Tourism and Hospitality

In this course, students engage with in-depth industry-specific knowledge in one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world: tourism. Students are introduced to the key tourism service suppliers: transportation, accommodation, food and beverage services, attractions and entertainment, and destinations. Through the use of case studies and associated readings, students examine each service supplier, considering economic, social, cultural, and environmental impacts and present their findings into presentations. Online learning videos will be available for supplementary and required viewing. Individual assignments will include current topics of interest.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

In this course, students become familiarized with developing, marketing, and managing successful multi-day travel and tour products and packages. Through the use of innovative tourism-specific research tools such as EQ Toolkit, students are able to capture the concepts of value-based travel which is authentic, experiential, and transformational in order to develop more insightful tour and travel products. Students are introduced to new, evolving niche areas of travel such as: adventure, sports, culinary, health and wellness, LGBTQ2, craft, screen, and dark tourism. The packaged-travel industry will be examined from the perspective of companies working with domestic and international tour operators, including destinations, hotels, activity operators, and transportation companies. Through a major group project, students will develop a guided, multi-day tour package for a domestic or international market.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

In this course, students are introduced to the fundamentals and unique challenges of services marketing for tourism and hospitality. Topics include an overview of services marketing; understanding the travelling public's decision-making process and how to capture customer value; the role of services marketing in strategic planning; the importance of service quality and standards in delivering the product; identifying demand and capacity to create value; and promotional and sales strategies. Activities in this course will include developing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis, market segmentation identification, product development, integrated marketing communications (IMC) planning, and topical subjects in the area of marketing and sales in tourism. Assessment will include a variety of essay and compare/contrast assignments, as well as in-class discussions that will be informed by current marketing topics of the day.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This projects-based course focuses on the event industry, and fundamental components of planning and executing events. Students explore the planning, marketing, selling, producing and management of any type of event from company social functions to major conventions. To be successful in this course, students must be able to communicate well in writing, in English.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This communication course teaches practical business communication techniques for planning, organizing, selecting, writing, and presenting information in business or industry. It covers routine memos, letters, request and reply letters, and oral presentations. NOTE: Students do not need to submit transcripts for entrance to this course. BUT, in the case of formal or informal grade appeals or reviews they will be asked to show proof of their English requirements. Students scoring below "C+" in English 12 should take COMM 1106 instead of COMM 1103. Students who wish to confirm their English level are strongly advised to take COMM 0015. This course may be eligible for students to receive funding through the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant at www.bcit.ca/financial-aid/strongerbc-future-skills-grant. Students register themselves into the course, then apply for the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant to cover payment, if eligible.
Prerequisite(s):

• English Studies 12 "67%" (C+) or equivalent (ie: COMM 0015 "70+" or IELTS Academic 6.5, etc.)

This course provides an introduction to how to start your own tourism business. Course work will focus on key entrepreneurial skills and the process of starting a company including: how to identify and evaluate a new business idea based on market potential; how to set up a business (incorporation, proprietorship, partnership); what entrepreneurial skills are required; how to research a new business idea; and what is the process of developing a new product or service. Through the examination of case studies, students will assess business start-ups. Students will develop their own marketing plan for a small tourism enterprise.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​For any event – regardless of purpose - creating "buzz" or generating attendance is absolutely vital! You will be introduced to marketing fundamentals such as the 4 P's of marketing, SWOT analysis, event branding, and advertising in order to develop a marketing plan for a simulated event that will positively impact event attendance and / or growth. You will be required to develop a comprehensive event or festival marketing plan.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

This course provides the fundamental skills, tools and processes of professional selling. The focus is on “relationship” and “need-satisfaction” selling in a business-to-business environment. Through experiential exercises, practical applications and discussions students develop, deliver and evaluate a wide range of selling methods and presentations. This course is ideal for people in business who want to enhance their selling skills, people new to a sales role, and salespeople at any level who do not have formal training in the field. To be successful in this course, students must be able to communicate well in English.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

The focus of this course will be to provide the student with e-Marketing techniques and strategies that can help any forward-thinking organization be competitive in today's business environment. Key areas that promise to leverage the power of Internet are: customer relationship management (CRM); 1:1 marketing; permission-based e-mail marketing; viral marketing; attributes of a good Website and Website marketing goals; Website promotion/search engine positioning/ranking, and key Internet technologies/terminologies/acronyms.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​Learn about current social media platforms and how to use them strategically to market your business. With a heavy emphasis on tactical, experiential, hands-on learning, as well as case studies, students will gain experience creating business accounts for several leading social media platforms and how to apply best practices for content creation on each platform.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

​This course provides the opportunity to develop a complete communications plan from the situation analysis to creative solutions. It reviews the role of strategic planning as it applies to media, creative, sales promotion and research, and examines those areas of promotion where each fit in the promotional mix and when would each best be applied.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in MKTG 1102

As large events and special projects are becoming the forefront of modern day production, the role of a producer is complexity of a producer's job is continually changing. From insurance, to understanding labour laws to provincial standards in construction for live events, students will exit the course with the tools required to effectively speak to all areas of production & business affairs around event & special project management. Students who take this class would be interested in live event production, experiential marketing, event management, civic events & festivals, production business affairs, and operations management.
Prerequisite(s):

• 50% in MKTG 1120 or 50% in MKTG 1126

This course explores the fundamentals of marketing research – what it is, how it is used, why it is used, and its role in and importance to the marketing function. Secondary, qualitative, and quantitative research methods and tools will be explored. Particular emphasis will be placed on identifying and locating online sources of secondary data; evaluating and selecting appropriate methods for conducting primary research; the proper design of qualitative and quantitative data gathering tools; conducting effective survey fieldwork; understanding the nature and use of basic quantitative data analyses; and the proper reporting of research findings. Students will be taken through the steps of a major multi-method marketing research project.
Prerequisite(s):

• No prerequisites are required for this course.

Inspiration, intuition and innovation. What is your brand culture? How is it represented and to whom? Brand Innovation and Development examines the critical steps and expertise involved in developing and presenting a successful brand, product, service or experience from concept to delivery. It begins with understanding brand users and how they co-create brand meaning to shape products and systems. Building and maintaining a brand position while managing growth or refreshing a brand to enhance consistency and relevance are also explored.
Prerequisite(s):

• Prior knowledge of branding basics recommended.