Tourism is a fast-growing industry, contributing over £2.7 billion to the UK economy in 2017. This course is designed to give you the best possible start to a career in the sector, taking full advantage of our prime location in one of the world’s greatest tourist destinations.

The course is designed with your career in mind; it is accredited by the Institute of Hospitality and you’ll benefit from placements and guest lectures held with industry leaders across London.
The University of East London is conveniently located a short walk away from London City Airport and some of the capital’s most famous venues – including the Excel Centre and O2 Arena – and learning in London gives you access to some of the best hotels, restaurants and attractions in the world. Take a look at our own guide to East London to see what's nearby!

The course covers a wide range of topics that are essential for a career in tourism management, as well as broader themes in business management that will root your understanding of tourism in the wider business environment, helping you to remain flexible in the job market and contribute more to your employer.

Course structure
The first year is focused on building your key skills in tourism management while cementing the basics of good business, such as people management and marketing.

In the second year, you will study core modules that cover different practical aspects of tourism management, including destination marketing, strategic management and finance. You will also have the chance to choose from a number of optional modules that allow you to focus on themes such as e-business, social media or events. You will also have the option of undertaking a work-based project that takes the form of a real internship at an organisation in the tourism industry.

The third year is the overseas placement year for International Tourism students or the final year for those taking the core BA programme. In this year you will focus on an individual Research Project, Consultancy Project or Enterprise Project (for Tourism Entrepreneur students), giving you the chance to apply your skills to a practical project of your choice. You will also study core modules covering innovation and enterprise, sustainable tourism, sports and event tourism, and anthropology with further optional modules to choose from.

We pride ourselves on giving students a fantastic experience and great support from day one. We’re an inclusive university with a close-knit community of students and our teaching reflects that. Teaching is delivered through a diverse range of methods, not only to develop your different skills but also to enrich the learning experience. As well as traditional seminars and lectures, you’ll have the chance to go on field trips across London, learn from guest speakers and gain useful, practical experience.

Studying and working in tourism management is an exciting opportunity, giving you the chance to travel, be creative and provide a memorable service to people from all over the world. The course gives you lots of hands-on training to ensure your student experience is as enjoyable as working in the industry can be.

When you begin this course you’ll join a cosmopolitan community of students in small classes to learn the fundamentals of the subject through a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops. In addition to formal teaching time, you’ll be expected to put in independent study to enhance your learning, supported by our online digital materials, handbooks, notes and other resources.

London is one of the greatest tourism and culture hotspots in the world and we have connections with many major organisations in the industry across the capital. We’re privileged to share the region with major players including:

The Excel Centre – London’s major events and conference venue
The O2 Arena
The Olympic Park
Westfield Stratford
Stratford Circus

Our students also have access to many of the thousands of recognisable names throughout the capital and our links with industry stretch across the world. When you’re not observing professionals in action, we’ll be bringing them to you with a programme of regular guest speakers who will keep you informed and inspire you for the career that lies ahead of you.

The tourism industry employs approximately 3 million people in the UK, with a huge variety of roles on offer – studying tourism management at UEL will prepare you for careers in airlines and cruise liners, hotels and hostels, tour operators, travel agents and more.

The service sector is also the largest sector in the world’s economy and short of good quality managers – exactly the skills gap that this course is designed to fill The course will give you the skills and experience you need to work in a wide range of tourism-related roles, while giving you the industry contacts and guidance that will help you make the first step into a rewarding career.

Whichever path you take, this accredited course will thoroughly prepare you for a challenging role in a competitive industry. We place emphasis on a vocational approach to teaching, allowing you to develop a wide range of employability skills through experience and training. We also have a superb employability team that works with students to find placements, projects, graduate schemes and full-time employment, combining careers advice with practical training in interview technique and CV writing.