International Tourism Management (B.A.)

The specialisation in Destination, Mobility and Transport combines two key areas of tourism: the management of complex destinations and the design of sustainable mobility and transport systems.

Destinations are complex, public and multifunctional spaces in which tourism offerings, political frameworks and a diverse range of stakeholders interact. The specialisation provides in-depth knowledge of the planning, management and strategic development of destinations. Students analyse the economic, environmental and social dimensions of tourism development, develop positioning strategies and learn how to manage cooperation and conflicts between stakeholders. Topics such as visitor management, digitalisation and governance structures form central components.

Mobility is a fundamental prerequisite for any journey. The specialisation therefore places particular emphasis on transport processes, transport infrastructure and accessibility as key factors for the competitiveness and sustainability of destinations. Students engage with the planning and optimisation of tourism mobility concepts, the role of various modes of transport, sustainable mobility solutions, and the impact of national and regional policy frameworks. The analysis of international transport markets and innovative mobility services also plays an important role.

Through the interplay of these two sub-areas, students learn to develop integrated strategies that meet the requirements of visitors as well as the needs of locals and local stakeholders in terms of destination management, and mobility and transport planning and management. The interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approach specifically prepares students for specialist and leadership roles in international tourism.

Typical tasks and areas of application

• Strategic destination development and management
• Marketing and positioning of travel destinations
• Planning and optimisation of tourism mobility concepts
• Visitor management and visitor guidance
• Stakeholder management between tourism, transport operators and the public sector
• Sustainability management and the development of environmentally friendly transport solutions
• Data analysis, digitalisation and mobility innovations

Potential fields of work include destination management organisations, transport and infrastructure companies, consultancy firms, public administrations, international organisations, and providers of tourism mobility and transport services.

The combined specialisation in Hospitality and Tour Operator Management brings together two key areas of the tourism industry. In both the tour operator sector and the hotel and catering sector, increasing transparency regarding prices and offers, as well as rising guest expectations, are leading to far-reaching changes in corporate structures and business models.
This specialisation provides a comprehensive understanding of the economic fundamentals of these two complementary branches of tourism. It focuses equally on the design and organisation of travel packages and the management of hotel and catering businesses. It also analyses the needs and behaviours of different target groups in order to successfully develop and implement customer-oriented products and services. Finally, the programme addresses the profound impact of digitalisation and, not least, artificial intelligence, and their immense influence on both digital marketing and digitally enhanced travel experiences on the ground.
A distinctive feature of this field is its highly international nature: career opportunities after graduation often span different countries and continents. At the same time, the programme is aimed at students who enjoy direct contact with guests and are confident in a dynamic and demanding work environment.
The courses provide targeted preparation for specialist and management positions in both the outbound and inbound sectors, as well as in hotel and catering management across the entire tourism value chain.
Typical tasks and areas of work include, amongst others:

• Product development and service design
• Procurement (e.g. hotels, airlines, suppliers)
• Marketing, sales and pricing management
• Controlling and quality management
• Logistics and procurement
• Guest relations and service management
• Human resources management

Potential areas of employment include tour operators, wellness and health hotels, resorts, city hotels, restaurant chains, as well as hotel associations or international tourism companies.

The Event Management specialisation builds on traditional business management knowledge and imparts expertise in the organisation of leisure and cultural events. The aim is to train students to act as an interface between the creative and marketing industries and experts from fields such as sport, culture or natural sciences, combining the elements of controlling and human resources management for such projects in one person.

The Event Management specialisation offers excellent prospects for a career in a wide range of leisure and event activities at national and international level.

Elective modules in the Event Management specialisation:

• Fundamentals of Event Management, 3rd semester
• Fairtrade Events, 5th semester
• Event Marketing, 6th semester
• Sustainable Event Management, 6th semester

Controlling has become hugely important in management practice. As a navigator, the controller supports the company management in successfully running the business. The core function of controlling is to support planning and management by providing targeted information based on meaningful accounting, thereby ensuring rational decisions are made. This results in a broad range of tasks for the controller, including, for example, the evaluation of investment projects, the economic control of operational processes, cost-accounting-based budgeting and the analysis of the company's strategic situation. Controlling graduates are in high demand (and also available). The specialisation in Controlling prepares students for a career in controlling, but is also suitable as a supplementary subject for numerous other fields of work. Optional modules in the Controlling specialisation

• Controlling with SAP, 3rd or 5th semester
• Strategic Controlling, 5th semester
• Operational Controlling (including TOPSIM General Management business simulation), 6th semester

Human resource management is an interdisciplinary field of work and research. That is why the human resource management programme at West Coast University is taught in an interdisciplinary manner. The programme includes modules from the fields of business administration, law and business psychology. In this way, we provide you with the necessary tools to master complex tasks in practice. In addition, we would like to offer you the opportunity to participate in research in the field of human resource management at West Coast University as part of your semester projects or final theses. Further information on the institute's research areas can be found on the website of the West Coast Institute for Human Resource Management.

Elective modules in the Human Resource Management specialisation:

• Human Resource Management, 3rd semester
• Fundamentals and Labour Law, 5th semester
• New Work, 6th semester
• International Human Resource Management, 6th semester

The Marketing specialisation takes a behavioural science approach.
The programme focuses on consumer behaviour and market psychology, with brand management, marketing instruments – especially communication policy – and empirical consumer research also playing an important role.
Our goal is to ensure the highest possible level of practical relevance. For this reason, a significant portion of the course content is taught through project work, which is integrated into the lessons.

The main areas of teaching and research include consumer research, brand management, city and regional marketing, and customer relationship management (CRM).

Elective modules in the Marketing specialisation:

• Insights Driven Marketing / Marketing Research, 3rd semester.
• Brand Management I – Understanding and managing brands as identity-oriented social design systems, 3rd semester.
• Brand Management II – Analysing and implementing brands as individual organisational principles, 5th semester.
• Fundamentals of Online Marketing, 6th semester.