International Tourism Management BA (Hons)

Program Overview

Through a combination of coursework, practical experience, and optional placements, graduates are prepared for a wide range of careers in tourism management, including attraction management, marketing, and event planning. The program is accredited by the Tourism Management Institute and offers opportunities for industry engagement and international exposure.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

International Tourism Management is a dynamic and growing field, with over a billion people traveling worldwide each year. The tourism industry supports around 200 million jobs globally, representing one in every 11th worker. This degree program is designed to meet the needs of tourism employers and equip students with the qualifications and skills necessary for success in this competitive market. The program aims to provide students with a critical understanding of tourism business theory and a proactive business development approach.

Outline:

The International Tourism Management degree at UON is structured into three stages, with an optional work placement year available between Stages Two and Three.

Stage 1:

• Tourism Impacts and Sustainability (20 Credits): This module examines the positive and negative impacts of tourism activities on destinations, using case studies to illustrate issues and controversies.
It introduces sustainable tourism as a management strategy and analyzes its effectiveness in managing tourism impacts. Students learn to make informed decisions based on this financial data.
• International Tourism: Concepts and Trends (20 Credits): This module provides a foundational understanding of the contemporary tourism industry, including hospitality and accommodation providers, retail and business tourism, conference and incentive organizers, tour operators, airlines, and passenger transport companies.
It emphasizes the importance of the consumer in the success of tourism businesses.
• Professional Development for Tourism and Events (20 Credits): This module supports students in developing skills, knowledge, and understanding of the demands of university study and employer expectations.
It focuses on transferable skills, attributes, and attitudes required for success in individual and team-based environments.
• Entrepreneurship for Tourism and Events (20 Credits): This module explores the dynamics and characteristics of innovation in tourism, hospitality, and events industries.
Students study the drivers of innovation and how businesses adapt their operations, products, and services to gain a competitive advantage.
• Events and Tourism in the Media (10 Credits): This module introduces the media landscape and how events and tourism entities are presented and represented.
It equips students with marketing techniques used to gain media exposure for tourism offerings.
• Market Intelligence for Events and Tourism (10 Credits): This module emphasizes the importance of market intelligence in the events and tourism industries.
Students learn to conduct basic market research, interpret data, and use it for business decision-making.

Stage 2:

• Learning Through Work (WBL) (20 Credits): This module provides students with the opportunity to examine and analyze the specific characteristics or behaviors, employability, and job-related skills and knowledge required to be a successful employee in their chosen sector.
• Development Through Work (20 Credits): This module enables students to review their employability skills in relevant work contexts.
They identify and evaluate different approaches to management and leadership, making recommendations for improvement.
• Managing Visitor Attractions (20 Credits): This module provides knowledge and understanding of the developmental, operational, strategic, marketing, and micro/macro variables that influence visitor attraction management.
Students explore these concepts through case studies, scenarios, industry best practice guidance, and on-site learning activities.
• Tourism Management and Development (20 Credits): This module investigates the growth, development, and management of international tourism.
It evaluates the role of agencies and stakeholders in balancing the needs of visitors with those of the host destination. It focuses on practical processes of tourism management with real-world examples.
• Events and Tourism Research (20 Credits): This module allows students to apply theoretical concepts to real-world environments by assessing contemporary themes and challenges impacting the events, tourism, and hospitality industries.
Students select areas of interest for further investigation and analysis.
• Responsible Tourism (20 Credits): This module examines the concept of sustainable development and its global application through case studies.
It aims to equip students with a functional understanding of the key principles of sustainable tourism.
• Career Launchpad for Events, Tourism and Hospitality (10 Credits): This module encourages students to reflect on their work experience and interactions to understand their performance in group environments.
It supports students in taking ownership of their career path and includes support for completing the Changemaker Silver Employability Award. It examines factors that impact tourism decision-making and provision for tourists, including behaviors, technology, demographics, and socio-cultural, economic, and political factors.
• Championing Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing in Events, Tourism & Hospitality (10 Credits): This module introduces students to the core tenets of equality, diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing as they relate to events, tourism, and hospitality.
• International Resort and Spa Management (10 Credits): This module explores the diverse range of resort developments, including mixed-use and lifestyle resorts, all-inclusive destinations, casinos, mega-resort developments, adventure, eco, and luxury branded developments.

