Tourism Management - Saxion University

The programme
The six pillars of Tourism Management
(1) Two areas of expertise: tourism and recreation
In the 1st year you will concentrate on both areas of expertise, so that you are properly acquainted with them. In the 2nd year you choose the topics that appeal to you within any of the two fields.
(2) Practically apply what you have learned
We want you to be in touch with future employers as much as possible. You will therefore visit many companies, get guest lectures from professionals and solve current issues for clients in the field.
(3) Solve actual issues
Every quartile you will focus on one major tourism issue. To solve this, you need more than just expertise in tourism, but also knowledge about communication, business and research.
(4) Get Ready for a Smart World!
Tourism and technology are inextricably linked. Think of websites comparing airline tickets, apps serving as personal travel agents and customer service systems that generate automatic replies.
(5) Traineeships across the world
We have built up a large international network of companies that offer traineeships for Saxion students. Our network guarantees the quality of your traineeship in terms of learning opportunities.
(6) Working with international students and teachers
You will be working closely with both students from different cultures and lecturers. Your lecturers will support you in developing knowledge and skills and will continuously challenge you.
Year 1
Discover the world of tourism and leisure
In your first term, you will set up a trend-watching agency with the specific purpose of informing the sector about recent global trends, and how these will affect tourist organisations and companies. You will find out more about the sector, perform research and ensure the financial viability of your agency.
Subject areas: The tourism market, communication, research, project management and economics.
Meet the tourist
The second term will focus on getting to know the ‘tourist’. This will involve analysing different kinds of tourists and why they travel, as well as gaining insight into their world. You will be required to advise an organisation on how a Chinese tourist should be welcomed in a polite and hospitable manner. To this end, you will study different cultures and learn how to write an advisory report.
Subject areas: tourist behaviour, communication, research, culture and hospitality.
Social media ‘take-over’ for a European city
The third term will be devoted to studying various destinations, identifying a particular target group’s needs and wishes and learning more about online marketing. Your assignment will include using social media to promote a certain destination to a specific target group.
Subject areas: destinations, marketing and online marketing and consumer behaviour.
Encourage responsible tourism
The final term of this year will see you immerse yourself in meaningful action as you investigate the options available to a particular tourist organisation, in terms of generating value creation for clients, staff and society at large. This means you will encourage respect for human beings and the environment, while simultaneously factoring in the organisation’s identity and financial constraints. Subject areas: tourism, corporate social responsibility, economics and organisational development.

Year 2 - Internships all over the world and real life projects
Devise an innovative concept for the tourism sector If you enjoy coming up with new ideas and concepts, this term will appeal to you, as you will be designing a concept, or travel concept, for tourists and leisure customers.
You will achieve this with the help of innovative tools such as virtual reality apps, personalised apps and robots. You may wish to use your idea to set up your own business or you may prefer to design an innovative concept for an established business. It is entirely up to you!
It goes without saying that you will need to prove your idea is financially viable. You will also need to be aware of the latest developments in the tourism sector and be familiar with marketing principles, innovative tools and creative thinking.

Solve dilemmas in the tourism sector
This term will focus on responsible tourism. You will be advising organisations facing certain dilemmas, such as helping travel agencies formulate a plan when offering holidays in countries where human rights are an issue, or where the environment and indigenous culture require protection.
You will gain a strong grounding in the principles of economic responsibility so that you are able to resolve the types of dilemmas described above.
Modules: Tourism impacts / Entrepreneurship in tourism / (International) internship
Topics: Smart tech / Acting economically / Responsible descisionmaking
Year 3 & 4 - Possibility to specialise your field of expertise
You will work in smaller groups on issues raised by organizations in tourism, either in school or on site. These projects allow you to specialize in certain areas and to further develop your talents and professional profile.
You can choose from different projects (like destination development, hospitality, responsible tourism or marketing) for various companies (like tour operators, hotels, government, museums or leisure companies), whether you work from school, in the region or internationally.
During your minor you can either attend courses at a different institute of higher education in the Netherlands or at one of our partner universities in and outside Europe, do a preliminary course for a university master study or do another traineeship in which you focus on your management skills. The final semester is taken up by your thesis assignment.
Career prospects
Tourism is one of the world’s largest sectors The 2017 UNWTO report revealed that this sector accounted for 10% of the global GDP and was responsible for generating one in ten jobs. A Tourism Management degree can be seen as a ticket to a wide range of exciting careers.