Adventure Tourism Management
Adventure tourism management is a specialist discipline at the intersection of tourism management and the growing global market for outdoor, active and experiential travel. Adventure tourism encompasses trekking, climbing, kayaking, cycling, wildlife safaris, winter sports, sailing and a wide range of other activities that take participants into natural environments. Managing these experiences requires not just tourism business skills but a genuine understanding of the natural environments in which activities take place, the safety and risk management systems needed to operate responsibly, and the sustainability frameworks that protect those environments for future visitors.
The University of the Highlands and Islands is ideally located for a programme of this kind, situated in one of the UK's most significant adventure tourism landscapes, with access to mountains, coasts, rivers and some of the most remote and spectacular scenery in Europe. This four-year full-time programme develops both the business management competence and the practical environmental understanding needed to work in this sector. The typical entry tariff is around 120 UCAS points.
You will study tourism management principles including marketing, finance, operations and events alongside content specific to adventure and outdoor tourism, including outdoor leadership and safety management, sustainable tourism, environmental management, visitor management in natural environments and the business models of adventure tourism operations. The UHI's unique position in the Highlands and Islands means that case studies, site visits and practical experience with real tourism contexts are integral to your learning.
Graduates of adventure tourism management programmes work for outdoor activity companies, national parks, tourism boards, adventure travel operators, rural tourism businesses, conservation organisations and adventure sports governing bodies. Roles in guiding, operations management, product development, sustainability coordination and destination marketing are all common career paths. Many graduates also work in outdoor education, combining adventure activity skills with educational facilitation.
The growing global market for sustainable and nature-based tourism means that demand for graduates with specialist knowledge in this area continues to strengthen. Postgraduate study in tourism management, outdoor education or environmental management is available for those who wish to develop further expertise.