Postgraduate Diploma: Tourism Management

Purpose

The purpose of the Postgraduate Diploma: Tourism Management is to provide specialisation learning which help learners prepare for further Postgraduate study in career advancement in tourism management. This qualification typically follows on from a Bachelor's Degree, and serves to consolidate and deepen the learner's expertise in tourism.

This qualification will enable learners to undertake advanced studies towards developing their strategic managerial capabilities. This initiative will not only help in improving the local tourism industry, but also the country's economy. This will be achieved by having the learners carry out systematic surveys of both local and international contemporary best practice in tourism management. It will deepen the learner's understanding of the tourism industry, thereby equipping them with the knowledge and skills they require to avail themselves of employment opportunities in a variety of tourism orientated careers such as:

• Travel Management Consultancy.
• Tourist Resort and Attraction Management.
• Tourism Authority at Local and National Level.
• Corporate Travel Organisations.
• Marketing and Sales in Tourism.

This qualification will also prepare learners for further research-based postgraduate study by developing their knowledge of methodologies and competence in techniques in tourism research. Furthermore, the learners should develop the capacity to make strategic decisions by way of sound theoretical judgements based on the evidence they have researched in order to be competitive locally and globally.

Rationale

Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world today. It is seen as a form of modernisation, transferring capital, technology and expertise to developing countries. In the recent past, tourism has demonstrated sustained growth globally and nationally; and is regarded as an agent of world peace, as people from different cultures intermingle. In addition, tourism provides economic benefits for the destination countries involved. The benefits focus around employment, national income, investment and regional development.

South Africa's natural tourist attractions and developed infrastructure have accelerated the growth of the tourist industry. Tourism is now one of the country's most dynamic and lucrative industries, especially on the sporting tourism front. However, the ever-changing tourism needs and the growing number of new tourist destinations world-wide are putting pressure on South Africa to have skilled managers who are able to implement strategic management skills and responsible tourism practices. This qualification helps South Africa meet this specific need.

Eco-tourism is becoming more and more important each day, and many tourism agencies, and local tour, hotel and restaurant businesses are looking for ways to balance tourism growth with communities, utilities, cultures and ecology. This qualification will improve the learner's ability to research, analyse and deal with these complex, real world problems, as well as identify global trends and tourist needs and motives in the specialist areas of their choice.

Consequently, this Postgraduate Diploma: Tourism Management, will add strategic and operational value to the tourism industry in South Africa, enhancing continued growth of this vital industry. Sustained growth of the tourism industry in South Africa will help alleviate problems such as poverty and unemployment as the socio-economic climate continues to improve. The qualification will also serve as a springboard for further studies and career development within the hospitality, tourism, travel, gaming and leisure industry.

It is assumed that the learner

• Is competent in the knowledge, skills and values associated with a Bachelor's Degree at NQF Level 7.
• Is well-rounded in the language of tuition, coherently and critically using well-structured arguments to substantiate own opinions regarding the industry.
• Has a basic Information Technology skill to access relevant local and global tourist industry information.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning for the Postgraduate Diploma: Tourism Management, NQF Level 8, may be used

• In exceptional cases to grant admission to learners who do not meet the minimum requirements for admission.
• To grant learners credits towards the achievement of the qualification.

Access to the Qualification

To gain access to this qualification learners require an appropriate Bachelor's Degree or an equivalent and cognate tertiary qualification.

Learners need to complete the following five compulsory modules, at NQF Level 8, totalling 120 credits

• Advanced Strategic Tourism Management, 24 credits.
• Advanced Tourism Development and Ecotourism, 24 credits.
• Advanced Events and Attractions Management, 24 credits.
• Advanced Destination Marketing Management, 24 credits.
• The Geography of Tourism, 24 credits.

Exit Level Range: In all the Exit Level Outcomes the range would be unfamiliar, concrete and abstract problems and issues that characterise tourism, both locally and globally.

