There is a specific need I many areas of the economy for high quality graduates at the management level who understand the tourism industry and are able to make use of their knowledge and experience. This management-based diploma programme will prepare students for employment in the public and private sectors, managing, developing and planning tourism resources at a junior to middle management level.

The programme provides students with a broad-based, academically rigorous study of management concepts, theories and techniques as they apply to the international tourism industry, develops transferable managerial skills and equips students with basic research and problem-solving skills to commence an effective career or access post-graduate study. It promotes the application of this knowledge and understanding in the critical analysis of management, tourism and travel issues, in the development and evaluation of solutions to real life problems, which can be transferred into vocational settings.

The learning developed through this programme should enhance employment opportunities and broaden knowledge for those working in a diverse range of organisations including travel agencies, theme parks, visitor centres, hotels, airlines, events and conferences, cultural attractions, consultancies, government departments and many others that interface with tourism. Furthermore, the course develops important transferable skills for the future tourism manager, including decision-making problem solving and communication.

Throughout the course learners have the opportunity to experience both the theoretical and practical aspects of tourism, whilst also developing research and presentation skills. The field work and in-service elements provides an excellent opportunity to study “behind the scenes” at real tourist attractions and organisations, proves an excellent way to exemplify what is studied during lectures.

Therefore, the course aims to achieve a balance between the vocational skills necessary for immediate employment and the more fundamental principles necessary for further study. Graduates will be able to:

  • Integrate managerial, financial and entrepreneurial principles to strategically plan, manage and sustain tourism businesses.
  • Apply the principles of integrated, sustainable planning and development of different types of tourism and leisure destinations and facilities.
  • Display communicative competence by maintaining adequate social relations with speakers of a foreign language.
  • Effectively perform technical and operational tasks in the key sectors of the tourism industry.
  • Demonstrate the effective performance of operational practices in a travel related environment.

Tourism Learning Areas

NATIONAL DIPLOMA : TOURISM MANAGEMENT

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT I
1. Dimensions of Tourism
2. The Tourism Industry
3. Tourism Markets
4. Tourism Supply
5. Geography of Tourism
6. Impacts of Tourism

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT II
1. The nature and scope of tourism planning
2. Tourism development in context
3. Typologies of tourism development
4. Tourism resource assessment
5. Sustainable tourism planning issues and strategies

TOURISM DEVELOPMENT III
1. Tourism Policy
2. Tourism attraction development and management
3. Tourism facility and service development
4. Resource management and tourism
5. Business ethics and tourism businesses
6. Sustainable Tourism development

TRAVEL AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT I
1. General management and administrative function
2. Production/service function
3. Purchasing function
4. Financial function
5. Human resource function
6. Marketing function
7. Public relations function
8. Entrepreneurship

TRAVEL AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT II
1.  Financial Management
2. Entrepreneurship

TRAVEL AND TOURISM MANAGEMENT III
1. Introduction, motivation and economic environment
2. Services Management
3. Project identification
4. Business plan preparation
5. Viability test
6. Services Strategy

TRAVEL AND TOURISM PRACTICE I
1. Destinations (Compulsory)
2. Travel agency operations and procedures or
3. Adventure based tourism or
4. Nature based tourism (Eco-tourism) or
5. Events based tourism or
6. Tourism planning

TRAVEL AND TOURISM PRACTICE II
1. Travel agency operations and procedures II or
2. Adventure based tourism or
3. Nature based tourism (Eco-tourism) or
4. Events based tourism or
5. Tourism planning

TRAVEL AND TOURISM PRACTICE III
1. Adventure based tourism or
2. Nature based tourism (Eco-tourism) or
3. Events based tourism or
4. Tourism planning or
5. Destinations ll

MARKETING FOR TOURISM I
1. Introduction to marketing for tourism
2. Marketing information in SA
3. Market measurement and forecasting
4. The marketing mix

