Tourism and Catering BSc Bachelor's
This is for you
if you are open-minded, interested in culture, travelling and learning foreign languages. Ideally, you should also be creative and have good problem-solving and organizational skills.
Short description
Tourism is one of the most culturally interesting and economically important subjects in the world and Budapest is one of Europe’s most vibrant tourism destinations. Consequently, it is the perfect place to study Tourism and to enjoy what the city has to offer.
This Bachelor’s program offers a thorough grounding in business and the most important subjects in Tourism. These include Attractions Management and Experience Design, Catering and Gastronomy, Tourism Destination Management, Hotel Management and Tourism Marketing. In addition, specializations are offered in International Hotel Management and in Health Tourism because Budapest is known as the Spa Capital of the world. Visits are made to hotels and spas and lecturers are invited from industry to deliver courses.
At Budapest Metropolitan University we place emphasis on developing students’ practical and vocational skills as well as their academic ones. Many courses use project-based learning, and we also guide students through the process of building their own Portfolio through our unique myBRAND approach.
Why is this program unique?
- The Tourism Department is small, friendly and supportive
- We take a very practical approach to our teaching, including project-based learning
- Students are taught to be creative and innovative
- We connect our studies closely to the tourism industry in Budapest
"The biggest motivation for me at METU besides the study program are the people around me, who work so hard to achieve their goals and are always seeking something new. This helps me to have a smile on my face and look forward."
- Aya Youssri, From Morocco
Structure of the program
The first year provides a detailed foundation in business and management, including economics, marketing, statistics and law. In addition, students will study subjects related to tourism geography, leisure and tourism marketing.
In the second year, the program focuses more on introducing students to specialist areas of tourism, such as hotel management, catering and gastronomy, attractions management and experience design, destination management and health tourism. Students will also intensify their knowledge of business and management, including finance and accounting.
In the third year, students can choose to specialize in either International Hotel Management or Health Tourism (see below). They also study travel agency management, international negotiation techniques, a language of their choice and a wide range of elective subjects. In the meantime, they have the chance to develop a personal myBRAND portfolio which showcases their skills and achievements.
Recommended Curriculum:
Specialization
- Health Tourism
This specialization focuses on health tourism which is one of the most important industries in Hungary as well as a growth sector in many countries around the world. In Hungary, the focus is mainly on thermal baths and medical spas, but the global health tourism industry also includes wellness spas, hotels and resorts, medical tourism, holistic and spiritual retreats, natural landscapes and health tourism destinations.
Students will learn about what health, healing and wellness mean in different countries including cultural traditions and rituals, as well as the leisure and lifestyle trends that affect demand. They will learn how to develop products and services for a range of segments, from creating individual journeys to couple, family and group experiences. By the end of the specialization, students will know how to plan and manage health tourism destinations and facilities sustainably, how to market them to appropriate market segments and how to create unique and innovative experiences for tourists.
- International Hotel Management
This specialization examines the lodging industry – from its traditional roots to contemporary structures – and addresses the management of hotel operations, including reservation systems, staffing, marketing strategies, and customer relations.
International Hotel Management focuses on all departments and units within a hotel by offering modules that provide knowledge and understanding of establishing, operating and managing hotels. A number of seminars and lectures are held off-site, at various cooperating hotels.
Students are also taught how to use the so-called PMS software program designed for hotels, to ensure that by the time they finish the specialization, they are able to perform various tasks, i.e. individual and group bookings, guest check-ins and check-outs and the handling of invoices and complaints.
The course is supported by reputed hotels and hotel chains such as Mellow Mood Hotels, the French Accor Hotels, Danubius Hotels, Opera Garden Hotel & Apartments, Mirage Medic Hotel, Continental Hotel Group, and Accent Hotels. These hotels also provide work placement for our students.
The teaching staff includes László Csapó, Head of Sales – Accent Hotels; Enikő Bak, Director of Business Development – Danubius Hotels; László Juhász, General Manager – Mirage Medic Hotel; Gábor Fáska, General Manager – Opera Garden Hotel & Apartments.
Specializations are launched only if a minimum of 15 students wish to join the specialization.
Career opportunities
- tour operators
- managers of family businesses
- tourist consultants or advisors
- event organizers
- tourism managers of small municipalities and regions
- managers of local, regional and national tourism
- animators
- managers working for health and wellness spas
- mid- and top-level managers of hotels
- attraction managers
Main topics
- Leisure and Tourism Studies
- Tourism Marketing
- Catering and Gastronomy Studies
- Attractions Management and Experience Design
- Tourism Geography
- Hotel Management
- Tourism Destination Management
- Introduction to Health Tourism
- Travel Agency Management
- Informatics
- Microeconomics
- Social Studies
- Basics of Law
- Business Economics
- Management and Organization
- Finance and Accounting
- Attractions Management and Experience Design
- Introduction to Health Tourism