How is the Higher Diploma delivered?

The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Economy Systems is delivered on-campus in London, online via the LSTITM VLE and by distance learning, giving working systems staff and overseas candidates full flexibility.

What UK level is this Higher Diploma?

The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Economy Systems is a UK Level 5+ articulation-focused LSTITM qualification aligned with references from BCS, ITT, ABTA and CIM.

What are the entry requirements?

You need a completed Advanced Diploma or Level 5 tourism qualification, or 3+ years of supervisory experience. IELTS 6.0 and an interview are required for the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Economy Systems.

Fees for the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Economy Systems are published on the LSTITM website. Instalment plans, employer sponsorship and international payment routes are available on enquiry.

Higher Dip Tourism Experience Economy Systems | LSTITM | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Economy Systems is a 15 to 18-month LSTITM programme designed as the articulation route between senior experience-side tourism staff and managerial roles across the systems that support the modern experience economy. Sitting within the Travel Systems and Global Tourism department, the Higher Diploma is aligned with references from BCS, ITT, ABTA and CIM.

By graduation you will be able to run experience-economy systems programmes across booking, CRM, personalisation and content platforms, brief senior sponsors on system trade-offs, and act as the primary systems interface with product, marketing and operations teams. You will also complete a supervised senior project on a real systems programme and defend your roadmap, vendor selection and delivery plan in a tutor-led senior review at end-point assessment.

The Higher Diploma emphasises the discipline of translating between engineering and business: what a system change actually does to the guest experience, how vendor pitches map to real integration effort, and how to explain trade-offs to non-technical sponsors without pretending things are simpler than they are. This translation skill is what senior systems roles genuinely require.

Key Features

Articulation-focused Higher Diploma bridging Level 5 to honours-level systems practice
Alignment with BCS, ITT, ABTA and CIM references
Case studies from OTAs, tour operators and airline experience platforms
Coaching on system selection, roadmap design and integration
Introduction to personalisation, content and lifecycle-CRM systems
Guest sessions from experience-economy systems leads

What You Will Learn

Run experience-economy systems programmes end to end
Coordinate booking, CRM, personalisation and content platforms
Evaluate system trade-offs and total-cost-of-ownership calculations
Manage vendor selection, SoWs and delivery governance
Interpret user-research and analytics into system requirements
Follow security, data-protection and inclusion standards at senior level
Present systems roadmaps to boards, sponsors and steering committees
Coach advanced-diploma staff through systems routines and controls

Who This Course Is For

Advanced Diploma graduates targeting systems roles in tourism
Senior operator, OTA and airline staff progressing to systems-lead level
Consultancy partners specialising in tourism experience-systems
International applicants with 3+ years of tourism-systems experience

Career Pathways

Booking Platform Manager on OTA and operator platforms
Tourism CRM Specialist on lifecycle programmes
Tourism Systems Consultant on client system briefs
Reservations Systems Analyst on senior configuration work
Travel Technology Specialist on integration programmes
Travel API Integration Specialist on platform work

LSTITM's careers service supports Higher Diploma graduates with CV coaching, LinkedIn optimisation and warm introductions to London OTAs, tour operators and travel-technology platforms. Graduates progressing into an LSTITM honours top-up degree continue to receive careers coaching and are frequently placed into head-of-systems and platform-lead positions at OTAs, tour operator digital groups and travel-technology vendors delivering booking, CRM and content platforms. Assessment on the Higher Diploma in experience economy systems uses a supervised senior systems programme, a roadmap-and-vendor submission and a defended briefing, giving graduates managerial-workplace-ready evidence for honours and executive progression. Optional deep-dive masterclasses cover CRM operating models, content-platform selection and the difficult decisions around personalisation, privacy and consent management. Students also present short work-in-progress talks each term to build senior-audience presentation craft alongside systems technique for progression conversations.

Entry Requirements

A completed Advanced Diploma or equivalent Level 5 tourism qualification
Alternatively, 3+ years of supervisory tourism-systems 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 Harold International College of London's specialist tourism division. Every LSTITM programme is aligned with recognised UK bodies including the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, CIM, BCS and UKHospitality, so graduates walk into systems meetings with credible study behind them.

Higher Diploma students are taught by former systems directors, integration leads and consultants, and every route is supported by LSTITM's careers service and its London network of OTAs and travel-technology partners.

Experience-economy Higher Diploma candidates on the LSTITM route benefit from a rotating panel of vendor and integrator sessions where students see real proposals, SoWs and delivery plans dissected in structured discussion. This exposure to current market artefacts is what makes graduates able to evaluate vendor offers critically from their first senior meeting. Alumni-in-residence sessions provide a further peer perspective, connecting current cohorts with recent Higher Diploma graduates now leading experience-economy systems at London OTAs, tour operator digital groups and travel-technology vendors.

Apply for Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Economy Systems

Applications for the Higher Diploma in Tourism Experience Economy Systems are reviewed on a rolling basis and successful graduates articulate cleanly into LSTITM top-up honours routes. The LSTITM admissions team welcomes pre-application interviews so systems-focused candidates can align modules with real vendor-selection and release cycles in their current organisations. International candidates receive additional guidance on visa, English-language evidence and payment routes tailored to their country of residence, and admissions interviews can be arranged in multiple time zones. Complete your operational-to-managerial articulation with LSTITM by submitting your online application today. Enrol Now