BA in Tourism Business Strategy

Course Overview

The BA in Tourism Business Strategy is a full honours-level degree delivered by LSTITM in London over 36 months full-time, with a shorter top-up route for holders of a Higher Diploma or Advanced Diploma. Aligned with Tourism Society, Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) practice, the programme combines competitive, portfolio and destination growth strategy work with hands-on casework so that graduates can talk credibly about business strategy inside UK operators, OTAs, DMOs and consultancies.

By graduation, you will be a placement-tested tourism business-strategy graduate able to run a small strategy exercise, coordinate a competitor and portfolio review, and produce industry-referenced write-ups suitable for tourism boards, consultancies and travel-brand strategy teams. The programme includes a supervised placement inside a UK strategy-heavy organisation so that final-year work is genuinely industry-tested and portfolio-ready. Final-year modules blend research methods, competitive case work and a dissertation-style capstone that brings competitor, portfolio and destination-growth thinking together for a defensible graduate portfolio piece.

Key Features

• Full honours-level programme aligned with Tourism Society, CMI and CIM referenced practice
• Applied strategy casework using real UK operator, OTA and DMO scenarios
• Structured supervised placement inside a UK operator, OTA, DMO or consultancy strategy team
• Tutor briefings from former strategy directors and travel-industry consultants
• Portfolio-quality outputs including competitor reviews, portfolio maps and strategy write-ups
• Careers coaching for graduate tourism business-strategy roles across London
• Rolling intakes across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes for flexibility
• Structured articulation into LSTITM Master's routes for research-informed executive practice

What You Will Learn

• How to run a small strategy exercise for a defined tourism unit with clear rationale
• Coordinating a competitor review across UK and international travel-brand players
• Producing a clean portfolio map covering live products, near-term concepts and long-term bets
• Reading tourism-sector data and referencing it responsibly in applied strategy work
• Understanding basic corporate development, M&A and partnership models used in travel
• Producing industry-referenced strategy write-ups suitable for board briefings
• Coordinating a small applied strategy project during placement
• Presenting a full graduate strategy portfolio to a tutor panel with rationale

Who This Course Is For

• A-Level and IB leavers targeting business-strategy careers in tourism
• Higher Diploma holders topping up into a full honours BA
• International applicants preparing for UK graduate strategy roles
• Career changers with consulting or analyst backgrounds entering tourism
• Tourism-board and travel-brand staff progressing into research-informed honours study

Career Pathways

• Graduate Tourism Strategy Analyst inside a UK destination board or consultancy
• Graduate Business Development Executive inside a London travel brand
• Junior Tourism Consultant inside a UK consultancy
• Graduate Corporate Development Executive inside a UK operator
• Junior Tourism Programme Executive inside a UK destination board
• Graduate Strategy Analyst (Tourism) inside a UK travel-brand strategy team

The LSTITM careers service supports Bachelor learners with graduate-level CV drafting, structured interview coaching, placement mediation and warm introductions to London operator, DMO, OTA and consultancy strategy teams. Learners also receive coaching on how to present strategy artefacts during graduate interview rounds, plus advice on how to talk credibly about competitor reviews, portfolio balance and structured recommendation discipline with senior directors and consultants.

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 the tourism and travel sector
• 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 the destination, business, systems and strategic disciplines that shape modern global tourism. Every LSTITM programme is aligned with UK bodies including the Tourism Society, Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT), ABTA, CIM, CMI and UKHospitality, giving graduates credible honours study behind them and a clean articulation route into Master's degrees.

Our curriculum is written by former strategy directors, destination leaders and travel-industry consultants, and delivered across on-campus, online and distance-learning routes so working professionals and international students can join. Dedicated careers services support every LSTITM learner with CV, LinkedIn, placement mediation and interview coaching plus introductions to London tourism boards, operators, OTAs and consultancy partners for graduate roles.

Apply for BA in Tourism Business Strategy

Applications open on a rolling basis, and the LSTITM admissions team will guide you through documents, English requirements, references and cohort dates for on-campus, online and distance-learning routes so you can pick the pace that suits your undergraduate schedule. Bachelor graduates typically progress into graduate strategy roles inside UK boards, consultancies and travel brands, or continue directly into the LSTITM Master's route for research-informed executive practice. The admissions team confirms tuition, instalments, top-up eligibility and required documents at enquiry so you have full clarity on cost, placement window and cohort dates before you commit to the BA. Apply for your full LSTITM undergraduate tourism degree. Enrol Now