Travel far and wide. Get to know yourself better.
You have an open mind. You love discovering new cultures and travelling the world. That’s why the tourism industry attracts you. You are also a real go-getter and have a fondness for organizing things. You are open for all possibilities and not afraid of sudden changes – in other words, you are highly flexible. At the same time, you are stubborn enough to be able to make your own choices. Certainly in the coming years, you are willing to travel far and wide in order to achieve a better understanding of your own character. You will be absorbing new knowledge and taking on challenges with an open mind. You will want to meet new people and get to know yourself better. This is how you will ultimately grow into a professional with character. Does this sound a lot like you? Then take a look at the curriculum of the Tourism Management programme.
Tourism Management is a four-year degree programme. You will be studying the programme in Amsterdam/Diemen, the largest metropolitan area in the Netherlands and amidst the tourist hotspots of Amsterdam. This is where the latest developments take place. Get a lot of knowledge through practical case studies, group work, learning how to solve current issues and discover many inspiring companies and professionals.
Like any other journey, tourism management starts with a broad orientation phase. In Years 1 and 2 of the Bachelor's programme, you discover what tourism and leisure have to offer. What organisations are out there, what does the work of a tour operator entail and what are the key developments around themes such as sustainability, authentic experiences and the increasing pressure of tourism on cities?
You quickly become familiar with these issues in practice, as you will be working on real, topical cases of (international) organisations, with whom we work closely, with other students and your coaches. This is how you come up with innovative and creative solutions – exactly the way it works in the business world. You also learn all kinds of practical skills that you need as a professional.
Forms of study
The full-time programme makes use of various forms of study:
From green travel to over tourism and from commercialisation to small scale – during the first year, you will be getting a good overview of the tourism industry and all related aspects. How do you develop a tourism product that fits in with current trends? And how do you market a new destination strategically – without losing sight of sustainability?
Elements that will in any case be covered this year:
Tourism Management is a management programme, which means learning how to be an entrepreneur, how to manage an organisation and becoming familiar with all aspects related to the tourism sector. This will be the focus of the second year, which again will see a combination of theory and practice.
Elements that will in any case be covered this year:
Elective tracks
Over the course of this year, you will be choosing the direction you want to take in the last two years of your studies. The range of courses on offer keeps up with current developments and therefore changes regularly. Follow your personal interests: what do you find relevant and interesting? Would you like to study in different places abroad? Are you interested in deepening or broadening your knowledge? The choice is yours.
Third year
From the third year onwards, you will be following your path in a flexible way and incorporating various course components of your choice, which will be practical tracks and elective tracks.
Practical track
Interested in doing independent work at an organisation that suits you, in the Netherlands or far beyond? The third year focuses on a practical track: you will be doing a 5-month work placement either in the Netherlands or abroad and putting everything you have learned into practice. Whether you choose a large or a small organisation – each day you will be getting one step closer to starting your career. Everything you do and learn will be recorded in your portfolio. In this way, you will immediately build up your CV, which may help you when you switch to a paid job at a later stage.
Elective tracks with practical cases in the Netherlands and abroad
After your practical track, you will be able to choose between following elective tracks at one of our three locations in the Netherlands or (again) abroad. Opting to follow both an international practical track and study abroad means that you will be able to gain international experience for an entire academic year.
Pick the things that interest you from the wide range of elective tracks and follow your own academic pathway. It will be a voyage that will take in relevant issues facing tourism, which you will be exploring in practice in living labs and tourism specialisation programmes. These will be places where you will meet students from other programmes in order to come up with solutions to complex issues. These will be exciting, surprising projects that will really benefit companies.
Examples of practical cases include:
In the fourth year of the Bachelor's programme, you will specialise further and follow another six months of practice-oriented elective tracks. You will be able to decide when you do what. You will also be doing an independent project which will be the basis for your graduation. You can either choose to explore a destination close by or far away. It’s up to you. By this time you will be aware of where your interests lie and which subjects suit you. The focus will increasingly be on professional practice to which you will apply your theoretical knowledge.
During the graduation process, you will be doing research, developing a product (further) or doing both. The entire process must be recorded in a professional manner and be presented alongside the portfolio you have built up.
Once you have successfully completed the bachelor programme in Tourism Management you will receive the title of Bachelor of Arts – congratulations!
Study coaching
We believe it is crucial that you feel at home at Inholland as quickly as possible. Get on board and enjoy our community of students and coaches. Inholland is a safe, intimate environment in which you will be able to grow. We will be getting to know each other right away once you go on your study trip with other first-year students, organised entirely by our senior students. You will be able to set your own path, with our study coaches on hand to help you on your way. Our student counsellors are on hand to help with any specific learning difficulties you want to address.
Would you like to study abroad?
Through Inholland University of Applied Sciences, you will be able to follow part of your studies at partner institutions in almost all European countries. You might even end up in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Australia or the United States. Naturally, you won’t have to undertake this adventure on your own: you’ll have plenty of guidance from Inholland. The credits you earn will count towards your degree when you return to the Netherlands. And your experiences? Those will stay with you forever.