BA in Destination Management
Course Overview
The BA in Destination Management is a three-year LSTITM full honours degree in the Tourism Professional and Strategic Studies department, with 36 months of full delivery or a top-up route for Higher Diploma holders. It prepares graduates to lead destination management programmes across UK regions and international source markets. The degree is aligned with references from the Tourism Society, WTTC and CIM.
By graduation you will hold a full honours degree, a London placement in a destination management organisation and a Level 6 dissertation on a live destination-management question. The programme layers case studies, structured tutorials and applied assessments across scenario planning, board-level decisions, policy alignment and cross-sector programmes, giving undergraduates targeting a graduate career a route into tourism strategy, consultancy and policy work that recruiters can quickly read on a CV. You will exit the course able to demonstrate front-line judgement in interview scenarios and to answer probing questions about how consultancies, tourism boards, regional authorities and public-sector programmes operate in the current UK market.
Key Features
- Full three-year BA honours degree with a Level 6 dissertation
- Reference to Tourism Society, WTTC and CIM destination-management standards
- Placement year in a UK DMO, tourism board or regional authority
- Applied studies on visitor economy, community and sustainability
- Graduate careers coaching for destination-management roles
- Online, on-campus in London and distance-learning delivery
- Case-based assessment covering strategic scenarios, policy briefing, board papers, consultancy engagements, cross-sector partnerships, ESG reporting
- Applied a peer-reviewed workshop format with rolling written feedback
What You Will Learn
- How a modern destination management organisation is structured
- How to write a multi-year destination management plan
- How to balance visitor-economy growth with community and sustainability
- How to run a destination brand and campaign programme
- How to work with public, private and third-sector destination partners
- How to defend a destination-management case to elected officials
- How to run a placement in a real UK DMO
- How to write a Level 6 dissertation on a destination question
- How consultancy houses, tourism boards, regional authorities and public-sector programme teams apply strategic reasoning, evidence synthesis and stakeholder-facing communication to real UK trading decisions
- How to structure a written recommendation for a senior UK tourism manager
Who This Course Is For
- School leavers targeting graduate careers in destination management
- Higher Diploma holders progressing to a destination-focused top-up route
- Public-sector staff moving into tourism destination management
- International applicants targeting UK destination-management posts
Career Pathways
- Destination Manager
- Regional Tourism Coordinator
- Tourism Development Officer
- Tourism Board Programme Coordinator
- Cultural Tourism Officer
- Sustainable Tourism Officer
LSTITM's careers service supports BA students through placement, graduate applications and long-run career planning, with ties to London and UK regional DMOs, tourism boards and consultancy houses.
Entry Requirements
- A-Levels (BBC or above) or IB (26+ points) or overseas equivalents
- A completed Higher Diploma or Advanced Diploma for top-up routes
- IELTS 6.0 overall (no band under 5.5) or equivalent English proficiency
- Personal statement outlining career objectives in destination management
- Two academic or professional references
Why Study at LSTITM
LSTITM is the London School of Tourism and International Travel Management, a specialist division of Harold International College of London focused on destination, business, systems and strategic disciplines. Programmes are aligned with recognised UK bodies including the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, CIM, CMI and UKHospitality.
Our curriculum is written by former destination directors, DMO chief executives and tourism consultants and delivered on-campus, online and by distance learning to fit both school leavers and career changers.
Beyond the taught curriculum, BA in Destination Management learners join the wider LSTITM community across London and online, with rolling guest sessions from working professionals in consultancies, tourism boards, regional authorities and public-sector programmes. These sessions bring the academic depth, research literacy and applied strategic thinking focus of the programme to life through concrete examples, and demystify how modern tourism strategy, consultancy and policy work teams recruit, promote and develop their people. Every learner also receives structured feedback on written assessments so that strategic imagination becomes visible in the finished portfolio, ready for interview or promotion review.
The LSTITM approach is deliberate: pair recognised UK professional-body reference points with hands-on tutor guidance, structured tutorials and real case material from London tour operators, OTAs, airlines and destination boards. That combination is what turns the BA in Destination Management into more than a certificate on the wall, and into a piece of evidence that recruiters, promotion panels and consultancy partners can actually use.
Apply for BA in Destination Management
The BA in Destination Management opens for annual intakes at LSTITM's London campus, with online and top-up routes available. Apply for your full LSTITM undergraduate tourism degree with a destination-management specialism. The BA in Destination Management sits inside a wider LSTITM portfolio, so learners on this full BA honours route can move confidently into the next articulation step. Admissions typically responds within three working days, and applicants receive documented feedback on any application query before the next intake window closes. Enrol Now
