MSc in Tourism Future Trends Studies
Course Overview
The MSc in Tourism Future Trends Studies is a 12 to 18 month postgraduate qualification for executives responsible for horizon scanning, futures planning and trend intelligence across tourism organisations. It is aligned with the Tourism Society, WTTC and BCS reference standards for future studies in tourism.
By graduation, students can lead trend intelligence functions, brief boards on futures scenarios and author a research-informed dissertation on emerging tourism trends and their strategic implications.
Assessment on the MSc in Tourism Future Trends Studies combines executive assignments, a research-informed dissertation and one strategic capstone. Learners select their dissertation topic in the first term so that every subsequent module contributes to their final research question, and the resulting dissertation is a portfolio document ready for use in senior foresight interviews.
Key Features
- Delivered on-campus in London, online and via distance learning
- Curriculum aligned with Tourism Society, WTTC and BCS references
- Postgraduate MSc with a futures-oriented dissertation module
- Seminars on horizon scanning, foresight and scenario planning
- Case studies of past tourism disruptions and structural shifts
- Executive coaching for futures and strategy career transitions
- Career service for executive foresight and trend intelligence roles
- Dissertation topic chosen in term one so every module reinforces the research question
- Strategic capstone reviewed by a panel of LSTITM industry faculty
What You Will Learn
- Futures methodology from horizon scanning to scenario planning
- Trend intelligence gathering across UK and global tourism
- Structured scenario workshops and board-level futures briefings
- Research methods for futures-oriented dissertations
- Emerging technology assessment for tourism organisations
- Sustainability transition and Net Zero futures for travel
- Ethics, uncertainty and precautionary decision-making in strategy
- Executive briefing formats for volatile and ambiguous contexts
- Executive research methodology including qualitative and quantitative design
- Postgraduate academic writing to publication-ready standards
- Executive coaching cadences with LSTITM foresight and consulting faculty
Who This Course Is For
- Bachelor graduates targeting foresight and strategy roles in tourism
- Senior strategy managers moving into futures briefs
- International postgraduate applicants targeting UK futures MSc study
- Career changers with 5+ years consulting, research or policy experience
- Aspiring heads of futures and foresight in tourism organisations
Career Pathways
- Tourism Strategy Consultant (Futures)
- Tourism Research Director
- Head of Tourism Development (Foresight)
- Tourism Consultancy Partner (Futures)
- Tourism Investment Analyst (Futures)
- Global Tourism Manager (Futures)
- Chief Tourism Officer (Futures Track)
LSTITM's careers service connects MSc students with futures and foresight recruiters at UK consultancies and travel-technology firms, plus board-level career coaching.
MSc in Tourism Future Trends Studies students also benefit from a quarterly executive foresight salon where working heads of strategy and futures from UK consultancies and travel corporates share live scenarios with the cohort. Distance-learning students join by video and receive sanitised scenario documents for their own reference. Past alumni consistently cite this salon as the feature that most translated postgraduate futures theory into the confidence to step into a boardroom foresight conversation with credibility.
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 tourism experience
- IELTS 6.5 overall (no band under 6.0) or equivalent English proficiency
- A 500-word research statement on the applicant's chosen area of tourism futures
- Two academic or professional references and a short interview
Applicants who narrowly miss the IELTS 6.5 threshold can take LSTITM's postgraduate pre-sessional English support before joining the MSc in Tourism Future Trends Studies, and international applicants receive a personal admissions reply within three working days. Applicants without a first degree but with five years of senior strategy, consulting or research experience should submit a portfolio statement and a research proposal.
Why Study at LSTITM
LSTITM is the London School of Tourism and International Travel Management, a specialist division of Harold International College of London. Every LSTITM programme is aligned with the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, CIM and UKHospitality reference frameworks.
Our postgraduate curriculum is written by former futures leads, strategy directors and tourism-technology partners and delivered across three flexible modes with dedicated executive career support.
Master's graduates from LSTITM's future trends studies route step into executive tourism roles with a research-informed dissertation, an industry-facing capstone and a personal executive coaching relationship maintained for the full duration of study. Alumni report that this triple combination is what most differentiates the LSTITM postgraduate foresight experience from more academic MSc routes elsewhere in the UK sector.
Apply for MSc in Tourism Future Trends Studies
Applications are open now for the next intake of the MSc in Tourism Future Trends Studies. Advance into executive tourism leadership with LSTITM and secure a research-informed postgraduate MSc in tourism futures. Termly intakes are open across on-campus, online and distance-learning modes so senior professionals can pick the route that best fits their executive commitments. Applications are reviewed on a first-come basis and the LSTITM admissions team responds within three working days. Enrol Now.
