Bournemouth University

What you'll study

This honours degree combines core business and management principles with tourism-specific modules to give you a rounded understanding of how the sector operates. Early modules introduce concepts such as tourism geography, consumer behaviour, and service operations. You will study management fundamentals including marketing, finance for managers, and human resource management alongside tourism-focused topics such as destination management, sustainable and responsible tourism, events and festival management, and tourism policy.

Research methods and applied data analysis are taught to support evidence-based decision making, and you will complete project work that develops practical skills in planning, evaluation and stakeholder engagement. The programme typically offers a choice of a work placement year or a shorter professional placement, and a final-year professional project or dissertation where you apply academic knowledge to a real-world business or policy challenge.

• Tourism fundamentals and consumer behaviour
• Destination and event management
• Sustainable tourism and responsible practice
• Marketing and digital marketing for tourism
• Management disciplines: finance, HR and strategy
• Research methods and applied project or dissertation
• Work-based learning, professional placement or study abroad options

Entry requirements

Bournemouth University welcomes applicants from a range of academic and vocational backgrounds. Typical entrants have completed secondary qualifications equivalent to an upper secondary/high school diploma, A-levels, BTEC or an international qualification. Applicants should demonstrate numeracy and communication skills; GCSE (or equivalent) English and mathematics at a pass level are normally required. Mature applicants and those with relevant work or industry experience are considered through a contextual admissions process and may be asked for a personal statement and, where appropriate, an interview.

Career prospects

Graduates move into a wide range of roles across the public and private tourism sectors. Common destinations include operational and managerial posts in hotels and resorts, tour operators, visitor attractions, airlines and cruise lines, and local or national destination management organisations. Other career paths include events and conference management, tourism marketing and digital promotion, policy and planning roles in public sector tourism organisations, sustainability and community engagement roles, and consultancy. The programme’s emphasis on professional placement and applied projects helps build employer contacts and practical experience valued by recruiters.

Why study at Bournemouth University

Bournemouth University offers a strong vocational emphasis with close links to industry, giving students practical experience and opportunities to work on employer-led projects. The campus location on the south coast provides a living laboratory for coastal and leisure tourism studies while also being well connected to regional and national visitor economies. Students benefit from dedicated employability and careers support, facilities suited to practical learning, and teaching delivered by staff who combine academic research with professional experience in tourism and hospitality. The availability of professional placements and international experience options helps prepare graduates for the global nature of the tourism industry.