TM9636 - Innovation and Creativity in Tourism, Hospitality and Events

You will have two one hour lectures a week for 12 weeks whereby you will be introduced to the theory behind innovation and creativity in product development and how the consumer has been a driver behind this. You will have an hour’s seminar per week and these will focus on extending your knowledge of innovation development in practice. Some seminars will focus on specific THE product development and operations; case studies may be used, along with team work and knowledge development from the lecture material.

You will be expected to prepare for each seminar and will be directed to material to study each week. You will have a formative (practice) assessment in the early weeks of the semester which will greatly assist you on account of the feedback given, in the final summative assessment.

You will have a team of highly experienced lecturers who have researched and published on THE, innovative products and entrepreneurial activity. You will be supported by the e-learning portal which holds all lecture and seminar material. You will have access to an extensive electronic reading list which will feature a broad range of journals, texts and other relevant publications.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• You will develop knowledge and understanding of how consumer demand shapes product development in THE. (MLO1)

• Critically evaluate the effectiveness of industries (particularly SME’s) in responding to this demand by producing innovative and creative offerings. (MLO2)

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:


Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• Develop and critique skills related to the aligning of market demands with innovative product creation. These will assist you in any career path in THE. (MLO3)

Formative assessment will take place in initial seminars when problem solving tasks will be set and students evaluated as to how effectively they are applying developed theory and knowledge. There will also be a formative assessment task set which will prepare the student well, by a reflective learning experience, for the summative assessment.

The summative assessment will be a 3,000 word report. This will be a fully researched piece on an area of innovative and creative THE development and an evaluation of the feasibility of its implementation in specific markets.

This assessment will address MLO1, MLO2 and MLO3.

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Tourism, hospitality and events are some of the most important industries from a consumer demand and experience perspective. These are vibrant, dynamic industries where quality and delivery of enhanced experiences are fundamental; consumers however are now more knowledgeable, sophisticated and demanding. THE organisations must provide innovative, creative and specialised products to maintain loyal customer behaviour and also attract new customers. This module explores how this is done.

You will explore the development and operation of the following THE products; Health tourism, wedding THE, ski and adventure tourism, nature, rural and farm tourism, volunteer tourism, event innovation, creative attractions, innovation in restaurants, hotels events and destinations. You will evaluate these from a management, marketing, sustainable practice perspective and will draw on the concept of entrepreneurial activity. This will give you skills and knowledge necessary to develop a career in THE and also skills which are transferable to other service industries.