Sustainable Tourism Management BA(Hons)

During the first year of your degree, you’ll develop a knowledge of the nature, scope and scale of the tourism industry as well as the sustainability challenges the sector faces. You’ll explore the different experiences of tourists and understand the importance of wellbeing within the context of experience management. You’ll also gain key skills in marketing and communications. 

Modules

The Visitor Economy

You’ll choose an area of the tourism industry to focus on and identify trends within this specialist field. You’ll address the impact of sustainable issues within this area and identify best practices for sustainable tourism management. Through this exercise, you’ll also recognise the importance of your own development as a sustainable practitioner.

The Tourist Experience

In this module, you’ll explore a wide range of motivations for people wanting to travel as well as key factors that impact upon overall experience satisfaction. You’ll consider factors such as the online experience, functional physical environment, staff interaction, use of digital technologies and accommodation and attraction design. You’ll also evaluate how post-travel communication can impact upon lasting tourist perceptions. 

Niche Tourism

You’ll learn about the different ways a destination can be interpreted by a range of niche tourism groups. You’ll then develop a destination interpretation portfolio that highlights a multitude of ways a single designation can be packaged to respond to niche tourism sectors.

Wellbeing

Looking at how wellbeing is connected to experience management and wider aspects of customer satisfaction, you’ll explore ways to develop wellbeing as a customer offer while addressing its importance within an organisation. Crucially, you’ll reflect upon the value of wellbeing for your own personal and professional development.

Exploring Sustainability

You'll examine contemporary practices and positive responses across a range of sustainability topics including responsible consumption, production and economic development. You’ll also explore potential criticisms of the concept of sustainable development and ask whether it is truly the most appropriate way forward.

Promotional Communications

You’ll create a promotional communications campaign that is designed to respond to the needs of an identified client. Through the development of the campaign, you’ll explore concepts such as positioning and messaging, and focus on achieving high impact communications. 

You’ll gain more specialist, operational knowledge of sustainable tourism management and apply developed techniques to your practice. Working both individually and collaboratively with your peers, you’ll develop an innovate tourism product, building skills in problem solving, personal responsibility and decision-making. 

Modules

Tourism Product Innovation

In this module, you’ll build on your understanding of the tourism business environment, including the economic impacts of tourism, the tourism product lifecycle, and corporate responsibilities. You’ll also explore the structural aspects of the tourism industry, including the relationship between suppliers, operators and the public sector.

Project Management

You’ll be taught a range of project management processes, including scope definition, objective setting, time planning, and evaluation methods. You’ll also examine alternative approaches to project management, including both waterfall and agile methodology, and learn how to apply these approaches to a variety of contexts. 

Research Methods

In this module, you’ll undertake a research project using ethically sound primary and secondary research methods. You’ll then present your project in the form of a poster presentation which will detail your methodology and findings.

Tourism Operations

You’ll engage with a range of tourism operations, including transport, hospitality, accommodation, activities, and attractions. You’ll explore key aspects of visitor management and how technology can be used to enhance the tourism offer. You’ll also learn about the role of human resource management within tourism operations and become aware of legal and regulatory considerations.

Financial Management

Developing an understanding of different financial concepts and processes, you’ll learn to analyse financial statements, engage in financial planning and explore sources of finance. You’ll then create a grant funding bid proposal that outlines a proposed project including financial statements and projections.

Collaborative Working

In this module, you’ll learn about the concept of ‘design thinking’. In multi-skilled teams you’ll work on a live brief and deliver a practical project, which you’ll then evaluate through a team performance review. 

You can choose to take an optional professional placement year after your second year on a three-year programme, or after your third year if you’re studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year. 

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the Employability team. 

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. 

How you’ll study during your professional placement 

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. 

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. 

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. 

In your final year, you’ll develop an in-depth understanding of leadership and crisis management. You’ll gain practical skills by taking part in a residential experience and explore destination storytelling in detail before developing your own sustainable destination strategy. You will continue to develop as a reflective, independent practitioner and further enhance your ability to communicate in a confident and persuasive style.

Modules

Crisis Management

In this module, you’ll develop your management capability to deal with complex crisis situations before being immersed in a live crisis scenario to test your skills. You’ll be assessed on your ability to respond to and evaluate this crisis scenario within a realistic multidisciplinary team situation.

Storytelling and Destination Image

You’ll explore the concept of destination storytelling as a tool to market a specific location. You’ll then devise your own destination story, creating an authentic image for an identified place.

Professional Development

Reflecting on your own professional development, you’ll build a portfolio that documents your skills and experience gained throughout this degree. Through this exercise, you’ll learn the value of using reflective practice to inform your own personal and professional development.

Strategic Destination Management

In this module, you’ll explore the complexities, nuances and interconnectivities of international destination management. You’ll complete a live practical consultancy project for an identified client and develop a cohesive strategy designed to shape the sustainable tourism future of that destination. 

Travel, accommodation and organised activities during the optional international residential trip are funded by your course fees, however you’re expected to pay for food and free-time activities. 

Futures Research

In the form of a research project, you’ll address the important aspects of a topic of your choice. Supported by a research supervision team, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to the theoretical and applied landscape within your field of interest.

Leadership

You’ll review a range of leadership models, styles and frameworks, building on your understanding of leadership practice and its impact on organisations. You then complete a leadership self-assessment, engaging in a comprehensive reflection and development process.

On top of lectures, seminars and tutorials, you’ll learn through field trips, independent study, live projects and inspiring talks from visiting professionals. You’ll also have the chance to work on a consultancy project at an international tourism destination, with your travel and accommodation expenses funded as part of the Sustainable Tourism Management degree. 

At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach. Your experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials and studio teaching, with some, more targeted elements, being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous). You can read more here.

100% of your assessment will be coursework. 

Assessment methods

• Practical assessments include crisis management simulation, digital and in-person presentations, and the development of your own tourism destination strategy 
• Coursework assignments that reflect real world outputs, including a portfolio of promotional communications, a grant funding bid and project initiation document (PID) 
• Continuous assessment through visual, verbal and written assignments