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2020/2021

Skills in the Tourism Sector

Code: 101190 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500894 Tourism OB 2 1
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Carme Ruiz Aguado
Email:
Carmen.RuizA@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
Yes

Teachers

Sonia García Jimènez

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.

Objectives and Contextualisation

This subject aims to provide second year students taking the Degree in Tourism with the computing skills necessary to carry out their work within tourism-sector companies, specifically within the subsector of intermediations and accommodation.  This subject work on the basic Amadeus Global Distribution System (GDS) providing continuation with the optional subject  e-commerce in tourism.

On completing this subject, students should be able to:

  • Be familiar with the basic functioning of a GDS: Amadeus.
  • Learn to search and analyse air transport services and fares offered by the airlines before select the best option no fit the specific customer’s needs.
  • Know how to develop all the process to generate an air transport reservation with a global distribution system
  • Be familiar with the basic functioning of a hotel-management software (PMS).
  • Be familiar with the basic functioning of a travel agency-management software (Front Office).
  • Apply communication techniques relevant to the tourism sector.
  • Learn the basic Revenue Management principles. 

Competences

  • Behave ethically and adapt to different intercultural contexts.
  • Critically interpret the context in which the tourism sector operates, from different perspectives deriving from theory, ideology and good practice.
  • Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  • Implement business communication techniques used by tourism organisations: internal, external and corporate.
  • Manage human resources in tourism organisations.
  • Propose creative alternative solutions to problems arising in the field of tourism management, planning, businesses and products.
  • Self-assess the knowledge acquired.
  • Use ICT tools (reservations software, travel agency and hotel management packages, etc.) in tourism management, planning and products.
  • Use communication techniques at all levels.
  • Work in a team.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Acquire skills in leadership and conflict management.
  2. Behave ethically and adapt to different intercultural contexts.
  3. Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  4. Manage human resources in tourism organisations.
  5. Self-assess the knowledge acquired.
  6. Use communication techniques at all levels.
  7. Use communication techniques to convey ideas about the state of the tourism sector.
  8. Use the communication techniques associated with tourism entities.
  9. Use travel agency, hotel and catering, and communication software in the tourism sector.
  10. Work in a team.

Content

I PART: GDS- AMADEUS 

Unit 1: Introduction to Global distribution systems and their functionalities 

Unit 2: Encoding and decoding 

Unit 3: Availability 

Unit 4: Air reservations

Unit 5: Fares and ticketing 

II PART: HOTEL PMS

Unit 6: Introduction to PMS main functions: reservations, profiles, cashiers options, back office interface and revenue management 

Unit 7: Hotel reservations. Types of reservations, clients and rates.

Unit 8: Creation and maintenance of files and reservations 

Unit 9: Front desk menu 

Unit 10: Rooms managing 

Unit 11: Invoicing and informs 

III PART: TRAVEL AGENCIES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Unit 12: Introduction to management systems for travel agencies and their functionalities

Unit 13: Creation, control and file maintenance 

Unit 14: Creation, control and closing travel records 

Unit 15: Services invoicing and document generation

IV PART: INTRODUCTION TO REVENUE MANAGEMENT

Unit 16: Introducing basic Revenue Management principles.

Methodology

The subject is taught considering two different teaching and learning methodologies:

a) Theoretical methodology: 

Classroom explanations type master-class of all the units. 

b) Methodology for the practical part of the course:

Completion and presentation of class exercises and case studies (individual or group) making inquiries, reservations and airfare quotes related with the classroom explanations.

The virtual Campus will be used as an information complement and as alternative communication channel to classroom between students and professor. At the virtual campus the student will find the subject profile, the exercises and study cases, links to websites, software user's manuals and subject marks.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 15 0.6 9, 2, 3, 6, 5, 10, 8
Practical classes 15 0.6 1, 9, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5, 10, 8, 7
Type: Supervised      
Tutoring 11 0.44 9, 2, 3, 6, 5, 8, 7
Type: Autonomous      
Paper creation 6 0.24 1, 9, 2, 3, 6, 5, 10, 8, 7
Study 89 3.56 9, 3, 5, 8, 7

Assessment

The subject evaluation will be as follows:

Continuous assessment. The continuous assessment consists of the following system:

a)    Realization of practical activities in Amadeus that will worth the 14% of final grade.

b)    The performance of a practical test consisting in the realization of several bookings with Amadeus that will worth the 36% of final gradeand that will average with the practical activities with a minimum grade of 4.

c)    Realization of practical activities that will worth the 16% of final grade (8% the Hotel PMS activities and 8% the Travel agencies front office ones).

d)    The performance of two practical tests (one for Hotel PMS and one for the Front Office software) that will worth the 24% of final grade (12% each) and only will average with the two practical activities with a minimum grade of 4.

e)    Realization of one paper about Revenue Management that will worth the 10% of final grade.

Final exam.There will be a final exam with the entire contents of the course for students who have not passed the evaluation system referred in the previous point and for students with specific features (repeaters, mobile students, etc.) and that will worth the 100% of the final grade. 

Resit exam. Those students with a final grade over 3,5 and below 5 will have the chance to do this exam. The maximum final grade to be obtained is of a 5 over 10. 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Amadeus practical exam 36% of final mark 2 0.08 1, 9, 3, 5, 8
Hotel PMS practical exam 12% of final mark 2 0.08 9, 7
Practical activities 40% of final mark 8 0.32 1, 9, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5, 10, 8, 7
Travel agencies' front office practical exam 12% of final mark 2 0.08 9

Bibliography

Amadeus España (2009): Manual de Amadeus Selling Platform, Madrid.

Amadeus España (2009): Prontuario de Amadeus Ticketing, Madrid.

Amadeus España (2009): Prontuario de Reservas, tarifas y emisión, Madrid.

Del Pico, F. (1997): Manual de Reservas Savia Amadeus, Madrid: Opentour Ediciones. 

Micros-Sysme-Hotel  España (2006): Manual de producto: Sysme-Hotel , Madrid.

Pipeline Software (2007):Manual de producto: Orbis, Castellón.