Why choose the School of Accounting, Law and Sustainable Tourism
In the National Student Survey 2025, 90% of our tourism, transport and travel students were satisfied with how well the course developed knowledge and skills for the future.
Our tourism courses are in the UK top 25 in their subject field for teaching quality (Times, 2026).
Option of a year-long placement, giving you industry experience and the chance to boost our future employability.
About the course
This dynamic course builds your theoretical knowledge and practical management skills while exploring key global issues; environmental challenges; sustainable tourism; and new and developing technologies. You experience real-world situations through real-life industry scenarios, field trips and an optional industry placement in the UK or abroad. Our ethical approach looks at the business of tourism and its impact on environmental and cultural preservation.
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Access to the Opera hospitality management programme as well as Harvard Business Publishing’s learning resources, providing immersive simulation software
- Our simulation software ‘Simulate’ allows you to take control of your own airline and gain key insights into airline management
- Gain competencies in key digital skills such as Excel through SIMnet, our Microsoft Office training platform
- Excellent Learning Resources Centre with an extensive library, giving you access to a wide range of academic and industry knowledge including e-journals, e-books and information databases as well as traditional printed books
Your student experience
We work closely with the Student Union’s Tourism and Aviation Society to develop your entrepreneurship and managerial skills, including in event planning.
Take advantage of local industry-relevant employment opportunities such as London Luton Airport, TUI, EasyJet, Luton Hoo Hotel, and leading hotel brands such as Hilton, Ibis and Marriott.
Benefit from our Aviation Job Fair, attended by airlines and airports, providing opportunities to explore further employment or internships.
Attend talks from international tourism professionals from across the world, broadening your understanding of what is possible in the field. Recent speakers have had influential positions at EGL Tours, London Luton Airport, Enterprise Rent-a-car, Wizz Air, and the Cuban Tourist Board.
Field trips are organised in conjunction with the Student Union’s Tourism and Aviation Society and may include visits to London Luton Airport, TUI, Olympic Park and the World Travel Market.
with Professional Practice Year
This course has the option to be taken over four years which includes a year placement in industry. Undertaking a year in industry has many benefits. You gain practical experience and build your CV, as well as being a great opportunity to sample a profession and network with potential future employers.
There is no tuition fee for the placement year enabling you to gain an extra year of experience for free.
*Only available to UK/EU students.
with Foundation Year
A Degree with a Foundation Year gives you guaranteed entry to an Undergraduate course.
Whether you’re returning to learning and require additional help and support to up-skill, or if you didn’t quite meet the grades to pursue an Undergraduate course, our Degrees with Foundation Year provide a fantastic entry route for you to work towards a degree level qualification.
With our guidance and support you’ll get up to speed within one year, and will be ready to seamlessly progress on to undergraduate study at Bedfordshire.
The Foundation Year provides an opportunity to build up your academic writing skills and numeracy, and will also cover a range of subject specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree.
This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will need to successfully complete the Foundation Year to progress on to the first year of your bachelor’s degree.
Why study a degree with a Foundation Year?
- Broad-based yet enough depth to give you credible vocational skills
- Coverage of a variety of areas typically delivered by an expert in this area
- Gain an understanding of a subject before choosing which route you wish to specialise in
- Great introduction to further study, and guaranteed progression on to one of our Undergraduate degrees
The degrees offering a Foundation Year provide excellent preparation for your future studies.
During your Foundation Year you will get the opportunity to talk to tutors about your degree study and future career aspirations, and receive guidance on the most appropriate Undergraduate course to help you achieve this; providing you meet the entry requirements and pass the Foundation Year.
Course Leader - Rukeya Suleman
I am a Cultural Geographer schooled at the University of Cambridge and now work as a Lecturer in Tourism Studies at the University of Bedfordshire.
Currently completing a doctorate on the changing identity of British Muslim women through travel, I am deeply interested in matters of Islamic modernity.
My other research interests concern geopolitical issues as they relate to the traditional / transitional use of space and place today, and I have published articles and chapters in the realm of public culture, the politics of tourism, issues of representation and cultural mobility.
Course Leader - Rukeya Suleman
I am a Cultural Geographer schooled at the University of Cambridge and now work as a Lecturer in Tourism Studies at the University of Bedfordshire.
Currently completing a doctorate on the changing identity of British Muslim women through travel, I am deeply interested in matters of Islamic modernity.
My other research interests concern geopolitical issues as they relate to the traditional / transitional use of space and place today, and I have published articles and chapters in the realm of public culture, the politics of tourism, issues of representation and cultural mobility.
Course Leader - Rukeya Suleman
I am a Cultural Geographer schooled at the University of Cambridge and now work as a Lecturer in Tourism Studies at the University of Bedfordshire.
