Course overview
This course will provide theoretical and practical knowledge of tourism and the tourism industry, with a particular focus on developing student competencies in the management of the supply side of tourism; building students' body of knowledge on tourism enterprises, tourism products, services and experiences. Structure and characteristics of tourism enterprises, their role in tourism destinations, and the factors that drive tourism enterprise performance; the tourism industry: structure, development and growth, suppliers, sales and distribution, managing supply and demand for tourism products, and understanding market segments; the tourism organisation: structure and characteristics, SMEs and family firms, creativity, innovation and business models, operations, performance and growth strategies; the tourism entrepreneur: the entrepreneurial mindset, building human social and psychological capital, and value creation through social entrepreneurship.
Course learning outcomes
- Develop a sound understanding of the characteristics of tourism enterprises and their role in the tourism industry and tourism destinations.
- Critically analyse the factors that drive tourism enterprise development and performance.
- Critically analyse case studies of tourism organisations and provide theoretically-informed managerial strategies.
- Apply creativity in the design of new tourism enterprises, products and experiences; demonstrate sound research skills.
- Prepare a feasibility analysis for a new tourism venture, outlining strategies for successful implementation and an analysis of organisational, market and industry factors.
- Demonstrate Business Enterprise Skills in the context of the Tourism and Event Management discipline: i) Self-management (foundation level); ii) Teamwork (intermediate level); iii) Oral communication (intermediate level); and iv) International Perspective (intermediate level).