BA in Tourism Economics
Course Overview
The BA in Tourism Economics is a full honours-level degree delivered by LSTITM in London over 36 months full-time, with a shorter top-up route available for holders of a Higher Diploma or Advanced Diploma. Aligned with Tourism Society, Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) practice, the programme combines applied economic reasoning with hands-on destination casework so that graduates can talk credibly about demand, supply, pricing and destination policy across UK and international markets.
By graduation, you will be a placement-tested tourism-economics graduate able to build a demand model for a small destination, run a pricing scenario for a travel-brand product line, 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 tourism board, operator or consultancy so that final-year work is genuinely industry-tested. Final-year modules blend research methods, quantitative case work and a dissertation-style capstone that brings destination, pricing and policy thinking together for a defensible portfolio piece at graduate interview.
Key Features
- Full honours-level programme aligned with Tourism Society, CIM and WTTC referenced practice
- Applied destination casework using real UK city, regional and international tourism scenarios
- Structured supervised placement inside a UK tourism board, operator, OTA or consultancy
- Tutor briefings from former destination economists and travel-industry consultants
- Portfolio-quality outputs including demand models, pricing scenarios and policy write-ups
- Careers coaching for graduate tourism-economics roles across London and beyond
- 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
- Applied microeconomic reasoning for tourism demand, supply, price and consumer choice
- Building simple destination demand models with historic data and forward-looking signals
- Running pricing scenarios for travel-brand product lines with clear assumptions and sensitivities
- Reading tourism-sector data from ONS, VisitBritain, WTTC and UNWTO-referenced sources
- Understanding destination policy levers including taxation, capacity and access controls
- Producing industry-referenced tourism-economics write-ups suitable for board briefings
- Coordinating a small applied research project during placement
- Presenting a full graduate tourism-economics portfolio to a tutor panel with rationale
Who This Course Is For
- A-Level and IB leavers with strong quantitative backgrounds targeting tourism-economics careers
- Higher Diploma holders topping up into a full honours BA
- International applicants preparing for UK graduate tourism-economics roles
- Career changers with economics or analyst backgrounds entering tourism
- Tourism-board and travel-brand staff progressing into research-informed honours study
Career Pathways
- Graduate Tourism Economist inside a UK destination board or consultancy
- Graduate Tourism Business Analyst inside a London travel brand
- Junior Tourism Policy Officer inside a UK regional partnership
- Graduate Revenue Analyst (Tourism) inside a UK operator or OTA
- Graduate Tourism Consultant inside a small London consultancy
- Junior Tourism Research Analyst 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 tourism boards, consultancies and travel-brand strategy teams. Learners also receive coaching on how to present economic models, pricing scenarios and destination policy write-ups during graduate interview rounds, plus advice on how to talk credibly about assumptions, sensitivity ranges and forecast reliability with senior 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, WTTC and UKHospitality, giving graduates credible honours study behind them and a clean articulation route into Master's degrees.
Our curriculum is written by former destination economists, revenue 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 Economics
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 tourism-economics 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