Stage 3:

• Innovation in Tourism and Hospitality Management (20 Credits): This module explores the process of new product development and innovation in the tourism industry, considering contemporary travel and tourism issues and concerns.
It aims to equip students with an approach to tourism management that values innovation and creativity.
• International Destination Management for Tourism and Hospitality (20 Credits): This module provides a framework for analyzing the strategic nature and dynamics of tourist destinations and the challenges facing destination managers.
It demonstrates opportunities for hosts, visitors, and other tourism stakeholders to achieve their agendas and maximize benefits in a balanced way.
• Service Excellence Design (20 Credits): This module explores methods, strategies, and practices that contribute to the delivery, leadership, and management of high-quality service experiences.
It emphasizes the relationship between the service provider and the consumer, considering how value is created, information is transmitted, services are made tangible, the service experience is managed, and relationships are maintained in cross-cultural contexts.
• Mega Event Legacies (10 Credits): This module examines the concept of mega-events and their global use as a catalyst for urban regeneration, social, cultural, and economic development.
It equips students with a critical appreciation of how legacies can be achieved through effective management of event impacts and regeneration.
• Building Your Personal Brand (10 Credits): This module supports students in developing their personal brand to facilitate their successful engagement with recruitment practices in the events, tourism, and hospitality sectors.
It provides opportunities to reflect on experience, skill set, and participation in mock recruitment processes to build confidence and support the transition from university into the world of work.
• Professional Consultancy Project (40 Credits): This module develops students' ability to formulate, implement, and manage a successful, local client-based project within a relevant industry sector.
It provides vocational currency and enhances changemaker and employability skills.
• Urban Heritage & Culture (10 Credits): This module explores the relationship between urban heritage and tourism and their role in urban regeneration processes.
• Research Project (20 Credits): This module enables students to independently carry out an investigation of a current industry or sector issue relevant to their degree and professional development.
Students use relevant academic concepts to structure their investigation, collect, and analyze secondary data.

Assessment:

The program utilizes a variety of individual and group-based assessments, including:

• Written reports
• Client briefs
• Presentations
• Portfolios
• Examinations

Teaching:

The International Tourism Management course is taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, and workshops, totaling 12 hours per week. Students are expected to spend an additional 24 hours per week in self-directed study time. The teaching team aims to provide regional or national study trips annually to tourism attractions or similar destinations.

Careers:

Graduates of the International Tourism Management program are well-prepared for a variety of careers in the tourism industry, including:

• Attraction and destination management
• Marketing
• Tourism consultancy
• Conferencing
• Event management
• Tour operations
• Retail travel
Many graduates have gone on to work for airlines, tour operators, visitor attractions, conference organizers, and business travel companies both in the UK and abroad. The program also provides opportunities for students to pursue master's degrees in related fields, such as International Tourism Development and International Hotel Management.

Other:

• The program is accredited by the Tourism Management Institute (TMI), the leading professional body for tourism management in the UK.
• The Faculty of Business and Law has strong links with industry organizations, such as the Tourism Management Institute, Tourism Concern, the National Parks Authority, and English Heritage.
• Students can obtain student membership of the Tourism Management Institute and The Tourism Society as part of the course.
• The University of Northampton offers a laptop to full-time BA International Tourism Management degree students.
• The University of Northampton has a Northampton Employment Promise, which aims to ensure that graduates are highly employable.
• The program includes an optional study trip to a European destination.
• The program includes an optional work placement year.

• UK Full Time: £9,250
• UK Part Time: £1,540 per 20 credit module
• International Full Time: £15,200
• Optional Work Placement Year: £1,100