Tourism and Leisure Management

Much like hospitality and catering, tourism and leisure management is a relatively new course to British universities. It is more likely to be found in former polytechnics and further education colleges than in the more traditional universities (there is a snobbery factor), but as the industry grows, so it demands increased professionalism, and with that comes a need for graduates.

The tourism industry is now widely recognised as the world's largest and its growth is creating rapid social, economic and environmental changes across the globe, which require detailed understanding and measures to manage it.

As a subject, tourism isn't just concerned with how the masses flood towards the Costa del Sol, it has much wider concerns, beyond the developed world, and often looks instead at its global impact.

You'll study how people journey to their destination, how people choose where to go and what they do when they are there. You'll gain an understanding of how people travel and how that interaction gives rise to changes in society, the economy and environment on a global scale.

Leisure management courses cover more practical areas, as befits a vocational degree. In a typical degree, you'll he able to study human resource management, accountancy, computing and marketing. From there, you can specialise in the specific study of operational issues alongside courses related to strategic development. You might, for example, study topics in tourism and the environment, heritage, public and private sector leisure management or leisure and special needs.

As with many vocational courses, there is always the sandwich option, whereby you can spend a year working in a part of the tourism industry, or else the possibility of a shorter period of work experience. Either is invaluable - experience is a key to finding the right kind of future employment: it both impresses your future bosses and gives you a far better idea of the areas you might want to work in. Some courses, international hotel management for example, have foreign travel as in integral part of the course.

While tourism is a growth industry, you can't ignore the effects of September n and the increased uncertainties thereafter, most especially the Iraq war. People are more nervous about travel now and that has had a detrimental effect on international tourism. Academically, if rather callously, speaking, it has added new dimensions to the study of the subject, but in terms of graduate prospects, it has had something of a braking effect on the industry's growth. Generally speaking, though, those emerging with a degree can look forward to careers with transport providers (airlines, ferry operators), tour operators, hotels, travel agents and leisure developments. There are also possibilities in sports centre management, both private and public, and a relatively large number of graduates head off for teacher training courses each year.

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