DESTINATION MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module offers an integrated approach to understanding the critical aspects of destination management and development. It provides a thorough analysis of the intricate relationship between policy and strategic planning and destination management, emphasising the role of coherent policies and stakeholder relationships in achieving sustainable tourism development. It explores the collaborative dynamics between the public and private sectors, highlighting the importance of developing policies that cater to the needs of diverse stakeholders while setting clear planning objectives to foster destination development.



This module aims to develop students' ability to critically explore and evaluate the key principles and characteristics of destination management and development. It seeks to examine the essential components of destination management, including stakeholders and partnerships, governance structures, tourism and sustainable development goals, regenerative tourism, and smart tourist systems in destination management and development. Students are provided with the opportunity to apply theories of destination management and development to practice, as the incorporation of real-world national and international case studies represents a key component of this module.

Module provider

Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

KIM Bora (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

Tourism policies, policymaking and planning

The roles and responsibilities of DMOs and convention bureaus

Governance and stakeholders in tourism

Responsible and sustainable destination management

Tourism and Sustainable Development Goals

Overtourism and tourism degrowth

Sustainable tourism indicators

Sustainability and regenerative tourism

Climate change and circular economy

Smart tourism systems in destination development

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

The alternative to the group project for students presenting for summer re-assessment will be an individual report (max. 1500-2000 words) on aspects of tourism policy and development.

Assessment Strategy

 

  The summative assessment for this module consists of: a) a group project (3000 words) designed to encourage students to analyse¿aspects of tourism policy and stakeholder engagement on destination management and development through working with their peers. Each student group will submit a written report; b) a closed book online exam (2 hours within a 4-hour window) aimed at assessing individual student’s understanding of key theories, issues and challenges in destination management and development. 

 

  Formative assessment and Feedback 

Students will create a draft version of one of the assessments. Assignment briefing and formative feedback are provided dedicated to guiding the preparation of the assignments. 
 
  Assessment Criteria: 
 
  In order to achieve the threshold standard for the award of credits for this module, the student must meet the following criteria related to the learning outcomes described above: 

 

• 
  be able to critically evaluate the main approaches to destination management and development 
  


• 
  be able to explain the key factors in the policy environment for destination management and development 
  


• 
  be aware of the literature relating to this topic 
  

Module aims

• To develop students¿ critical appreciation and understanding of the key principles, concepts, and strategies relevant to destination management and development
• To enable students to think strategically about the roles of policy, planning, stakeholders and partnerships in destination management and development
• To encourage students to understand how policy and planning relate to destination management and development
• To critically discuss the facilitators of and inhibitors to successful destination management and development¿¿
• To develop students¿ problem-solving abilities and skills to research dynamic destination management and development issues using appropriate academic and industry source material.¿
• To develop students¿ creativity and evaluation and analytical writing skills.¿

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The¿teaching and learning strategy¿is to provide students with key information and background knowledge in the fields of tourism policy and development and to encourage them to explore and critically evaluate theoretical perspectives as well as practical examples in those areas. The¿teaching and learning methods¿include lectures designed to provide a framework of knowledge; exercises to provide opportunities for students to gather and interpret their own material; and classroom-based discussions and tasks to challenge their thinking. There will be lectures and seminars. The¿assessment methods¿are designed to allow students to demonstrate their insight into the policy and planning processes and the extent to which they are able to draw upon this knowledge in analysing and addressing tourism policy and development problems.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN2219

Other information

This is a second-year capstone-style module where students will be able to complement prior learning from a range of topics and understand the effects of governance, policy and planning strategies, and stakeholder engagement, on destination management and development. Students who have studied Tourism Management at Level 4 will be able to apply and add depth to their existing knowledge of the fundamentals of destination management to governance, tourism policy, planning strategies and their roles in managing and developing tourism destinations. This module adopts the university curriculum framework, which aims to develop learners with strong capabilities in¿Employability,¿Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability¿and¿Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module contributes to the development of the following capabilities:¿ Global and Cultural Capabilities: Destination Management and Development by necessity requires international and cross-cultural perspectives. The module workshops will provide students with the opportunity to study international case studies of destination strategies and development models to understand diverse perspectives. In addition, the workshops will require students to work in groups with other students from diverse backgrounds. This will broaden their worldview, challenge their perspectives, and enhance their understanding of the values, norms, and behaviours and to reinforce students¿ global and cultural capabilities. Digital Capabilities:¿Teaching and learning materials are provided in several formats, and students are encouraged to use discussion boards for communication. Students will be provided instruction on digital literature review searches that support their development of independent learning and successful assessment preparation. Students will use the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), SurreyLearn, video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and data analytics software to facilitate learning. These include accessing teaching and learning materials and engaging with their instructors and peers. Employability: Guest lecturers will present up-to-date insight from the tourism industry on relevant topics and provide an opportunity for students to learn directly from tourism stakeholders. Students will gain knowledge on current developments in destination management and be taught to critically evaluate the policies and planning strategies for tourism development. They will also learn how to develop strategies to manage these developments. All these skills can be transferred to various situations at the workplace, including problem-solving tasks. Sustainability:¿This module motivates students to critically evaluate the¿impacts of¿the tourism industry on society,¿environment and economy¿through a case study analysis and class discussion.¿Students will be guided in developing policy recommendations for minimising¿negative impacts of tourism development in the local communities, environment and/or economy based on their knowledge of sustainability, sustainable tourism indicators, sustainable development goals (SDGs), regenerative tourism, climate change mitigation and circular economy. ¿¿ Resourcefulness and Resilience:¿The¿assessment strategy¿comprises¿two stages:¿formative assessment¿and summative assessment. Through this strategy,¿this¿module empowers¿students to¿build self-evaluation¿into assessment processes and¿create spaces for students to reflect on their performance¿whilst reviewing feedback.¿The structured schedule of the two-stage assessment will also support students in developing time management skills. Also, students are¿motivated¿to¿make informed decisions from a range of options as to which aspect of their work they would like to request feedback. The critical nature of the in-class discussion will help foster openness by encouraging students to understand and discuss contrasting perspectives.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.