Hospitality and tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors globally and events management is a dynamic growth area characterised by innovation and providing business opportunities at various scales. The UK events industry alone is worth £42 billion and inbound business visits to Britain equate to 23.5% of all visits. Along with a predicted shortfall of personnel in the industry, especially at management level, this course will give you the skills and knowledge to thrive.
This course combines specialist knowledge with the context of tourism in the global economy and provides a range of contemporary options taught by staff with recent practical experience in the industry. You will gain direct experience of the sector through the practicum module and enterprise module.
The module content is directly influenced by contemporary industry trends meaning that you will always be learning the most up-to-date theories and methods. You will be able to take a variety of optional modules from digital marketing to tourism and development and entrepreneurship in tourism
The programme also has a strong focus on employability which includes developing communication skills, independent thinking and the ability to problem solve and innovate. Upon graduation you will be able to explore a wide range of interesting specialist career areas such as place marketing or destination management as well as event management. You will also have the skills to choose a career around the globe.
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Over the course of this programme, you will focus on the international context and global trends in hospitality, events and tourism, and study a range of specialist modules to demonstrate the range of the industry and the key issues and skills required. Your dissertation will provide you with the skills to find, handle and interpret data and to be able to write and discuss it.
As well as an in-depth knowledge of the subject, you will also gain the ability to think critical and conceptually to help organisations reach their goals. You will be able to understand issues from different points of view in order to be able to communicate from the perspectives of different stakeholders. You will also develop your problem solving skills and have an understanding of how to influence policy within both private and public sectors.
There are three different awards available for this course:
This core module provides a comprehensive overview and critical analysis of tourism. It runs on the premise that mass tourism will remain the most prominent form of tourism development. One of the major academic concerns has been to develop more responsible and sustainable approaches to the sector. To that end this module identifies a range of environmental, social, cultural and economic issues that arise out of mass tourism development in different parts of the world. In order to identify the causes as well as to examine possible solutions, the module critically examines the socio-political environment in which mass tourism is situated, namely neo-liberal globalisation. In this light, we examine how this politics has structured tourism, such as the changed nature of the private sector, the implications of competition between destinations and firms, the relationship between public, private and third sectors, the growing volatility of demand in many destinations and the importance of class and status in tourism. The module also addresses conceptual issues inherent in these criticisms such as the right to tourism, the implications of contemporary tourism development for citizenship and the impact of tourism on less developed and developed countries. The module also analyses alternative forms of tourism that are trying to address issues of sustainability and ethics. The final section of the module is concerned with developing an in-depth analysis of heritage and urban tourism as distinctive examples of alternative tourism development.
This module deals with the post-recession implications for the international hospitality environment of deregulation and competition, the introduction of new technologies and the rise of the new tourist destinations. In particular there will be a focus on the implications of more intense competition on customer service, sustainability and CSR.
This is a module aimed at developing your critical understanding of the events management field and to equip you with the skills to assess the impact of events and analyse the role of festivals and events in revitalising destinations.
In this module, you will gain first-hand experience of what it is to work in the industry. You will be normally engaged on one or more practical projects agreed between the University and the organisation that draws upon your skills.
This module will assist you in developing an understanding of the research process and the tools necessary to complete research. You will then begin writing an original dissertation in which you will collect your own information in order to throw light on particular issues in the sector that interests you. This provides you with essential management skills for handing information, innovation and policy development.
This module aims to develop your understanding of the complexity of the new digital landscape and developments in digital technology. You will focus on such things as e-marketing models, social media, e-tailing and digital marketing strategies.
This module is aimed at those who wish to set up a small firm or who might be involved in promoting entrepreneurship in a particular locality.
This module will equip you with the knowledge and skills to apply to appropriate destination management and marketing solutions.
The aim of this module is for students to gain a depth of understanding of visitor attractions to equip them with knowledge and skills they can transfer into the workplace. The module will introduce students to the range and diversity of natural and man-made attractions across the globe and provide a deep understanding of the governance, marketing, legal and operational issues of opening attractions to the public whilst providing a quality visitor experience.
More information about this course
See the course specification for more information about typical course content outside of the coronavirus outbreak:
Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.
Teaching methods on this programme will enhance your employability; the external visits and the field trip will expose you to hospitality and event management professionals. All modules use international case studies so as to apply their knowledge to contemporary issues. The programme aims to engage in blended learning making use of online resources and techniques. There is a range of teaching methods including lectures, seminar discussions group debates, field trips, podcasts, private study all of which together aim to give you a variety of approaches and experiences.
