Destination Marketing and Management MSc (Full-time, Part-time)

Course overview

The tourism ‘destination’ comprises all those elements that collectively offer day and staying visitors an integrated visit experience and is regarded as the core component of the wider travel and tourism system. Each destination is a nexus of tourism activity, where a wide variety of stakeholders come together to assemble the tourism service-product, to facilitate its delivery and to experience its consumption. This means that the study of destinations is, by its very nature, an interdisciplinary undertaking.

Throughout the course you will gain an understanding of the political, economic and social contexts within which destination marketing and management takes place at international, national, regional, sub regional and local levels, whilst becoming equipped to develop a destination marketing and management strategy and annual plan of implementation. You will also develop the necessary knowledge and skills for you to be able to implement suitable systems for the evaluation, monitoring and control of destination marketing and management plans and be fully aware of the emerging developments, trends and issues pertinent to the future marketing and management of destinations.

You will also be able to develop a fuller understanding of the ways in which visitors experience, interpret, enjoy and evaluate a stay in a destination and be able to evaluate a variety of methods for researching visitor experiences. It’s key to understand how destination management policies and practice can enhance the overall visitor experience. On completing the course you will also be able to identify and select effective strategies for the management of the visitor experience and be aware of emerging developments, trends and issues pertinent to the future management of the visitor experience at tourist destinations.

The course is ideal for all those interested or already working in the marketing and management of tourist destinations.