How long is the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design?

The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design runs 15 to 18 months. Working senior CX leads typically finish the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design in eighteen months part-time.

Is the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design delivered online?

Yes. The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design is delivered on campus, online and by distance learning. The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design assessments are consistent across all routes.

Is the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design UK-recognised?

Yes. The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design is a UK Level 5+ articulation route aligned with Tourism Society, CIM and Institute of Hospitality standards. Employers view the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design as pre-management study.

What are the entry requirements for the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design?

You need a completed Advanced Diploma or 3+ years of supervisory tourism experience, IELTS 6.0, two references and an interview. The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design is open to progressors.

Are payment plans available for the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design?

Yes. LSTITM offers instalment plans and scholarships on the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design. Contact admissions for the current Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design fee sheet.

Higher Diploma Tourism Experience Design | LSTITM | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design is a 15 to 18-month UK Level 5+ articulation LSTITM programme within the Tourism and Destination Management department. It is aligned with the Tourism Society, Institute of Hospitality and CIM competency frameworks, preparing department-head candidates to lead experience design programmes for destinations, attractions and inbound tour operators.

By graduation you will lead an experience design programme for a destination, coordinate cross-team blueprint reviews, and own the roadmap that connects guest experience to product, brand and commercial performance.

Modules combine live seminars on experience programme leadership, senior workshops on blueprint governance and integrated management projects where department heads draft brand-linked design plans. Case examples reference live London attraction operators, so managerial vocabulary always maps back to real annual experience-design cycles.

Key Features

Senior experience design and blueprint governance modules
CIM-informed brand and experience linkage frameworks
Live case work with London attractions and DMOs
Applied projects on guest journey redesign
Coaching in stakeholder facilitation and workshops
Top-up route into LSTITM honours degree

What You Will Learn

Lead an experience design programme for a destination
Coordinate cross-team blueprint reviews
Own the roadmap linking experience to commercial results
Structure brand-experience alignment sessions
Design measurement frameworks for redesigned journeys
Facilitate senior stakeholder workshops
Draft board-facing experience investment briefs
Align experience design to sustainability commitments
Build a department-head portfolio linking experience work to board KPIs
Coach and develop assistant managers across CX and product teams

Assessment and Delivery

Assessment on the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design blends department-head briefs on programme leadership, a strategic portfolio and a final integrated capstone reviewed by an industry panel. Every candidate is paired with a senior supervisor for structured coaching and receives written formative feedback at each stage. On-campus, online and distance learners follow the same schedule of live workshops and executive-style seminars, with continued access to the LSTITM secure virtual learning environment after completion.

Who This Course Is For

Senior CX and experience leads at attractions
Product managers at DMOs and tour operators
Advanced Diploma progressors targeting management roles
Consultants moving into destination experience
Managers preparing for a top-up degree

Career Pathways

Tourism Product Manager (senior)
Customer Experience Manager (senior)
Destination Manager
Tourism Marketing Manager (senior)
Heritage Tourism Manager
Cultural Tourism Officer (senior)

LSTITM careers services support Higher Diploma graduates with executive coaching, department-head CV preparation and introductions to experience-focused teams at London tourism boards, tour operators, attractions and design studios, alongside structured alumni mentoring covering top-up honours applications.

Careers Support and Networks

Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design students access department-head careers workshops, executive showcase sessions and interview clinics run by the LSTITM careers team. Every candidate receives a department-head careers conversation, executive LinkedIn coaching, mock interview practice and warm introductions to head-of-experience, senior product and CX director vacancies across London tourism boards, tour operators and attractions, backed by an alumni network.

Industry-Referenced Study

The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design is written with reference to annual experience roadmaps used by London-based visitor attractions and DMOs. Learners work through department-head scenarios that mirror annual practice, such as leading a destination-level experience programme, coordinating a brand-experience alignment session and producing a board-ready experience investment pack. Every scenario is anchored to real UK experience design practice, and candidates leave with a portfolio that supports a top-up honours application or an external head-of-experience role.

Entry Requirements

A completed Advanced Diploma or equivalent Level 5 tourism qualification
Alternatively, 3+ years of supervisory tourism or travel experience with a portfolio statement
IELTS 6.0 or equivalent English proficiency for international applicants
Two academic or professional references
Interview with the LSTITM admissions team

Why Study at LSTITM

LSTITM is a specialist division of Harold International College of London delivering programmes across destinations, tourism business, travel systems and strategic tourism practice. Higher Diplomas are aligned with the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, CIM, CMI, Institute of Hospitality and UKHospitality standards, giving experience-design candidates a recognised UK evidence base for head-of-experience roles.

Curriculum authors include former experience design directors and destination heads. LSTITM Higher Diplomas top up cleanly into the honours degree and articulate into Master's routes, so experience-design department heads can progress into MSc-informed experience innovation or CX consulting leadership at London tourism organisations.

Apply for Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design

Applications for the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Design are open on a rolling basis and reviewed within a few working days of receipt. Complete your operational-to-managerial articulation with LSTITM by booking your admissions interview, submitting your portfolio statement, two references and any prior study evidence to the admissions team. Successful applicants receive an offer pack detailing senior supervisor allocation, tuition options, start dates and articulation guidance into the honours degree top-up, and an invitation to a department-head cohort induction. International applicants also receive pre-arrival guidance and access to the LSTITM student services team throughout onboarding. Enrol Now