BA in Tourism Experience Economy Studies
Course Overview
The BA in Tourism Experience Economy Studies is a 36-month full honours degree (with top-up routes for Higher Diploma holders) preparing graduates for experience product design, cultural tourism and heritage management careers at tourism boards, DMOs, cultural attractions and multi-brand travel groups. It sits within LSTITM's Tourism Professional and Strategic Studies portfolio and is aligned with frameworks referenced by the Tourism Society, WTTC, CIM and UKHospitality.
By graduation, students can design a full experience-economy product line, plan and deliver a placement-based experience project, complete an applied dissertation and step into a graduate experience-economy or cultural tourism role.
Undergraduates work through supervised experience studios, placement induction sessions and structured research seminars so every graduate leaves with a placement report, an experience portfolio and an honours dissertation credible with recruiters.
Every undergraduate carries a rolling experience-economy project across the three years, gradually building a personal portfolio of tourism experience artefacts that a recruiter can review at graduation time.
Undergraduate assessment is spread across coursework, placement report and final honours dissertation, so students build a coherent long-form portfolio credible with experience-economy recruiters at graduation.
Key Features
- Full BA honours qualification with experience-economy design modules
- References to Tourism Society, WTTC, CIM, CMI and UKHospitality
- Delivered online, on-campus in London and by distance learning
- Placement year with tourism boards, DMOs or cultural attractions
- Applied dissertation on a live experience-economy challenge
- Progression into LSTITM Master's routes in experience economy and destination
- Careers-service support with tourism boards, DMOs and cultural venues
- Live weekly experience studio clinics with lecturer and peer critique
- Curated pattern library of cultural attraction and DMO experience playbooks
What You Will Learn
- Experience-economy theory and its application to tourism product design
- How to build a tourism product line across ticketed and free experiences
- Advanced audience segmentation for experience-economy programmes
- Applied research methods including ethnography and journey observation
- Governance, sustainability and community consent for experience programmes
- How to run a placement experience project end to end
- How to present an experience-economy plan to a senior board
- How to write an applied honours dissertation on experience-economy issues
- How to lead a small experience pilot across a cultural attraction visitor journey
- How to structure a placement report grounded in a live experience challenge
- How to write a graduate-level experience-economy strategy grounded in applied research
- How to prepare a fully worked experience portfolio for a small cultural attraction
Who This Course Is For
- School leavers targeting a full honours experience-economy tourism degree
- Higher Diploma holders progressing via a top-up route
- International applicants aiming at cultural tourism graduate careers
- Career changers building a graduate qualification in experience design
- Placement seekers targeting tourism boards and cultural attractions
- International students seeking a full UK honours experience-economy degree
- Working travel practitioners on flexible study routes towards a full degree
Career Pathways
- Cultural Tourism Officer
- Heritage Tourism Manager
- Tourism Product Manager (experience-led)
- Tourism Development Officer (experience)
- Destination Marketing Executive (experience-led)
- Sustainable Tourism Officer (experience)
- Tour Operator Manager (experience)
- Tourism Consultant (experience track)
- Junior Experience-Economy Consultant
- Graduate Cultural Experience Executive
The LSTITM careers service supports BA students with placement matching, CV coaching, mock interviews and warm introductions to tourism boards, DMOs and cultural attractions across the London region.
Placement partners include a rotating pool of tourism boards, DMOs and cultural attractions, and the careers team meets each undergraduate individually every semester to review placement outcomes.
Recent BA cohorts have moved into experience-economy consultancy graduate schemes, cultural attraction executive roles across London and DMO experience tracks with London tourism boards.
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 division of Harold International College of London focused on destination, business, systems and strategic tourism disciplines. Every route is aligned with recognised UK bodies including the Tourism Society, WTTC, CIM, CMI and UKHospitality.
The BA in Tourism Experience Economy Studies is delivered by lecturers drawn from cultural attraction leadership, DMO directorships and destination consultancy backgrounds, plus a dedicated careers team and placement partners across London.
The BA in Tourism Experience Economy Studies articulates cleanly into the LSTITM Master's routes in experience economy and destination management, giving graduates a clear path into executive experience leadership.
Undergraduates also access weekly guest lectures from London cultural attraction executives, DMO heads and destination consultancy partners, so their applied learning stays close to live UK sector practice.
Apply for BA in Tourism Experience Economy Studies
The BA in Tourism Experience Economy Studies is a full honours route into UK-anchored experience-economy tourism careers. Applications open on a rolling basis for on-campus, online and distance-learning routes. Apply for your full LSTITM undergraduate tourism degree. Enrol Now.
