BSc Honours International Tourism Management

The programme provides students with a theoretical and applied understanding of international tourism, with an emphasis on the following elements: characteristics of tourists; tourist behaviour and demand; tourism products and supply; and the wider business environment in which tourism operates. The programme's content encourages students to acquire key transferable skills, including analytical thinking and problem solving, along with the ability to work effectively in teams and be able to present and communicate management ideas with confidence. The subject content encourages students to identify a range of challenges for the industry: innovations in technology; tourism management strategies; progressive planning and policy directives; new methods of marketing, branding and re-branding; operational and strategic awareness, including awareness of other sub-sector industries (especially hospitality and events); ideas for business innovation; changing attitudes towards the use of the environment; and purposeful approaches to customer care. The programme will develop students' intellectual capabilities, especially critical evaluation, synthesis, reasoned argument and research, which all play a vital role in encouraging students to become autonomous learners.

Module and programme information is indicative and may be subject to change.

Note: Both core and optional modules are constantly updated and under review. As with most academic programmes, please remember that it is possible that a module may not be offered in any particular year, for instance because too few students opt for it. Middlesex University reserves the right to vary or withdraw any course or module.

• Year 1
  • The International Tourism Industry and Employability (30 Credits) - Compulsory The module aims to provide an introduction to the key sectors that are integralto the tourism business, whilst exploring the dynamic relationships betweenthem. It also acquaints the students with significant stakeholders at bothorganisational and industry levels. Through creating an awareness of relevantindustry trends and happenings, the module provides an overview of theopportunities and challenges, along with focus on vital skills and competenciesneeded by students starting a career in the tourism industry.
  • Opportunities and Resources in Tourism (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module aims to provide you with an understanding of key economic concepts, theories and skills necessary to evaluate the economic impact of tourism. It will enable you to employ a data-driven approach to the evaluation of resources and opportunities in tourism as tourism professionals. The fieldwork will introduce basic research skills and allow you to link theory to practice.
  • Tourism and Society (30 Credits) - Compulsory The module introduces students to those disciplines, theories, issues and techniques in the social sciences that are relevant to the understanding of tourism in a broad social context. This includes the areas of sociology, psychology, political economy, economics, anthropology, politics and environmental studies. It also aims to show how these disciplines inform debates within tourism with particular emphasis upon the examination of the impact of tourism. A key aim is to demonstrate to students that an understanding of the social side of tourism is not a supplement to the business approach, but is essential to the successful operation of this sector.
  • Marketing Theory and Practice (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module is designed to provide students with an overview of key marketing concepts and techniques, as they apply in a variety of organisations and in both conventional and online environments. Students will develop knowledge and understanding of the core role of marketing in determining the growth potential of an enterprise, including the value of the marketing mix in ensuring successful marketing implementation and the significance of external and internal operating environments for marketing practice.
• Year 2
  • Consulting Project in Tourism (15 Credits) - Compulsory This module is a group-based consultancy project that aims to offer students a valuable opportunity to engage in a live brief commissioned by an external client and to investigate real-world challenges faced by the client. Based on the research findings, students will work in partnership with the module leader, who also acts as the project leader and the mentor providing support and guidance, to co-create solutions to improving the ways the client communicates and interacts with its customers and the public.
  • Experiential Learning Overseas (15 Credits) - Compulsory This module aims to develop abilities of students to independently conduct theoretically informed, ethically-rigorous primary data collection in a mature, international tourism destination. Students will be challenged to systematically analyse the datasets that derive from these collection processes, and to synthesise such findings with relevant secondary source material. Furthermore, students will need to clearly communicate the findings generated via the above processes by way of a creative group presentation, and a written experiential learning narrative (ELN) that conforms to professional, academic standards.
  • Contemporary Tourism Management (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module aims to examine theories and practices of tourism management. It analyses critically the challenges faced by the tourism industry in the context of contemporary management functions and tourist/visitor behaviour which is a fundamental part of the module content. This module also assists students in developing professional and entrepreneurial skills in this dynamic industry such as creativity, communication, problem-solving, teamwork, project management, research and logical reasoning through planning and developing a bespoke tour itinerary guided by consumer behaviour theories
