MSc in Tourism Branding and Identity (Strategic Pathway)
Course Overview
The MSc in Tourism Branding and Identity is a 12 to 18-month LSTITM postgraduate programme in the Tourism Professional and Strategic Studies department. It prepares senior practitioners to lead tourism branding and identity programmes for destinations, tour operators and travel groups. The MSc is aligned with references from CIM, Tourism Society and WTTC.
By graduation you will hold a research-informed Master's, a dissertation of at least 15,000 words on a live branding-and-identity question and a portfolio of board-ready brand strategy work. The programme layers case studies, structured tutorials and applied assessments across scenario planning, board-level decisions, policy alignment and cross-sector programmes, giving senior practitioners and consultancy leads a route into tourism strategy, consultancy and policy work that recruiters can quickly read on a CV. You will exit the course able to demonstrate front-line judgement in interview scenarios and to answer probing questions about how consultancies, tourism boards, regional authorities and public-sector programmes operate in the current UK market.
Key Features
- Full postgraduate MSc route with a brand-focused dissertation
- Reference to CIM, Tourism Society and WTTC brand-strategy standards
- Applied studies on destination brand and travel-group identity
- Board-briefing coaching for senior audiences
- Dedicated MSc careers service for brand-track roles
- Online, on-campus in London and distance-learning delivery
- Case-based assessment covering strategic scenarios, policy briefing, board papers, consultancy engagements, cross-sector partnerships, ESG reporting
- Applied a peer-reviewed workshop format with rolling written feedback
What You Will Learn
- How to design and defend a destination brand at board level
- How to run a rebranding programme for a travel group without hurting loyalty
- How to research brand equity ethically across markets
- How to link brand strategy to product and pricing decisions
- How to protect CIM-referenced brand governance across regions
- How to run brand-and-identity work through political change
- How to defend a brand-investment case to a challenging board
- How to write a 15,000-word Master's dissertation on a brand question
- How consultancy houses, tourism boards, regional authorities and public-sector programme teams apply strategic reasoning, evidence synthesis and stakeholder-facing communication to real UK trading decisions
- How to structure a written recommendation for a senior UK tourism manager
Who This Course Is For
- Senior brand leaders moving into head-of-brand tourism roles
- Consultancy analysts specialising in tourism branding
- DMO chief marketing officers and public-sector brand leads
- International applicants targeting UK executive brand posts
Career Pathways
- Head of Tourism Development (brand)
- Tourism Corporate Development Manager
- Tourism Consultancy Partner (brand)
- Tourism Marketing Manager (senior)
- Destination Marketing Director
- Chief Tourism Officer (brand track)
LSTITM's MSc careers service coaches learners on executive CV structure, brand-consulting interviews and consultancy applications and connects graduates to London brand consultancies, DMOs and travel groups.
Entry Requirements
- A UK 2:2 (Lower Second Class) honours degree or overseas equivalent in any discipline
- Applicants without a first degree may be considered with 5+ years senior brand or tourism experience
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band under 6.0) or equivalent English proficiency
- A 500-word research statement on your chosen tourism-branding specialisation
- Two academic or professional references and a short interview
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 destination, business, systems and strategic disciplines. Programmes are aligned with recognised UK bodies including the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, CIM, CMI and UKHospitality.
Our curriculum is written by former brand directors, consultancy partners and destination-marketing chief executives and delivered on-campus, online and by distance learning to fit senior practitioners globally.
Beyond the taught curriculum, MSc in Tourism Branding and Identity learners join the wider LSTITM community across London and online, with rolling guest sessions from working professionals in consultancies, tourism boards, regional authorities and public-sector programmes. These sessions bring the research-informed decision-making, dissertation-quality analysis and board-level defence focus of the programme to life through concrete examples, and demystify how modern tourism strategy, consultancy and policy work teams recruit, promote and develop their people. Every learner also receives structured feedback on written assessments so that operational discipline becomes visible in the finished portfolio, ready for interview or promotion review.
The LSTITM approach is deliberate: pair recognised UK professional-body reference points with hands-on tutor guidance, structured tutorials and real case material from London tour operators, OTAs, airlines and destination boards. That combination is what turns the MSc in Tourism Branding and Identity into more than a certificate on the wall, and into a piece of evidence that recruiters, promotion panels and consultancy partners can actually use.
Apply for MSc in Tourism Branding and Identity (Strategic Pathway)
The MSc in Tourism Branding and Identity opens with structured annual intakes at LSTITM's London campus and online. Advance into executive tourism leadership with LSTITM through a brand-and-identity MSc. The MSc in Tourism Branding and Identity sits inside a wider LSTITM portfolio, so learners on this executive Master's route can move confidently into the next articulation step. Admissions typically responds within three working days, and applicants receive documented feedback on any application query before the next intake window closes. Enrol Now
