Tourism and Leisure Management

In this (upper) intermediate level English-language course we explore a variety of topics related to the professional sector of tourism and leisure. We dive into English business and tourism vocabulary, figure out how to promote yourself when applying for a job and discover tourism and cultures in the USA. In this context we sharpen your language skills by consolidating your fundamental English grammar and refining your language use.

In this course, you will explore, reflect on, and strengthen your intercultural competence. Through a combination of exercises, discussions, site visits, and, most importantly, direct encounters with the super-diverse communities across different Brussels neighborhoods, you will heighten your cultural awareness and sensitivity. Strong language skills and an open, intercultural mindset are essential. You will learn to recognize and appreciate the crucial role of intercultural skills in the tourism sector.

In this project-based course, you bring your ideas on regenerative tourism and recreation to life. You combine research, analysis, future-oriented thinking and creativity with hands-on product design and project management. With the support of lectures, workshops, digital guidelines and continuous feedback, you develop a complex challenge into a concrete, professional and future-proof product.

How does tourism shape a city—and how does a city shape tourism? This course invites you to dive into urban life through the lens of tourism and leisure. Through an engaging mix of (guest) lectures and excursions, you will explore what ‘urban’, ‘urban tourism’ and ‘urban leisure’ truly mean, while uncovering the latest trends. 

The city itself becomes your classroom: Brussels serves as our main living lab, with occasional insights from other metropolitan contexts. You will gain a deep understanding of urban change, enriched by your own observations, experiences, and conversations with lecturers, experts, and fellow students—equipping you with a fresh perspective on the dynamic relationship between cities and tourism.

The aim of the "Survival Dutch" course is to master the basics of the Dutch language, both written and spoken. Starting from everyday situations, you will learn the necessary grammar and vocabulary in order to function in a Dutch speaking environment.

We strongly recommend incoming students to participate in the Survival Dutch course, organized prior to the start of the semester.

Gatherings have been an integral part of human life since the earliest recorded history. Today, the MICE — or business events industry, commonly referred to as the ‘meetings industry,’ accounts for a significant share of both domestic and international tourism in many destinations. Economically, it is a key pillar of tourism, generating added value through continuous employment and independence from seasonal fluctuations. Socially, it supports numerous small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, including PCOs and DMCs. 

This course offers an introduction to the sector and its stakeholders, with a focus on both the national context—particularly Brussels and Belgium—and the international landscape.

In this course, you will further develop all five key language skills—reading, listening, writing, speaking, and oral interaction—within the exciting context of tourism and recreation. You will build a solid foundation through essential vocabulary, both general and sector-specific, alongside basic grammar, equipping you to communicate confidently in real-world tourism and leisure settings. 

A basic knowledge of French is required to take this course.

In this course, you will dive into the exciting world of event management, exploring both large and small (inter)national tourism and leisure events. You won’t just study events—you will create one yourself! After a series of introductory lessons and hands-on event explorations, you will work in a team to design, plan, and bring your own event to life. This is your chance to experience the full thrill of event management, from concept to real-world execution.

The course ‘Human Resources Management in the Hospitality Industry’ aims at introducing the students to the HR function in a hotel. Moreover this last year’s Bachelor course focusses on taking up leadership and supervision in their future managerial jobs.

Apart from the administrative aspects of the HRM cycle (selecting, recruiting, training, rewarding and promoting staff until the exit management), the attention goes to the soft skills students should develop in order to manage their own career as well as the career of colleagues. Practical examples and testimonies from professionals are shared and exercises for the students are woven all through the course.

The HRM course teaches how to motivate a multicultural workforce in a fascinating business with all nowadays challenges linked to it.

Evaluation: 100% written evaluation

[Course from Hotel Management programme]

In the Digital Content course, you'll learn what opportunities there are to manage and create content for online media. We look at the whole picture of Content Management: from planning over creation to the analysis of the results. Moreover, we cover the whole range of possible content types: text, image, audio and video, with the necessary tools to do so. 