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The programme has a range of assessments that equally are designed to accentuate employability from, group reports, reflective field diaries, poster presentations, portfolios, oral presentations, seen exams and academic essays. Feedback from formative assessment and from first drafts plays an important aspect in developing your skills.
If you’re starting university in 2020, we’ll be teaching you in different ways to make sure you get the best learning experience possible. You’ll learn through live sessions with teaching staff and have the chance to study independently too, with access to all the online resources you need through our globally available student portal.
We’re planning different scenarios for teaching so we can be flexible. While we’re social distancing, we currently plan to teach your course fully online through a mixture of live interactive sessions and independent learning. This will ensure you’re equipped with the same skills as on campus study, and offer you an engaging learning experience where you can meet and network with your lecturers and fellow students through online platforms. We are also exploring opportunities for face-to-face interactive sessions with smaller groups of students and staff where possible and we can make the appropriate arrangements. You will still be able to access bookable study spaces on campus, and any of the facilities and support services which are open, as well as our extensive online support.
The table below shows current plans for your learning across a typical week, including scheduled live online teaching time. While some weeks might look different than this, due to how we schedule classes and make arrangements for any face to face sessions (for example, in some cases these could take place every two weeks with an increased number of hours), the table gives you an idea of what to expect based on the overall number of teaching hours on your course.
You’ll receive final arrangements for your teaching and a full course timetable before you start.
Scenario 1: Course delivered fully online | ||
Live learning | Contact time per week, per level: | 12.5 hours |
Self-paced learning time | Average hours per week, per level: | 40 hours |
On demand resources | Average hours per week, per level: | None |
Scenario 2: Course delivered with a mix of online and face to face learning with social distancing in place | ||
Live learning | Contact time per week, per level: | 12.5 hours |
Self-paced learning time | Average hours per week, per level: | 40 hours |
On demand resources | Average hours per week, per level: | None |
| Face to face | Contact time per week, per level: | 2 hours |
Read more about our scenarios for returning to campus and what they might mean for your teaching and learning experience, and how you’ll be able to access student support.
Future plans for teaching
We’re developing our timetable for face to face teaching with current government advice on social distancing to keep you safe. If social distancing requirements are lifted, we’ll start to safely move back towards our usual teaching arrangements with more opportunities for face to face learning. Some learning and support might stay online in this scenario. If more restrictions are put in place, or there is another lockdown, we’ll be prepared to deliver your learning and support fully online, with alternative arrangements made for any required placements. We’ll always give you notice of any changes that we make.
Definitions of terms
Support
You’ll have a strong support network available to you to make sure you develop all the necessary academic skills you need to do well on your course.
Our support services will mainly be delivered online and you’ll have access to a range of different resources so you can get the help you need, whether you’re studying at home or have the opportunity to come to campus.
You’ll have access to one to one and group sessions for personal learning and academic support from our library and IT teams, and our network of learning experts. Our teams will also be here to offer financial advice, and personal wellbeing, mental health and disability support.
Read our guide to what’s been happening in your subject area recently and more about what to expect this autumn.
Hospitality and events span a range of jobs that are much more than managing hotels and events delivery. Destinations require management, while there is a huge range of jobs in place marketing and the marketing of individual attractions together with a greater variety of techniques and means of marketing. Discussion of the third sector and public sector institutions and organisations in sustainability and tourism open other areas of employment that covers land use planning, managing partnerships and developing policy in all sorts of areas from training and environmental management to infrastructure and transport planning. Within the key institutions of hospitality there are many other jobs such as human resource or supply chain management.
Prior to Middlesex University, Dr Stylidis was a Postdoc Researcher and Visiting Lecturer at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. He holds an MSc and PhD in tourism from the University of Surrey, U.K., and a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Macedonia in Greece. His current research interests include place image and marketing, tourist destination image and behaviour, tourism impacts and residents' attitudes towards tourism development.
Victoria's key research interests include sustainable tourism management, stakeholder engagement and social entrepreneurship with a focus on processes and implementation. Prior to her PhD, Victoria studied economics and political science and undertook a Master’s degree in international travel and tourism Management thereafter. She has a wealth of industry and research experience gained from working in managerial roles within the aviation sector working for national airlines including Egyptair, Air Tanzania and South African Airways and in research roles at the former Centre for Environmental Studies (CESHI) at Oxford Brookes University and at Westminster Abbey in London where she investigated how the Abbey could be sustained as a visitor attraction and a church.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: October 2022
Duration: 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time
Code: PGN848
