What Are the Courses in Tourism?

By Michael Ferguson

Tourism is a vast industry that offers numerous job opportunities to individuals who are interested in the field. If you are passionate about travel and want to turn your passion into a career, then pursuing a course in tourism can be an excellent choice. In this article, we will take a look at the different courses available in tourism that can help you kick start your career.

Certificate Courses

Certificate courses in tourism are short-term programs that provide students with fundamental knowledge about the industry. These courses typically last for six months to one year and cover topics such as tourism management, hospitality, tour operations, and travel agency management. Some popular certificate courses in tourism include:

  • Tourism Management Certificate: This program provides students with an overview of the tourism industry and covers topics such as marketing, customer service, and destination management.
  • Hospitality Certificate: This program focuses on teaching students about the hospitality sector within the tourism industry. Students learn about hotel management, food and beverage operations, and customer service.
  • Tourism Operations Certificate: This course is designed to teach students about tour planning, tour guiding, transportation management, and itinerary planning.

Diploma Courses

Diploma courses in tourism are more extensive than certificate programs and provide students with a deeper understanding of the industry. These courses typically last for one to two years and cover advanced topics such as sustainable tourism development, cultural heritage management, event planning, and adventure tourism. Some popular diploma courses in tourism include:

  • Diploma in Tourism Management: This program focuses on developing students’ managerial skills within the tourism industry. Students learn about accounting principles, strategic planning, human resource management, marketing strategies for travel businesses.
  • Diploma in Adventure Tourism: This program is perfect for individuals who are interested in adventure sports and outdoor activities.

    Students learn about adventure tourism planning, risk management, and safety measures.

  • Diploma in Event Management: This course focuses on teaching students about event planning and management within the tourism industry. Students learn about budgeting, marketing, and logistics for events such as conferences, festivals, and exhibitions.

Degree Courses

Degree courses in tourism are full-fledged programs that provide students with an in-depth understanding of various aspects of the industry. These courses typically last for three to four years and cover topics such as tourism economics, sustainable tourism planning, tourism policies and regulations. Some popular degree courses in tourism include:

  • Bachelor of Tourism Management: This program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the tourism industry. The curriculum covers topics such as destination development, cultural heritage management, marketing strategies for travel businesses.
  • Bachelor of Hospitality Management: This program focuses on developing students’ managerial skills within the hospitality sector of the tourism industry. Students learn about hotel operations management, food and beverage management.
  • Bachelor of Travel and Tourism: This course is designed to teach students about travel operations management, tour planning and guiding services delivery for adventure tours.

In Conclusion

Tourism offers a range of exciting career opportunities across various domains such as hospitality management, event planning, adventure sports activities among others. Pursuing a course in tourism can equip you with the necessary knowledge and skills required to excel in this industry.

Whether you opt for a certificate course or a degree program will depend on your career aspirations and current educational background. Regardless of which course you choose, the tourism industry is full of possibilities and can be a rewarding career path.