Evaluation: 100% portfolio

[Course from Communication Management programme]

All humans have a capacity for foresight. We think ahead and anticipate, shaping our futures as well as our present in doing so. This course will introduce futures oriented thinking and research. It develops foresight competencies and sets occasions to practice skills for long term and strategic orientation under conditions of uncertainty and complexity.

We will take account of the historical and theoretical starting points of futures oriented disciplines to provide insight in the basic assumptions underlying systematic and rigorous futures work. We will look at cases of how individuals, groups, organisations, companies, and policy makers conduct forward-looking activities. We will see a selection of methods, tools and techniques that futurists use to assist individuals and groups of all kinds to anticipate the future.

This course will look at possible, probable, plausible and preferable futures and cover the six pillars of futures studies (mapping, anticipating, timing, deepening, creating and transforming the future). We will learn to use an understanding of demographic, social, technological, environmental, economic, political and other (global) forces of change in relevant strategic foresight.

This is a multi-disciplinary course that covers both theoretical foundations and practical applications. It introduces quantitative and qualitative research methods, including different forms of environmental scanning, alternative futures analysis, causal layered analysis, scenario building, visioning, experiential futures, design fiction and retro casting. Students will gain insight in how images of the future are shaped and used, develop hands-on experience with their own foresight projects and hone their observational, analytical, critical and creative skills.

Evaluation: 40% Workpiece + 60% Oral Examination (Indicative, to be confirmed)

[Course from Idea & Innovation Management programme - places are limited]

• General introduction and historical overview of the themes ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Circular Economy’.
• Sustainability policy and the translation to climate change and circular economy policies.
• A circular business approach illustrated through a number of innovations.
• Practical approach and tools for sustainable business and circular economy activities:
  • Business model innovation – tools for closing and narrowing loops.
  • Product innovation level – Eco-design and Circular product design – strategies and methods.
  • Supply chain innovation and networks – closing loops.
  • Consumer behaviour adaptation – narrowing loops.
• Sectoral cases (e.g. food sector, textile sector, building sector, chemical sector, etc.).
• Discussion on the positive (societal) impact of the circular economy.

This study unit combines classes, workshops, and working on a real case. A practical case will guide the entire class, in recent years Godiva Chocolates, Delhaize retail stores, and Peritus Brands, have been utilized. The course is organised as follows:

• 7 theoretical lessons,
• 1 practical case,
• 2 fun Design Thinking related field events:
  • 2 days at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, the Netherlands;
  • 2 day of FabLab training, to make your own prototypes.

You are taught the design thinking process, and how you arrive at the creation of prototypes from understanding and observing a problem. In essence, the following flow will guide you through the course:

• The Design Thinking Process: What is Design Thinking & how does the process run?
• Empathise: Understand & Observe design research through different methods and techniques of user and customer research.
• Prototyping: An introduction into definition and application.
• Testing & Evaluating: Monitoring progress & Ideation.
• Translation of collected data into a business model.

Evaluation: 30% Workpiece + 70% Oral Examination (Indicative, to be confirmed)

[Course from Idea & Innovation Management programme - places are limited]

Students gain knowledge and an understanding of the complexities of social and spatial justice through lectures, external activities and working lectures. This promotes their global citizenship and critical attitude towards social issues. In doing so, they explore themes from a rather theoretical point of view.

The course component focuses on developing transdisciplinary skills through hands-on activities and external visits or workshops. Students learn the added value of interdisciplinarity and how to collaborate on innovative solutions from different disciplines. They also explore the concept of transdisciplinarity and how it can be translated research-wise. Therefore it includes strengthening the research competences of (international) students from an interdisciplinary point of view.

Students gain practical experience through workplace learning and integrate together with fellow students their ‘transdisciplinary’ research in practice, supported by coaching and working lectures. This fosters their entrepreneurial spirit and ability to work in diverse teams and develop innovative solutions.