Tourism Management

In the first semester, you’ll jump straight into the world of tourism. What really happens behind the scenes of destinations? You’ll explore:

• How tourism works worldwide
• The evolution of travel and different types of tourism
• Who the travellers are and how tourism stakeholders work together

You’ll study all of this in Zeeland, a real-life tourism hotspot. From beaches to culture, this region is your living classroom. You’ll analyse visitor journeys, trends and destination marketing and finish by creating your own promotional concept for Zeeland.

Tourism can do amazing things, but only if it’s done right. You’ll explore how tourism can support local communities, protect nature, and stay future-proof. You’ll learn how to create tourism that gives back, not takes away. You’ll dive into:

• Visitor management & carrying capacity
• Traveller behaviour and decision-making
• The impact of tourism on people, culture, and the planet

Time to put theory into practice! In the second half of year 1, you’ll gain hands-on experience at a tourism organisation in the Netherlands or abroad. This is where theory meets reality, and where your CV starts growing. During your internship, you’ll:

• Work on real projects
• Explore regenerative business models
• Discover how technology is shaping the future of tourism

Why do some trips stay with you forever? You’ll learn how to design tourism experiences that connect people to places. Together with your classmates, you’ll turn ideas into meaningful, memorable experiences. You’ll focus on:

• Experience design & creativity
• The psychology behind travel choices
• Storytelling, landscapes and local culture

Tourism is all about people. You’ll learn how culture influences travel, communication, teamwork, and leadership. You’ll develop skills to:

• Work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Communicate across cultures
• Adapt easily in international environments

Ever dreamed of launching your own company? During the Student Startup Project, you’ll do exactly that. Together with students from other economics programmes, you will:

• Create a real business from scratch
• Develop a full business plan
• Handle marketing, sales, and promotion
• Learn from entrepreneurs through workshops and guest lectures

You will spend six months deepening or broadening your knowledge during a minor in the Netherlands or abroad. You choose a minor that relates to your specialisation or to tourism in general. You can do your minor at HZ or at another university. Almost all Tourism Management students choose to go abroad, to countries such as Norway, Austria, Canada, United States, Latvia or Thailand

In this module, you learn how tourism destinations are managed and how policies and decisions influence their development. You explore how governments and organisations work together to manage tourism, including international organisations such as UNESCO and the World Tourism Organization.

You learn about strategic destination management, how tourism destinations change over time and how they deal with change. You also explore the impact of tourism on the environment and new ideas for tourism in coastal areas. By the end of this module, you will understand how policies, cooperation and strategic decisions can help make tourism more sustainable and better prepared for future challenges.

Zeeland is a varied destination with coastal, urban and inland municipalities. Each area has its own challenges, but they work together on shared goals like sustainability and liveability. In this module, you learn how to manage tourism in a smart and responsible way. You take on the role of a destination manager and represent a municipality in a regional panel discussion.