MSc in Travel and Tourism Studies
Course Overview
The MSc in Travel and Tourism Studies is a 12 to 18-month postgraduate LSTITM programme that develops research-informed executive tourism practice across destination, systems, business and strategy disciplines. Designed for senior tourism practitioners and career-progression candidates targeting executive tourism leadership, consulting partner, chief tourism officer and regional tourism director positions, the MSc is delivered on-campus, online or by distance learning across a rolling annual intake schedule. The syllabus is aligned with Tourism Society, Chartered Management Institute (CMI), Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and Institute of Hospitality references, and includes a supervised dissertation.
By graduation you will be able to lead a research-informed executive tourism project, contribute to an executive-level strategy at DMO, tourism board or brand level, publish a supervised dissertation, and present research-based recommendations to a chief executive or board sponsor.
The MSc is delivered through structured lectures, seminars, applied research modules and a supervised dissertation, with a UK-referenced reading list, tutor-led feedback on every submission and a small cohort designed to keep discussion rigorous and executive-facing throughout.
Key Features
- Postgraduate syllabus co-designed by former tourism directors and consulting partners
- Alignment with Tourism Society, CMI, CIM, WTTC and Institute of Hospitality references
- Structured research training and supervised dissertation on a UK-relevant topic
- Guided reading from ABTA, ITT, UNWTO published outlook material and UKHospitality
- Structured induction to executive research, strategic frameworks and board-level readouts
- Practical exercises writing executive strategies, dissertation chapters and board updates
- Coaching on presenting research-informed options to a chief executive or board sponsor
- Structured modules on sustainability, safeguarding, ethical research and inclusive executive practice
- LSTITM careers workshops on executive tourism roles and consulting-partner tracks
What You Will Learn
- Lead a research-informed executive tourism project at DMO or brand level
- Contribute to an executive-level strategy at tourism-board or operator level
- Publish a supervised dissertation on a UK-relevant tourism topic
- Read an executive performance dashboard for a UK tourism programme
- Contribute to a business case for an executive tourism intervention
- Follow sustainability, GDPR, ethical-research and inclusive-executive principles
- Support a supplier or partner conversation as an executive tourism practitioner
- Draft an executive readout summarising research outcomes and next steps
- Present research-informed options to a chief executive or board sponsor
Who This Course Is For
- Bachelor holders progressing into executive-track tourism practice
- Senior tourism practitioners moving into chief tourism officer or consulting partner tracks
- International students seeking a UK postgraduate tourism qualification
- Career changers holding a first degree and 5+ years of senior tourism experience
- Working consultants formalising their executive tourism research portfolio
Career Pathways
- Head of Tourism Development
- Regional Tourism Director
- Chief Tourism Officer (junior)
- Tourism Strategy Consultant (senior)
- Tourism Consultancy Partner
- Executive Director (Tourism Board)
- Tourism Programme Director
- Tourism Research Director
- International Development Manager (senior)
LSTITM's careers service supports MSc students with executive CV writing, LinkedIn coaching, board-interview preparation and salary negotiation, plus warm introductions to London and regional DMOs, national tourism boards, travel-brand consultancies and public-affairs bodies recruiting into executive tourism roles. Weekly workshops include portfolio reviews of the executive strategies, dissertation chapters and board updates you produce during the MSc, and one-to-one supervision.
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 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 the destination, business, systems and strategic disciplines shaping modern global tourism. Every LSTITM programme is aligned with recognised UK bodies including the Tourism Society, ITT, ABTA, CIM, CMI, WTTC, Institute of Hospitality and UKHospitality, giving MSc graduates a credible reference base for their next executive tourism application in a competitive UK market.
MSc students learn from former tourism directors, consulting partners and destination policy leaders, in a research-informed curriculum with a supervised dissertation and a specialist tourism careers service that supports every executive application cycle with named coaches and warm introductions to LSTITM alumni across UK tourism.
Apply for MSc in Travel and Tourism Studies
Advance into executive tourism leadership with the LSTITM MSc in Travel and Tourism Studies, delivered by a specialist London school for tourism and international travel management with a research-informed executive focus at its core. You will graduate with an executive-grade portfolio of strategies, dissertation research, executive readouts and board updates built on real UK tourism-sector case material, ready to bring to interviews with chief executives at London and regional DMOs, tourism boards and travel-brand consultancies. Advance into executive tourism leadership with LSTITM and step into the next phase of your career with confidence. Enrol Now.
