A Master’s degree for the world’s fastest growing industry: MBA in Hospitality and Tourism
The hospitality, leisure and tourism industry is the fastest growing industry in the world today. Eric Olmedo, senior lecturer from the University of Toulouse, France, explains the need for a postgraduate qualification in this area.
The explosive growth in the tourism and hospitality industry worldwide has resulted in great demand for professionals with passion, talent, experience and the right education qualification.
To climb to the top of the dynamic and ever-evolving international tourism and hospitality industry in today’s world, experience alone may no longer be enough. What will give individuals added professional credibility and a competitive edge is a solid, specialised postgraduate education in the field of tourism and hospitality management.
Combined together, the tourism and hospitality industry is today the fastest growing industry in the world, accounting for 10 per cent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to the UNWTO, 2006 was a new record year for the tourism industry as it exceeded expectations. International tourist arrivals in the first eight months of 2006 increased 4.5 per cent to 578 million from 533 million in the same period of 2005 (Tourism Barometer 2007).
With the frenetic pace of growth in travel, hotels, resorts, leisure, entertainment, conventions and the food sector especially in Asia, the industry is in need of ambitious, competent professionals who are able to drive their business, tackle the challenges of the future and sustain the remarkable growth.
As global and local companies compete vigorously for market share, change becomes the only constant in their business and the benchmark for service excellence continues to rise. The industry is seeking professionals who stand out from the crowd and possess a competitive edge – people who not only have the experience, but a quality, specialised higher education that leverages their existing knowledge in the field of hospitality and tourism.
Types of master’s programmes for this industry
Unlike traditional MBA programmes, specialised master’s programmes in tourism and hospitality management focus in depth on topics, issues and trends related to hospitality, tourism and other service-related industries in addition to business-management courses. Although their official names vary in the marketplace – Professional Master in International Tourism and Hospitality Management, Executive Master in Hospitality and Tourism Management or Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management – they are similar in scope, objectives and learning outcomes.
A specialised master’s degree in tourism and hospitality management combines university style of teaching and research with a strong professional orientation through course work, graduate seminars and internships. By providing students with a framework of professional competencies, conceptual tools and research skills in disciplines such as economics, socio-anthropology and management, this programme corresponds to the needs of industry in terms of strategic planning, management, product development and leadership.
In comparison with an MBA, a specialised master’s programme carries significantly more teaching hours – an average of 840 hours compared to 500 hours in an MBA programme. Moreover, all courses in a specialised master’s programme are taught by professors and lecturers who are fully dedicated to the hospitality and tourism faculty and they possess significant industry experience. The aim of this kind of master’s degree is to train and equip graduates for upper management and consultancy career opportunities in the international tourism and hospitality industry.
Subjects in the programme
The courses in a master’s programme are designed to equip students with the ability to conduct advanced research, analyse situations and risks, think critically and strategically, solve problems intelligently and master management tools to respond proactively to market demands. There is also a strong emphasis on global practices and international affairs to ensure students are able to apply what they have learnt to real-life situations in the international tourism and hospitality industry.
Examples of courses offered in a postgraduate programme in tourism and hospitality management are: Advance Financial Management, Marketing: Policies & Strategies, Research Methodology, Politics and Economics Intelligence, International Law for Tourism, Food Sociology, Organisation of Production System in Hospitality Industry, Tourism & Hospitality Project Development, Environmental Risk Analysis & Management, Quality Management and Methodology & Application of Consultancy & Auditing.
Duration
The duration of a master’s degree programme in this field usually ranges from one to two years for full-time study and two to four years for part-time study.
Who should get it
A master’s degree in international tourism and hospitality management is ideal for the following people:
- Fresh graduates who have the ambition of pursuing an advanced qualification
- Professionals who seek a career in the booming tourism and hospitality industry, but do not have a first degree in this field of study
- Those with education and experience in the industry who wish to leverage on their existing skills and knowledge as well as obtain higher management positions locally and abroad.
Graduates with a master’s degree in international tourism and hospitality management are highly sought after all over the world by hospitality, tourism, foodservice and any service-orientated organisation. The master’s qualification is a passport to more senior level management and strategic positions in the international tourism and hospitality industry. Here are several living examples:
Eric Boonstoppel, General Manager, Fouquet’s Barriere Hotel (ACCOR Group), Paris, France
‘The Professional Master gave me tools on how to design quality standards and to assess them efficiently. My pursuit for quality was noticed by my boss and got me a promotion’.
Jean-Michel Fraisse, Managing Director, HTC in Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
‘I took a master’s degree in tourism & hospitality management after having worked nine years and it completely changed my life! It enabled me to capitalize on my strengths and expertise while at the same time gain new knowledge and skills to become a complete, well-rounded manager with a competitive edge’.
Sebastien Mariette, General Manager, Kampinski Hotel, Bulgaria
‘The master’s degree boosted my career from F&B Manager to General Manager in no time because of the analytical mindset it gave me. I was able to diagnose and make decisions faster than my colleagues’.
About the writer
Eric Olmedo is a national accredited lecturer with the French Ministry of Education. He is currently teaching in the Professional Master in International Tourism and Hospitality Management programme at the University of Toulouse. Mr. Olmedo is also the French-Malaysian Co-operation Coordinator of the Taylor’s College Graduate School and University of Toulouse partnership.
He has conducted expert missions in South America on behalf of the French government. Prior to joining the world of academia, he worked in operations and management at hotels in Canada and France. He has a Master in Tourism & Hospitality Management from the University of Toulouse and a Master in Sociology of Organisations from the University of Picardie, France.
As a PhD scholar in Sociology, Mr. Olmedo’s research and teaching expertise include: sociology of organisations, intercultural studies, oenology and F&B operations. He can be contacted at olmedo@univ-tlse2.fr.
