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Studies & Degrees in Tourism Business Management

Tourism business management is the study of how tourism companies are run: hotels and other accommodation, travel agencies and tour operators, airlines and transport firms, restaurants, event organisers and the public bodies that manage destinations. It is a business subject applied to one sector. Students take the core of a management degree, with accounting, finance, marketing, human resources and law, and add the specific knowledge of the trade: how accommodation and travel products are designed, priced and sold, how a destination is planned, and how the sector affects the places and people that host it.

Languages are part of the curriculum almost everywhere, because the customers are international. The Universidad de La Laguna, for example, expects new tourism students to start with at least an intermediate level of English and a basic level of German.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree: in Spain the standard qualification is the Grado en Turismo, an official bachelor's degree of 240 ECTS credits that takes four years; 60 ECTS credits correspond to one full year of study. In the United Kingdom a bachelor's degree is usually shorter: the Events and Hospitality Management BA (Hons) at the University of Northampton lasts three years full time, or four with a foundation year.
  • Master's degree: an official Spanish master's degree (máster universitario) has 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. Business schools also offer master's programmes and MBAs in hotel management, revenue management or events; ask the school what recognition the qualification has.
  • Vocational training (FP): the Spanish hospitality and tourism family includes three higher-level qualifications close to this subject: Técnico Superior en Gestión de Alojamientos Turísticos, Técnico Superior en Agencias de Viajes y Gestión de Eventos, and Técnico Superior en Guía, Información y Asistencias Turísticas.
  • Short courses: specialised courses cover tools and niches of the trade, such as the Amadeus reservation system.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 36 active schools for tourism business management. Most are in Spain (23), followed by the United States and the United Kingdom (3 each), Chile and Ecuador (2 each), and Italy, Mexico and Canada (1 each). Teaching is mainly in Spanish in Spain and Latin America, and in English in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Some examples of how the offer is organised in Spain:

  • The Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), in Tenerife, teaches the Grado en Turismo on campus. The degree deals with the analysis, management and planning of tourism companies and destinations.
  • The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) offers the Grado en Turismo fully online, in Spanish or Catalan, with specific foreign-language subjects taught in the language concerned. The UOC notes that the validity of its official degrees in other countries depends on each country's education laws.
  • CETT Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy offers vocational cycles, bachelor's degrees leading to a qualification from the Universitat de Barcelona, some of them in English, and master's and postgraduate programmes.
  • Euroaula, a university school in Barcelona, combines the Grado en Turismo with vocational courses in accommodation management and in travel agencies and event management.
  • The Open Faculty, a university centre in Murcia, lists an official master's degree in hotel management (Máster Oficial en Gestión Hotelera).
  • CESAE, in Madrid, is a business school with master's programmes in the management of hotel companies and in revenue management.

When comparing schools, check the language of instruction, the length and location of the placements, whether the degree is official in its country, and whether the programme leans towards hotels, travel distribution, events or destination planning.

Careers

The Universidad de La Laguna groups the professional fields for tourism graduates as follows: accommodation; food and beverage; intermediation of tourism services; transport and logistics; public planning and management of destinations; tourism products and activities; and training, research and consultancy. Typical first jobs are in hotel reception and reservations, travel agencies, event teams and tourist offices, with management posts coming after some years of experience.

For hotel management in particular, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics notes three usual routes into the job of lodging manager: a high school diploma with several years of experience in a lodging facility, a bachelor's degree in hospitality or hotel management, or an associate's degree or certificate in hotel management. In the United States there were 54,800 lodging manager jobs in 2025, and employment is projected to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035. Work schedules often include evenings, weekends and holidays. These figures refer to the United States only.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a tourism management degree take?

In Spain the Grado en Turismo has 240 ECTS credits and takes four years. In the United Kingdom a bachelor's degree in this field usually takes three years full time.

Can I study tourism management online?

Yes. The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya teaches its official Grado en Turismo fully online, in Spanish or Catalan.

Do I need to speak several languages?

Languages matter in this sector and are part of most programmes. The Universidad de La Laguna, for example, expects at least an intermediate level of English and a basic level of German from new students.

Is vocational training an alternative to a university degree?

Yes. In Spain, higher-level FP qualifications such as Técnico Superior en Gestión de Alojamientos Turísticos or Técnico Superior en Agencias de Viajes y Gestión de Eventos prepare students for the same sector with a more practical focus.