OVERVIEW

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Explore the vibrant and diverse international tourism industry, learning about its products, people, locations, and organisations, as well as the art of service.

Tourists are looking for well-planned and smooth-running experiences that impress with high levels of customer service. Develop the knowledge and skills to design and deliver such experiences confidently.

This course emphasizes practical considerations alongside theory, providing numerous team-based opportunities to deliver experiences, whether on-campus events or local excursions.

Gain an understanding of tourism industry products, structure, logistics, marketing, and management from an international perspective.

Explore the nature and impact of tourism activity and strategies for responsible tourism. You will assess current industry challenges such as the environmental, socio-cultural and financial impacts of tourism on a global basis.

Learn a new language (choose from French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese or German) to enhance your employability and cultural experience even more. If you study a language throughout the whole of your degree, it will be reflected in your degree title.

Apply theory to practice, honing employability skills, including customer service, and reflecting on experiences to further develop abilities.

You will enjoy field trips in each year of study, including a local destination in the first year, an optional international field trip (additional cost) in the second year, and a UK destination field trip in the final year.

Why choose this course?

We take pride in delivering a fantastic experience from the start, with a supportive, fun, and experienced team. As a caring and friendly university, you'll receive great pastoral support and engaging teaching to prepare you for professional success.

You'll also benefit from exceptional industry links as the course has been running for 28 years. We have many alumni and sector relationships. Engage with industry practitioners through guest lectures, and workshops giving you real-life insights.

You’ll also be able to study a language. Employers value foreign language skills, especially in the tourism sector and there are five to choose from.

Experiencing a culture is as important as learning about it. Immerse yourself in another country for an enriching and life-changing adventure, studying at one of our worldwide partner institutions.

As an international course, you'll develop an awareness of and sensitivity to different cultural backgrounds and influences. Enhance your learning with global case studies and opportunities for study and work abroad.

Assessments mirror your future working environment, encompassing posters, videos, debates, and learning conversations. Final-year students are expected to deliver a presentation at the student conference.

Enhance your CV and employability with our global work placement and study abroad opportunities.

Professional accreditations

The programme outcomes are referenced to the QAA benchmark statements for Events, Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism (2019). The SEEC Credit Level Descriptors for. Further and Higher Education (2021) have been used as a guiding framework for curriculum design.

Tourism Management Institute

The course is recognised by the Tourism Management Institute (TMI) and HBS is a key partner of the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

Your future career

This highly immersive degree will have you career-ready for a role in international travel, tourism and hospitality businesses. 90% of students are working or in further education (Graduate Outcomes, 2018-2020).

Possible roles for employment include:

• Travel agent
• Tour operator
• Entrepreneur
• Cruise Ship Executive
• Tourism Product Developer
• Hotel manager

Graduates have gone on to a wide range of companies across the sector including TUI, Starbucks, Hilton, Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), MSC Cruises, easyJet, Enterprise Car Rental, British Airways, Virgin and Marriott.

The world is literally your oyster with this industry-focused, well-rounded course! Because you leave with so many transferrable skills, you can use them in other areas of business – after all, happy customers make all businesses thrive!

What you'll study

The course takes either three or four years, depending on placements/study abroad and you cover everything you need to be effective in tourism management.

There are core modules such as marketing, management and professionalism. You also have the option to choose modules in specialist areas, allowing you to tailor the course to your own interests and career direction.

In your first year, you engage in designing the visitor experience and delivering the visitor experience as core modules as well as professionalism in tourism.

As you move into your second year, you focus more on key areas for the sector such as sustainability and technology. There is also the opportunity to enjoy an international field trip as a key learning experience.

Your final year has a strong focus on global tourism planning, attraction management and contemporary issues. You will also deliver your own visitor experience, working alongside events students.

There are also opportunities to further enrich your personal development through our GoHerts program, placements, internships, study-abroad and Future Success team events.

What if I need support?

You'll benefit from dedicated support teams within the Business School, including Academic Support, Wellbeing, and a personal tutor who will assist you in adjusting to the demands of university learning and living.

Additional support is available from our Student Success team, which focuses on inclusive learning, as well as our dedicated Future Success network, which helps with work experience, placements, and graduate jobs.

You can join and engage with the Business School Student Voice community, consisting of a team of student representatives who regularly meet with staff to provide feedback and ensure the effectiveness of teaching.

Our in-house Centre for Academic Skills Enhancement (CASE) is available to all Business School students, offering additional support in areas such as academic writing, numeracy, and referencing.

Where you'll study

You'll be taught on our modern de Havilland Campus, with our 24/7 Learning Resources Centre, offering open and private study spaces. You also get online self-study materials to further support you.

There are dining options, a bar, and a recreational space on campus where you can shoot some pool or play video games. It also houses Hertfordshire Sports Village, featuring a gym, swimming pool, coffee shop and climbing wall.

Discover the Enterprise Hub, a vibrant destination where local firms and students work and learn in comfort.

The Student Union bar and additional facilities are only a 20 minute walk (or short bus ride) away at our second campus, on College Lane. Student housing is available at both campuses.

A train to central London takes just over 20 minutes, and you are also conveniently located on the A1(M) with access to the road network, making travel quick and convenient.