Nowadays, people love to travel for rest and leisure, which is exactly what the tourism industry is for. Tourism management is concerned with everything related to the tourism, travel, and hospitality industries. So if you’ve ever thought of wanting to support traveling while having a full-time job, then a career in tourism management might just be for you! To help you kickstart your career, we’ve compiled the world’s best tourism management schools in this list:
Top Tourism Management Schools
1. Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL)
Founded in 1893 as the first hotel management school in the world, Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne has maintained its status and prestige as the world’s leading university in tourism and hospitality management. Its education integrates the Swiss standards of academic rigor and industry practice with creativity and innovation in order to prepare the next world leaders in the hospitality industry.
Their only undergraduate degree is a BS in International Hospitality Management where students learn hospitality basics while being exposed to academic and industry experts so they may develop management expertise. Graduate students can choose among the following degrees: MS in Global Hospitality Business, MBA in Hospitality, Executive MBA, Hospitality EMBA jointly offered by China Europe International Business School, and MS in Wine Management & Hospitality jointly offered by Kedge Business School.
2. University of Nevada – Las Vegas (UNLV)
The University of Nevada – Las Vegas is a research university and a top school for tourism management in the world that houses the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. Here resides the highest-ranked hospitality program in the USA. A unique characteristic of the College is that it is just some blocks away from the famous Las Vegas Strip, allowing Hospitality students to be immersed in hands-on learning experiences from the get-go.
Their BS in Hospitality Management is the best hospitality program in the country. Its students can adjust their course plan to their liking, choosing up to 2 concentrations from areas such as Event Design and Management and Innovative Restaurant Management. MS students may choose between online or traditional programs or even a dual degree in collaboration with UNLV’s Lee Business School. Ph.D. students in Hospitality Administration are offered the resources and support needed for their research.
3. Glion Institute of Higher Education
An international school with campuses in Switzerland and the UK, the Glion Institute of Higher Education is renowned for its tourism hospitality, luxury business, and excellent tourism management education in the world. Glion is recognized as one of the best institutions for tourism across the globe that offers its students intensive academic learning, hands-on learning, and professional internships, resulting in an extremely high graduate employment rate.
Students under their BBA in International Hospitality Business undergo courses and 2 six-month professional internships. In their final semester, they focus their study on 1 of 3 specializations – Luxury Brand Strategy, International Hotel Development and Finance, and International Hotel Management. Glion offers MS degrees in 4 specialist fields, namely International Hospitality Business, Real Estate, Finance, and Hotel Development, Hospitality, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Luxury Management and Guest Experience.
4. Les Roches Global Hospitality Education
At the forefront of the hospitality business, Les Roches embodies global hospitality education by having international campuses and greater than 100 nationalities in its student body. Students are put in small class sizes so they may have focused education along with practical opportunities that will ensure their high demand as soon as they graduate.
Their BBA in Global Hospitality Management delivers world-class tourism programs and allows students to have a comprehensive education, internships, and a specialization to give them an advantage for their future career search. These specializations include entrepreneurship, strategy, and management. Meanwhile, they also have 5 graduate programs including an MBA and 4 Master’s programs in different fields such as marketing, management, and strategy.
5. Swiss Hotel Management School (SHMS)
Combining Switzerland’s rich hotelier heritage with modern thinking and innovation, the Swiss Hotel Management School one of the best schools for tourism management in the world, consistently ranked at the top in hospitality and leisure education around the globe. SHMS boasts of its students not only gaining the practical knowledge needed for a future in hospitality, but also the qualifications that get employers worldwide to notice them.
Their BA in International Hospitality Management is offered in partnership with the University of Derby to give the students rigorous academic knowledge with professional internship experiences, where they may specialize in 3 different fields. SHMS also offers 4 Master’s degrees – 3 of which are done in-person, while 1 can be done online and is for mid-career professionals. All degrees generally focus on hotel and business management.
6. Hotelschool The Hague
Founded in 1929 and funded by the hospitality industry, the Hotelschool The Hague is a Dutch university of applied sciences and is one of the best schools for tourism management across the globe. With its commitment to hospitality and its strong relationship with the industry, its goal is to prepare its students to become hospitality graduates that are widely sought-after. Hotelschool’s environment allows its students to conduct research and hone their leadership skills in order to become successful in the industry.
Their Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management teaches its students business theory and practical aspects by giving them real-world projects to work on. Their Master’s degree in Leading Hotel Transformation is for aspiring hoteliers who will be the ones to lead in tackling challenges that plague the current and future hotel industry. Finally, their MBA in International Hospitality Management allows its students to become future leaders in innovating the service industry.
7. Hotel Institute Montreux – HIM
Hotel Institute Montreaux is a recognized tourism management institution around the world, located on the French side of Switzerland. HIM prides itself in staying ahead of the curve by providing its student’s education that is dynamic and keeps up with modern trends. As such, topics such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, and business sustainability are part of the student’s curriculum.
HIM only offers a BBA in Hospitality Management, but its students can tailor their course plan according to the tracks and specializations they desire. These include Financial Analysis & Wealth Management, Human Capital & Development, Management for the Senior Living Industry, Luxury Brand Management, and Franchise Business Management.
Graduates of tourism management go on to take different jobs, from front desk receptionists to hotel managers to event organizers. This degree is offered by many schools and it can be hard to choose which one to take, but we hope that this list of the world’s best schools in tourism management has helped you figure out where you might want to go. After all, if you’re going to do something, why not do it at the best possible place, right?
We hope that this article on Best Tourism Management Schools in the World was helpful. If you’re looking to study abroad, make sure to check out the Available Programs for International Students.