1. Interpret the inter-relationships between the main components and services within the tourism system.
2. Apply strategic management principles in tourism.
3. Conduct basic research within the tourism system.
4. Apply sustainable and responsible tourism principles.
5. Develop a sustainable tourism initiative (event).

> Range: A sustainable tourism initiative (event) must be any local and viable tourism initiative.

Critical Cross-Fields Outcomes

This Postgraduate Diploma: Tourism Management, NQF Level 8, addresses the following Critical Cross-Field Outcomes

• Identify, analyse, formulate, and solve convergent and divergent problems in a sustainable manner and make decisions related to the management of problems in the tourist industry in a creative and critical manner.
• Work collaboratively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, or community and provide leadership to the groups on managing tourist activities.
• Manage and organise their activities and life responsibly and effectively as well as their studies and career and be a role model to their colleagues and clients in the tourist industry.
• Collect, analyse, organise, and critically evaluate information in order to form an independent opinion on issues related to the tourism industry in a variety of contexts, the assessment of which will culminate in the final evaluation of their respective research projects.
• Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written presentation as needed to perform their assignments and tasks as learner and as practitioner.
• Use science and technology effectively and critically in the service of learning, as needed in own specific situation, showing responsibility towards the environment and health and wellbeing of others, in community, national and global contexts.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that sustainable tourism problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation, and by acknowledging their responsibilities to those in the local and broader community.
• Contribute to the full personal development of the learner so that each will:

> Reflect on and explore a variety of strategies to learn more effectively about the tourism management industry.

> Participate as a responsible citizen in the life of local, national, and international tourism communities as each performs the various activities to be undertaken in order to work through the required studies.

> Be culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of professional, educational, and social contexts, a quality each will have to acquire as tourism managers who are required to work with tourists and colleagues from all over the world.

> Explore education and career opportunities by drawing on the various knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired as each begins to assimilate and implement what has been learned.

> Develop entrepreneurial opportunities when having to identify suitable event initiatives or problems for the various research projects each will be required to carry out.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Appropriate factors affecting the main components and services within the tourism system are identified.
• An analysis of the tourism system is conducted.
• An evaluation is carried out of the inter-relationships between the main components and services.
• An evaluation is carried out on the impact of inter-relationships on the sustainability of the tourism system.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• An analysis of a management scenario is executed which includes all the appropriate and critical elements.
• Applicable strategic management principles are identified for implementation from the analysis.
• A proposal of evidence-based solutions is developed and supported by theory-driven arguments.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• An appropriate research problem within the tourism system is the identified and its investigation motivated.
• An appropriate methodology is chosen for conducting the research project.
• The chosen methodology is applied and implemented to achieve the research milestones.
• The findings of the research are presented and communicated according to institutional requirements.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Current sustainable and responsible tourism practices are critiqued and recommendations for alternative actions, where appropriate, are presented.
• Reflections and evaluations of performance are evaluated against accepted principles.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• An entrepreneurial opportunity is identified for a local and viable tourism initiative.
• A viable tourism business plan is written to match the entrepreneurial opportunity.
• The business plan is presented according to standard conventions.

Integrated Assessment

All assessment will integrate knowledge, skills and attitudes and applied competence. However, one module (advanced strategic tourism management) on the post graduate level integrates all learning in the programme. In this way a programme can ensure that its Exit Level Outcomes are achieved.

Formative assessment

Learning and assessment are integrated. The study guides contain self-assessment tasks with feedback. The scheme of work includes assignments based on the learning material and learners are given feedback. An option to create online discussion forums exists for learners to work together in groups on a project. The process is continuous and focuses on different sections of the work.

Summative assessment

This takes the form of examinations or equivalent assessments such as a project of a representative selection of outcomes practised and assessed in the formative stage. Summative assessment also tests the learner's ability to manage and integrate a large body of knowledge to achieve the stated outcomes of a module. In multi-disciplinary fields such as Tourism, summative assessment focuses on the integration of skills and knowledge in the tourism discipline.