Source:UK travel, tourism and leisure courses
'Travel, tourism and leisure courses in the UK can equip you with sought-after skills in a global job market. Study in the UK and not only will you benefit from an unrivalled level of expertise, but you’ll also be surrounded by some of the world’s greatest tourist and leisure attractions. From the London Eye to Edinburgh castle to Stonehenge, the UK will inspire you to make the most of your studies.'
Hospitality and tourism is an area where practical experience is just as important as academic theory. Much of the training in the UK is carried out in a practical environment. The industry also needs well-qualified people to take up management, marketing, market research and events management positions – so there are plenty of career opportunities for you.
You can find information about other career opportunities on the Prospects website.
Why study travel, tourism and leisure in the UK?
• Many UK international colleges and language schools offer the chance to gain internationally recognised qualifications from professional organisations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Hotel and Catering International Management Association (HCIMA). These can often be studied alongside English language qualifications.
• Ethical tourism is a growing sector, with more than 160 UK tour companies specialising in environmentally responsible travel.
• Many UK colleges run their own training restaurants and cafés, where catering students can gain real-life experience. These are sometimes run as commercial enterprises open to the local community.
UK travel, tourism and leisure courses to study
UK colleges and universities offer a huge variety of subjects. You can specialise in baking or patisserie, or study a broader field such as hotel and restaurant management. You can take a practical route, such as tourism management, or a theoretical approach, such as tourism studies.
A BTEC First Diploma or BTEC National in travel and tourism will give you a good basis in the subject, especially when combined with modern languages and geography. At higher education level, vocational courses such as HNDs and foundation degrees are the most common in the UK.
At degree level, courses tend to include a high proportion of business and management studies. BA (Hons) and BSc programmes are available in subjects like Tourism Business Management and International Travel Management with Air Travel.
UK postgraduate travel, tourism and leisure degrees
Taught master’s degrees and postgraduate certificates in travel and tourism are increasingly popular, particularly for students who want to enter the industry at managerial level. MPhil and PhD programmes give postgraduate students the opportunity to look at areas such as sustainable tourism and tourism in developing countries.
Search for your ideal travel, tourism and leisure course in the course finder.