  • Researching people and places (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module aims to develop critical awareness of the range of appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methodologies available, and the underlying philosophical and ethical principles of research in the context of tourism. It will also develop a student s ability to relate theoretical material to real world case study material making clear the links between theory, method and data and in addition the module will develop students key employability skills.
  • Emerging Markets: China and Latin America (15 Credits) - Optional This module examines the shift in the last decades in the world economy that has given rise to the emerging economies (China and Latin America) phenomenon, and how the contexts it generates, impact businesses and tourism in them. Furthermore, the module examines the thriving relationship between China and Latin America that has been developing for the last decades and analyses the mutual impact for businesses and tourism on both sides.
  • Responsible Tourism Management (15 Credits) - Optional Through the study of a wide range of case studies from diverse geographical environments this module aims to provide a broad critical understanding of the opportunities and constraints involved in developing more responsible and sustainable forms of tourism. Alternative strategies for improving tourism sustainability will be examined. A key consideration is how to achieve the balance between the environmental, social and economic aspects of tourism.
  • Tourism Enterprise and Revenue Management (15 Credits) - Optional The module aims to provide students with an understanding of tourism enterprise and the significance of the small businesses, which dominate the tourism sector. Enterprise-related concepts such as entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity will be analysed. Revenue management theory and practice as well as the impact it has on tourism and hospitality businesses and customers is also a major component of this module. Students will gain the knowledge and skills required to make appropriate management decisions for sustainable financial success.
  • Aviation and Passenger Transport Management (15 Credits) - Optional This module aims to generate critically-informed understanding of the relationships between the tourism industry and key public passenger transport modes (including aviation, rail, coach and bus systems). The current standing of these modes -in terms of public–private relations, industry funding and management arrangements, and demand trends - will be situated within their recent historical context. The module will also directly address sustainability issues, and afford a strong focus to practical considerations relevant to securing employment in these sectors.
• Year 3
  • Tourism Policy Making (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module examines some of the contemporary issues facing tourism through a global to local framework. The module aims to provide a critical awareness and understanding of alternative policy and planning approaches and the institutions involved in formulating policy responses. Case studies are used to explore the potential and limitations of different theoretical approaches.
  • Creative Branding in Tourism (30 Credits) - Compulsory This module aims to develop students’ understanding of theories and business practice concerning building strong brands in travel and tourism. Students will learn how certain content in social media managed to engaged with target audiences and viewers in a compelling way and achieved branding agendas simultaneously, and even went viral online. The module not only promotes creative thinking and problem solving skills but also develops students’ abilities to create branding solutions and a coherent plan in selected social media platforms.
  • Social Media and Viral Marketing (15 Credits) - Optional This module aims to provide students with an understanding of social media and viral marketing and will incorporate owned, earned and paid tactics. The practice of social media and viral marketing in today's marketing landscape will be outlined in addition to how social media and viral marketing facilitates and changes the behaviours of consumers in the marketplace. In preparation for future employment, the module will allow students to apply taught theories to real-life organisations.
  • Tourism Supply Chain and Sector Analysis (15 Credits) - Optional This module aims to introduce the concept of supply chain management and related theories. The module seeks to provide students with the knowledge and tools necessary to critically analyse the Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation Industry Sectors with regard to current industry practices. Students are also able to view tourism products as a value-added chain of different service components and identify ways to effectively manage the interrelated tourism business operations to better meet customer needs and accomplish business goals.
  • Heritage Tourism (15 Credits) - Optional This module aims to provide a critical examination and evaluation of the unique dynamics of heritage and tourism development from both social sciences and management perspectives. It thus attempts to integrate a rich diversity of academic discussions and industry practices in heritage and tourism studies.Students are expected to consolidate key theoretical frameworks surrounding heritage in tourism contexts and engage with contemporary practices of heritage tourism development at both global and local levels.v
  • Event Sector (15 Credits) - Optional . The aim of this module is to develop a critical understanding of the events sector, the impacts and legacy of events