MARKETING FOR TOURISM II
1. Strategic marketing
2. Environmental scanning
3. Competition analysis and strategies
4. Consumer and organisational buying and behaviour
5. The SWOT analysis

LAW FOR TOURISM I
1.  The South African legal system
2. The constitutional order in SA
3. General principles of contract
4. Special types of contract
5. Mercantile law
6. Specific legal aspects of the tourism industry

CULTURAL TOURISM I
1. Agents and processes shaping culture
2. Classifications of culture
3. Agencies for culture retention and promotion
4. Role of culture in tourism
5. The development of cultural mix in South Africa
6. Strategies for development of cultural tourism
7. Managing cultural resources for tourism

MEDIA AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR TOURISM
1. Module one: public relations
2. Module two: media studies
3. Module three: advertising

COMMUNICATION I

Section A: Interpersonal Communication
1. Communication process
2.  Models
3.  Barriers
4.  Perception
5.  Cross-cultural communication
6.  Non-verbal communication
7.  Self-awareness
8.  Listening skills
9.  Conflict resolution in interpersonal relationships

Section B: General Business Writing Skills
1.  Article
2.  Summarising
3.  Correspondence
4.  Short forms of communication
5.  Reports
6.  Notices, agendas and minutes

Section C: Oral Communication 
1.  Group discussion
2.  Individual oral presentation
3.  Formal meetings

END-USER COMPUTING I (MOD 1 and 2)
1. Computer Background Theory

1.1 Computer basics
1.2 Components of a computer system
1.3 Input / output devices
1.4 Concepts of data and datafiles
1.5 Managing data
1.6 Storage devices
1.7 Computer performance issues
1.8 Operating systems, applications and software development
1.9 Licences and security
1.10 Networks
1.11 Internet and the Information Superhighway
1.12 Case studies

2. Practical
Experience of a package in each of the following fields:
2.1  Operating system commands and file management
2.2  Word-processing
2.3  Spreadsheets and graphics
2.4  Record, file and database management programs
2.5  Presentation software

FRENCH I
1. Indefinite articles, a, an, some : un, une, des
2. Definite article, the : le, la, l’, les
3. Contraction of the preposition de (from / of) and the definite articles le, les to give du, des
4. Contraction of the preposition à ( at, to) and the definite articles le, les to give au, aux
5. Partitive article, some: du, de la, de l’, des
6. Adjectives: concord of nouns and adjectives
7. Possessive Adjectives     : mon, ma, mes, etc.
8. Subject pronouns : je, tu, il, elle, on, nous, vous, ils, elles
9. Verbs : être, avoir, aller, faire, voir, prendre, -er verbs, ir verbs, -re verbs
10. Negative : ne.……pas, ne …….jamais plus any necessary changes
11. Adverbs
12. Prepositions
13. Numbers
14. Calendar dates: days of the week, months of the year
15. The time
16. The weather
17. Various themes, which combine, appropriate vocabulary and basic grammar for sentence structure for oral and written expression :
17.1 greetings/farewell/excuses/apologies
17.2 expression of basic emotions/likes and dislikes
17.3 clothes and colours
17.4 accommodation
17.5 town/tourist sights
17.6 food/restaurant ordering
17.7 country/tourist sights
17.8 travel/air/train/coach/car/bicycle
18. Simple idiomatic expressions
19. French cultural background : basic knowledge of map of France, its historical past
20. French Presence in South Africa/in Pietermaritzburg/in KwaZulu-Natal
21. Question and Answer: for oral and written proficiency

GERMAN I
Introduction to the German language

1.1 Pronunciation
Basic grammar
2.1 Functional grammar
2.2 Comprehension
2.3 Vocabulary and spelling
3. Application of language in tourism
4. German cultural background and physical feature of the country

EVENTS MANAGEMENT I
1. Introduction to events
2. The event planning process & procedure
3. Human resources
4. Event sponsorship
5. Risk Management
6. Event marketing and communication
7. Catering management for events