Within the international economy, tourism and travel is seen as a major employer and sector providing unique development opportunities to less developed countries. It’s also one of the few economic activities responsible for intensified contributions towards nature and cultural heritage protection and conservation. All over the world, especially in Europe, tourism and travel are positioned as leaders in local communities’ activation programmes and used as an indicator of the quality of life.
This programme has been developed to answer the tourism and travel industry’s demand for specialised managers and planners. It’s constantly evolving to include the most up-to-date issues and to prepare entrepreneurs for the challenging tourism business environment. You’ll acquire knowledge in sustainable tourism management, cultural heritage and tourism-led regeneration and be faced with challenges of marketing British tourism destinations. You’ll be given the opportunity to explore niche tourism products, realise their potential and see how tourism relates to issues of global peace, justice, human rights and social inclusion.
The teaching on this course utilises our London location with a series of case studies including the the international trade fair of World Travel Market. We also have one of the most diverse international bodies of students, which allows us to teach a range of worldwide case studies based on students’ own experiences and culture.
Our overseas study tour is the highlight of the course providing an early example of field research techniques and addressing tourism marketing, management, planning and sustainability issues. We also offer European Student Exchange Programme (Erasmus) and a range of work placement opportunities (including a one-year sandwich placement), allowing you to gain practical experience whilst studying.
We have previously organised and hosted the annual Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport student conference, with speakers including Hugh Sumner, former director of transport at the Olympic Delivery Agency.
The aims of the programme are to:
- offer an intellectually stimulating, career-relevant and coherent programme, enabling students to develop a thorough understanding of theories, approaches and techniques relevant to professional practice in tourism, travel and destination management
- develop a holistic appreciation of the multimodal distribution chain and developments in digital media, including the role of marketing and communications, entrepreneurship, operational and strategic management in tourism and travel industries
- provide comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the socio-cultural, economic, technological, and political environment in which the tourism destinations and industry operates, relevant systems of governance and public policy at different scales: global, national, and local
- develop a sound appreciation of effective people management in organisations, career opportunities for graduates as well as the student’s potential contribution as a manager and professional in tourism destinations and industry sector
- enhance the ability of students to operate as effective learners, independently as well as in teams, and to foster a creative approach to evidence-based problem solving
- develop and improve students as researchers, able to carry out primary research relating to contemporary issues in tourism and travel, including data collection, data analysis, presentation of findings and recommendations
Assessment
Assessments include simulation of professional practice and consultancy, independent and group research for a field trip and survey-based projects, portfolios, poster, video, along with more traditional essays, reports, case studies, presentations, tests and a final dissertation.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2018/19 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 1 modules include:
- Exploring Tourism: Narratives of Travel (core, 30 credits)
- London’s Visitor Economy (core, 15 credits)
- Marketing for Aviation and Creative Industries (core, 30 credits)
- Statistics for Travel and Tourism (core, 15 credits)
- Tourism Industries: People, Processes and Change (core, 30 credits)
- Culture, Tourism and Regeneration (core, 30 credits)
- Service Excellence for Tourism (core, 30 credits)
- Skills, Methods and Analysis (core, 15 credits)
- Sustainability, Business and Responsibility (core, 15 credits)
- Applied Research with Field Course (option, 15 credits)
- Niche Tourism (option, 15 credits)
- Destination Management and Marketing (core, 30 credits)
- Research Methods for Dissertations and Consultancy Projects (core, 30 credits)
- Strategy in Tourism and Travel (core, 15 credits)
- Creating a Winning Business 2 (alternative core, 15 credits)
- Learning through Work 2 (alternative core, 15 credits)
- Creative Industries and Events Policy (option, 15 credits)
- Project Management (option, 15 credits)
- Risk Management and Business Continuity (option, 15 credits)
- Visitor Attraction Management (option, 15 credits)
After the course
We believe that your university experience should be designed to enhance and support your professional life. We place as much emphasis on gaining skills relevant to the workplace as on learning the academic discipline that you are studying. We embed employability in every year of your journey with us, starting from year one modules, through short- and long placement modules to the professional environment stimulation modules such as Destination Management and Marketing.
This course is designed to offer an intellectually stimulating and distinctive programme that enables you to prepare for a satisfying career. Over the past twenty years, many of our graduates have developed rewarding careers in business, government and third sector tourism organisations, as managers in road, rail, sea and air transport, tour operators, destination managers and planners, and in research and consultancy.
