UNIT 11

Investigating the Cruise Industry
INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIT
Cruising is one of the fastest-growing industries in the travel and tourism sector, offering a wide variety of job opportunities to people from all backgrounds who want to see the world while they work. Cruising has a very glamorous image and has long been considered an expensive way to travel and explore destinations. However, the cruise industry is changing rapidly – new companies have entered the market and offer cruises at package holiday prices. Also, cruising is no longer just for the rich and famous! People from all walks of life go on cruises, tempted by the lower prices and the informality offered by some of the new cruise companies. In this unit you will learn about the development of cruising and the structure of the cruise industry. You will look in detail at the many employment opportunities in cruising, both on board ship and ashore, and consider the advantages and disadvantages of taking a job in the industry. The unit also examines the cruise market – cruise areas, types of cruises, ships, design features and products. You will learn how to select cruises that appeal to cruise customers and meet specific needs. You will also have the opportunity to investigate potential future developments in cruising and explore the positive and negative effects of an expanding cruise industry.

WHAT YOU WILL STUDY
When you have completed this unit you should: 1. Know about the cruise industry; 2. Understand the cruise market; 3. Be able to select cruises that appeal to cruise customers and meet specific needs; 4. Understand the effects of an expanding cruise industry. You will be guided through the main topics in this unit with the help of the latest developments, statistics, industry examples and case studies. You should also check out the weblinks throughout the unit for extra information on particular organisations or topic areas and use the activities throughout the unit to help you learn more.

ASSESSMENT FOR THIS UNIT
This unit is internally assessed, meaning that you will be given an assignment (or series of assignments) to complete by your tutor(s) to show that you have fully understood the content of the unit. A grading scale of pass, merit or distinction is used when staff mark your assignment(s), with higher grades awarded to students who show greater depth in analysis, evaluation and justification in their assignments. An assignment for this unit, which covers all the grading criteria, can be found on page 33. Don’t forget to visit www.tandtonline. co.uk for all the latest industry news, developments, statistics and links to websites in this unit to help you with your assignments.

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Unit 11: Investigating the Cruise Industry

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SecTIoN 1

Know about the cruise industry

Icebreaker
This unit examines many aspects of the cruise industry – one of the most vibrant areas of worldwide travel and tourism. Working by yourself, or in small groups under the direction of your tutor, see how you get on with the following tasks to help you make a start on this unit: • Make a list of five different companies that offer cruises; • Name three popular cruise areas of the world; • Name three UK ports that cruise ships use to start and/or finish cruises; • Make a list of the reasons why you think cruising has grown in popularity in recent years; • Think about the sort of impacts (good and bad) that cruising can have on an island destination in the Caribbean; • Name three specific on-board jobs that cruise companies offer; • Make a list of the different types of people attracted to cruising and the specific facilities that each looks for when booking a cruise holiday. When you’ve finished, show your answers to your tutor and compare your answers with what other students in your class have written.

The cruise industry is currently going through a period of rapid growth and change. In the past, cruising was seen as