travel and tourism organisations. The Level 3 students, based at the college’s Rhos-on-Sea campus, spend months preparing, promoting, and marketing this dynamic event. They also organise a range of Q&A sessions with external guest speakers. Attendees get the chance to glean information on careers options from industry insiders.
If you are currently in Year 11, deciding what to do after your GCSEs is difficult, and many students go with the simplest option, which is to stay in school. But, what if you're having doubts about your decision to go to sixth form? Perhaps you're thinking that you should have chosen different subjects? Or chosen a course that fast-tracks you into the industry that you want a career in?
One of the most popular courses is Travel & Tourism Level 3. The qualification is equivalent to 3 A-levels, whilst the Welsh Baccalaureate is equivalent to another A-level. These achievements will allow you to enter a variety of university-level courses at many institutions. If you wish to continue your studies in this subject, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai offers Foundation and BA Honours Degrees in Management of Travel and Tourism.
Apply directly through our website today, email us at: generalenquiries@gllm.ac.uk or contact the course advice lines on 01492 542 338 for Coleg Llandrillo, 01758 701 385 for Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, and 01248 383 333 for Coleg Menai.
*Data from Gov Wales and Business Wales websites
