International Tourism Development

Entry requirements

To be accepted onto this programme you will normally need to hold a recognised First or Second Class Honours degree from a UK university (or an international equivalent). A wide range of first degree disciplines will be considered, which include travel, tourism, and international development. If English is not your first language, you will need to demonstrate that you meet the minimum English language requirement of IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent).

Months of entry

September

Course content

This course is designed to provide you with a substantial theoretical and practical understanding of the role and contribution of the tourism industry in the context of international development. You will gain the skills required to manage sustainable tourism businesses, alongside the specialisms of strategic destination management and marketing. You will explore tourism’s relationship with the socio-economic and political contexts within international development, tourism disasters affecting tourist destinations, and the role of tourism in the development of countries that have experienced conflict. Our International Tourism Development course places particular emphasis upon the micro-economic contribution of enterprise projects in supporting development and sustainability, in line with the University’s Changemaker ethos.

The International Tourism Development course encourages you to analyse and evaluate key issues within the tourism industry. You will investigate the relationship between sustainable development principles and the management of destinations to achieve long-term viability as well as the role of event tourism in destination development as a catalyst for physical, economic and socio-cultural regeneration. In addition, the course provides you with an insight into the political economies surrounding development and the contribution that tourism makes to a destination’s risk mitigation and social renewal after disasters and post-conflict scenarios.

The course draws upon a variety of case studies and projects, allowing you to explore the global scope of tourism, the policies and strategies associated with successful management, the role the industry plays in international development, and the stakeholders involved in its development. The course will also prepare you for the practical, project-based, and customer-focused characteristics of the tourism industry.

Semester 1

From the beginning of the course, you will be introduced to the main themes in destination and tourism management, enabling you to analyse the strategic and dynamic nature of international tourist destinations and issues facing destination managers. Modules in semester one will highlight the need to ensure long-term viability of destination resources through themes such as sustainable development and political economies of international development.

Semester 2

You will examine the vulnerability of destinations and the strategies and approaches needed by managers to develop and recover, particularly post-conflict. The strategic use of events in both the public and private sectors will be examined, particularly their use as a catalyst for physical, economic and socio-cultural regeneration. There is a strong emphasis on developing your personal adaptability in cross-cultural (work) environments preparing you to lead and manage other people internationally. You will also begin to prepare for your dissertation through a series of taught research methods sessions, during which you will produce a research proposal.

Semester 3

The research proposal produced in Semester two will guide you to develop a clearly defined and evidenced study purpose, a critical review of relevant literature, and a robust methodology. You will collect, analyse and interpret your data and apply this to your research, and you will produce a 15-20,000 word research report (dissertation) using this data, with the support of a supervisor.

Fees and funding