Tourism Entrepreneurship
Are you looking for the ticket to developing a tourism offering for the North East of Scotland? If you are already working in the tourism industry in a micro business or SME this short course will help you develop new ideas, run and grow a successful business and go step-by-step through the tools, examples and support needed to develop your business.
From highland adventures and tours, to historical castles and cultural museums, Aberdeen is home to a stimulating visitor economy. Follow your passions and grow your business in the tourism industry – perhaps you’ve got an idea for a new visitor attraction or a unique tour service or a new accommodation offering or a cultural experience or travel tech – the ideas are endless. On this short course - we’re not going to focus on the theory – we’re going to keep it practical so that each session gives you the ticket for the next part of your journey as a tourism entrepreneur.
1st in Scotland for overall student satisfaction in Tourism, Transport and Travel (National Student Survey 2023, excluding colleges, small, specialist and private providers).
The itinerary for this trip to successful startup shall include a layover with some interactive online entrepreneurship workshops, a ride through self-paced business topics, a visit to some engaging tourism masterclasses, a suitcase full of business resources, a lobby bursting with inspiring guest speakers, and a cabin full of practical tasks. The course will cover two areas – being an entrepreneur and running a tourism business.
We will have a core set of workshops focusing on how to set up and run a business – no matter what sector it is in. This will cover understanding your market, designing new products, developing prototypes, evaluating competition, setting up operations, creating a brand, managing finances, and running a company. This will be a mix of both interactive live workshops and self-paced topics.
In addition to the general entrepreneurship workshops, you will also take part in tourism specific sessions focusing on topics including cultural awareness, marketing internationally, designing services for multiple cultures, travel regulations, working in international currencies, ethics and more.
All topics will be applied to your own business. The course is designed for those who are self-employed, running a small or medium sized enterprise (SME) or aspiring entrepreneurs – so you can focus on upskilling yourself to run your existing business, on developing a new product or service or creating a whole new business
RGU Upskilling
Undertaking an online RGU upskilling course can help you to develop or change your career or support your business to grow.
We're proud to offer a range of online upskilling short courses tailored to meet the evolving needs of businesses and individuals in Scotland. If you are domiciled in Scotland, you will be eligible for a fee-waiver place, meaning you can upskill for free. Identified and created in collaboration with industry, these 15-credit online courses are designed to enhance employability for individuals and organisations looking to upskill their workforce.
Find out more about the range of courses on offer and the benefits of upskilling:
Disclaimer
The University regularly reviews its courses. Course content and structure may change over time. See our course and module disclaimer for more information.
Detailed module informationLearning Methods
The programme will be delivered over a period of eight weeks (not including the window for the assessment) and will be a mix of live and self-paced activities. The short course shall be taught alongside the Food and Drink Entrepreneurship short course with both groups attending the ‘Being an Entrepreneur’ sessions.
The course shall include:
- 6 x 3 Hour Self-Paced Topics on Entrepreneurship
- 6 x 3 Hour Live Online Workshops on Being an Entrepreneur
- 3 x 2 Hour Live Workshops on Running a Tourism business
The total teaching time will be around 45 hours with learning focused on, with sessions taking place in two week blocks followed by a week off to apply the learning to your business.
Independent Study
Throughout the course, you will be expected to apply the concepts learnt to your business by undertaking your own research, speaking to customers, developing your brand, evaluating competitors, doing wider reading and building your portfolio.
Staff Delivering on this Course
The Tourism Entrepreneurship journey shall be co-piloted by experienced professionals from both the School of Creative and Cultural Business (CCB) and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group (EIG). Academic staff from CCB will be our tour guide through the theories and models from the tourism sector and will be bringing along their industry connections having experience as part of influential industry bodies such as the VisitAberdeenshire Tourism Forum. Staff from EIG will be your concierge to the world of business startup, bringing their practical experience from being entrepreneurs themselves as well as sharing tools, models and guidance from supporting hundreds of startup teams through courses, training and their annual funded startup accelerator which has seen businesses go on to raise hundreds of thousands of investments, register patents and win national awards.
Assessment
The course shall include an assessment which will be a portfolio of documents and evidence of the development of your business throughout the course.
Academic Support
The Inclusion Centre advises and supports students who disclose a sensory or mobility impairment, chronic medical condition, mental health issue, dyslexia and other specific learning differences. Applicants are encouraged to arrange a pre-entry visit to discuss any concerns and to view the facilities.
Study Skills Support
The Study Support Team provides training and support to all students in:
- Academic writing
- Study skills (note taking, exam techniques, time management, presentation)
- Maths and statistics
- English language
- Information technology support
To qualify for a place on the course you must be living in north east Scotland.
Academic Year 2023/2024
Fee-waiver places
Course participants must be domiciled in Scotland to be eligible for a fee-waiver place.
To be eligible for funding, you generally need to have 'settled status' in Scotland, meaning there are no restrictions on how long you can stay here. For example, this can be from birth or Right to Remain visa.
Eligibility is assessed on application and further evidence may be required.
All other applicants
Applicants who are not eligible for a fee-waiver place can pay to study the course - £350 entire course
Additional Costs
The following course-related costs are not included in the course fees:
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase.
- Costs associated with your placement / study abroad
- Accommodation and living costs
- Printing
Disclaimer
For new intakes course fees are reviewed and published annually for each mode of delivery. Tuition fees are fixed for the duration of a course at the rate confirmed in the offer letter. For further information see:
Any Questions?
Get in touch with the team and we'll do our best to help.