Currently completing a doctorate on the changing identity of British Muslim women through travel, I am deeply interested in matters of Islamic modernity.
My other research interests concern geopolitical issues as they relate to the traditional / transitional use of space and place today, and I have published articles and chapters in the realm of public culture, the politics of tourism, issues of representation and cultural mobility.
Studying our International Tourism Management BSc (Hons) course will equip you with a wealth of knowledge and a range of skills relevant for anyone interested in entering the global tourism industry, or related areas of business and management. From a business perspective, you will gain an understanding of tourism and hospitality operations and build on this by considering how to manage operations sustainably in our Sustainable Business in Tourism and Hospitality unit. Within Cultural Tourism and Heritage Management you will explore how international tourism demand can have both positive and negative effects on attractions and destinations. This unit will also make you think about how the tourism industry uses culture and heritage to ‘sell’ destinations. To add to this, you will also examine Critical Issues in Tourism which will see you explore contemporary issues at the intersection of tourism and society, such as child exploitation, human trafficking and gender equality. To develop your industry awareness, you will undertake a unit in Strategic Business Planning where you will learn and apply key elements of financial management, discover the benefits of utilising technology such as metrics and data analytics, and how these business tools and skills can support business growth decision making.
To help with this, our first-year unit in Applied Numeracy for Business will provide you with the confidence to develop your mathematical and numerical skills which will benefit you throughout your time at university and as you enter graduate employment. In addition, within this course you will learn of key marketing principles to help you design and implement effective tourism marketing plans in our Marketing and Digital Transformation in Travel and Tourism unit. Moreover, early on in the course you will develop your leadership, management and teamworking skills within our Managing People in Tourism and Aviation unit. Aside from this you will be exposed to a range of optional units including learning about workplace rights in Employment Law; developing your awareness around Contingency Planning and Crisis Management; and learning how experiences now curate many current touristic encounters in the Managing the Experience Economy unit. Additionally, you can choose to gain a critical perspective of Management and Leadership theories; consider how organisations can actively enhance society and the environment through the Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility unit; or explore how to start your own business in our Entrepreneurship and Business Excellence unit.
Other areas of study include exploring the phenomenon of globalisation, issues of indigeneity and orientalism in our Tourism and Society unit while also critically evaluating how tourism contributes to the development of tourist areas in our Tourism Destination Development unit. With sustainability being a vital concept for the tourism industry, you will delve into how a balance between society, environment and social-cultural aspects of tourism development can be achieved in the Managing Sustainable Destination unit. Finally, you will conduct a thorough piece of academic research on an area of your choosing within the Business Project unit. To support you with this, our unit in Data and Research Methods for Business will provide you with the knowledge and skills to conduct research and analyse data in a tourism context. Furthermore, you will also have the opportunity to undertake a Professional Practice Year (Tourism and Aviation) for you to gain valuable career-related experience. To prepare you for this, our unit in Beginning your Professional Business Journey will help to ease your transition into the workplace and provide an insight into professional business environments.
In line with the Business School's commitment to practice-based education a large part of the assessment will relate to your demonstration of your ability to synthesise class room learning with real life scenarios within the international tourism industry. We will want to see that you understand the theory and have developed critical thinking skills which help you evaluate the relevance of what you have learned. To assess this range of integration of theory and skills into sound practice we use a range of methods. You will be expected to complete one or two assessments per unit which depends on the number of credits allocated to the unit. You will encounter many different kinds of assessment methods for example: written exams written assignments portfolios reports individual or group oral presentations and practical skills assessment. All of which will enable you to gain valuable experience to use within the workplace.
Careers
The course opens up diverse career opportunities with companies like tour operators; destination management companies; airlines; and major hotel chains. You can find roles in areas such as international tourism development; tour operations; air transport management; destination management; business development and marketing; ground handling; and tourism marketing.
You can also choose to study at postgraduate level in related areas such as our MSc International Tourism Planning and Management.
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Entry Requirements
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Fees for this course
UK
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the Academic Year 2025/26 is £9,535 per year. You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for your tuition fees. You can also apply for a maintenance loan from the Government to help cover your living costs. See www.gov.uk/student-finance
Excellence Scholarships
Worth £2,500 per year of study over three years when you score a defined number of UCAS tariff points from specified qualifications*
» If you don’t qualify for an Excellence Scholarship but have 120 UCAS tariff points, you have enough points for one of our Achievement Scholarships offering £500 per year of study**
» Other scholarships, bursaries and financial support packages are available
* Points requirements vary depending on type of qualification.
** Threshold is 120 UCAS tariff points across all awarding bodies and qualifications.
International
The full-time standard undergraduate tuition fee for the academic year 2025/26 is £16,900 per year.
There are range of Scholarships available to help support you through your studies with us.
A full list of scholarships can be found here.
Virtual Tour
