Do you embrace upcoming technologies to find new ways of connecting with both new and existing customers within tourism? In the Digital Marketing in Tourism minor, you will work on the skills, strategies and mindset required to operate as a digital expert in a turbulent industry.

Do you embrace upcoming and developing technologies to find new ways of being in touch with (new) customers within tourism? In this minor you will work on the skills, strategies and mindset required to operate as a digital expert in a turbulent and fast-changing industry. The tourism sector is in urgent need of digital marketing professionals who can apply and manage state-of-the-art digital tools from both a practical and a strategic perspective.

What is it all about?
The tourism industry has experienced a high degree of turbulence in the past decade and is currently facing its biggest challenge yet to engage their travellers and to find new customers. In this fast-changing world, digital marketing, technological developments, the impact of AI, and new disruptive companies have changed the roles and functions of traditional tourism actors. In this minor you will learn how to recognise these changes and apply agile, market-oriented, and digitally savvy opportunities.

State-of-the-art cases and experts from the working field
In close cooperation with a wide variety of experts from the digital marketing field like professionals in social media, AI, conversion, UX, and analytics, you learn the skills, strategies and mindset required to operate as a digital expert in the tourism industry. You gain hands-on experience with online strategy, website development and digital marketing channels such as advertising, email marketing, affiliate marketing, social media, and influencer marketing. You learn about social media research, digital analytics, usability, and conversion rate optimisation. Furthermore, we explore the latest technological and AI trends and developments and conceptualise how they affect businesses, organisations, and their customers.

What’s in it for me?
A lot of attention has already been paid in your studies to creating and managing experiences to engage customers in leisure, tourism, or hospitality. In this minor you will learn how to market them in this digital world!

Upon completion of this minor, you can bridge the gap between marketing communication and technology; a vital skill in today’s tourism industry!

At the end of this minor, you will have developed a professional view on commercial and digital marketing perspectives in the tourism field:

• you know the basics of data and how to visualise them.
• you can develop a substantiated digital marketing campaign.
• you can apply the most important principles of scrum & agile.
• you know online strategies: goals, KPI’s, and related actions.
• you can maintain and optimise a website using usability and conversion rate optimisation principles.
• you have general knowledge of social media-/data research techniques and the ethics involved.
• you can track digital analytics and provide advice based on the insights gained from it.
• you can conceptualise the effect of the latest technological trends and developments on (tourism) businesses and organisations, and their customers.
• you have expanded your professional network through our expert guests from the professional field.
• you have developed an inquisitive mindset towards life-long learning in the field of digital marketing.

Propaedeutic certificate obtained

We use many online professional and some academic sources.

The main book that is used:
Visser, M., B. Sikkenga, & M. Berry (2021). Digital Marketing Fundamentals (2nd ed.)

• Business Intelligence (4 credits for group and individual assignment)
• Social Media Research (4 credits for group and individual assignment)
• Digital Marketing Project (8 credits for group report and 8 credits for individual oral exam)
• Digital Trends (6 credits, group, pair and individual assignments)

Competencies
See module handbooks

Topics

• Website development
• Online strategy, data analytics and business intelligence
• SEO, online advertising and affiliate marketing
• Content, visual communication and persuasion techniques
• Usability, conversion rate optimisation
• Social media and influencer marketing
• Email marketing and real -time marketing
• Technological trends and developments (artificial intelligence, chatbots, VR/AR, games in tourism, wearables)
• Podcast recording
• Creating a chatbot
• SCRUM
• Connecting to the industry

Structure of the minor
You attend two modules consisting of 4 credits (6 weeks) on Business Intelligence and Social Media Research in the first six weeks. The rest of the minor (12 weeks) consists of a digital marketing project in which you work in a team to develop your own website and marketing communication tools. You receive continuous feedback and feedforward on the deliverables and progress. During the 18 weeks you attend the Digital Trends module

Teaching methods
The teaching methods vary per module: SCRUM project, workshops, (guest) lectures, flipped classroom, and independent study

International context
You work in an international environment and in groups with students from various backgrounds. Part of the teaching staff is non-Dutch and has extensive international experience in the tourism context. The topics and cases covered are largely presented from an international perspective.

Costs
A field trip, visiting, for instance, an (international) trade fair is planned. In 2024 we all went to Sevilla. Depending on the destination and duration, the costs may vary around 300 euros.