PhD Tourism, Hospitality and Events

Our research at the Edge Hotel School is interdisciplinary, encompassing tourism, hospitality, and events. Our staff expertise is clustered around three key areas and we welcome PhD students in these or related topics.

Tourism is defined as a social, cultural and economic phenomenon which entails the movement of people to countries or places outside their usual environment for personal or business/professional purposes and as the economic characterisation of tourism that includes spending by visitors on accommodation, food and beverage services, transportation, touring, travel agencies, recreation, entertainment, sports, events, and shopping.

Areas of study may embrace a broad range of sectors and disciplines, including economics, marketing, human resources, management, sociology, psychology, and geography.

Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Building a more environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable tourism, hospitality, and events sector, that includes sub-sector studies (e.g., nature-based destinations, culturally sustainable tourism, sustainable destinations, cultural heritage tourism)
• Social and cultural issues in tourism, hospitality, and events, including equality, diversity, and inclusion (e.g., dark tourism, cultural encounters and racialised scenarios, food and culinary studies)
• Technology in tourism, hospitality, and events, including artificial intelligence, data, the use of smart technology to improve and innovate visitor experiences and address employment challenges (e.g., deepfakes, innovations in visitor experiences at Wivenhoe House Hotel)

The Edge Hotel School was the first hotel school in the UK to have a fully operational luxury hotel on its campus. This important connection with Wivenhoe House Hotel,, as well as our extensive partner network with tourism, hospitality and events companies across the UK and internationally makes doing research with us a highly beneficial experience.

Our expert staff

At the Edge Hotel School, you benefit from world-class supervision and research training conducted by our senior academic staff.

Dr Linda Lee is the Director of Postgraduate Research at the Edge Hotel School. She oversees and leads the provision of our graduate research programmes and ensures that we create an environment where our doctoral students can flourish as researchers in a thriving and mutually supportive PhD community.

Linda has been a Senior Lecturer in the department since 2023. Her research focuses on both tourism marketing, and the intersection of marketing and technology. with a focus on AI and deepfakes. She has over 20 years of experience within the tourism and marketing industry, including as Director of Marketing for Destination British Columbia and leading the tourism planning development for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Alongside Linda, our other research academics in the department have experience spanning various aspects of the industry, with expertise in a range of disciplines.

You work with two or three supervisors during your studies. They provide guidance and support to help you achieve your individual research goals, develop your research topic and create a personalised training plan. You meet with your supervisors at least once a month and are usually required to submit work before for feedback. Twice a year, you have a supervisory board meeting to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.

As well as supporting you to complete your thesis, your supervisors can help you to plan your career development. Our academics often co-author publications with doctoral students and can help you to develop the transferable skills needed for the jobs market.

Take a look at our staff pages to find out more about our areas of supervision.

Specialist facilities

As the first university in the UK to have a fully operational luxury hotel on campus, you will have access to the working business, as well as our hospitality, events and tourism partners from across the UK. You will also have access to general postgraduate training workshops facilitated by Proficio, that also includes modules from the Essex Business School

There will be seminars facilitated by the Director of Research and other appropriately qualified, invited facilitators and one-on-one supervision. The programme will offer information and training on discipline-specific topics as well as providing students with the opportunity to present their work in-progress. The seminars will also help to foster the building of a postgraduate research community in the School. Seminar topics will encourage students to think beyond their own research areas, engaging in a wider and more holistic learning experience.

You will also be invited to the many networking events hosted by the department, such as our Annual Students Conference in London, which sees leaders of the industry interact with our students. The university provides 24-hour access to the library and many other study and research spaces. There and study spaces reserved for Postgraduate students, including in the Essex Business School, the first zero carbon business school building.

UK entry requirements

Applicants are expected to have achieved a minimum 2:1 at undergraduate level (or international equivalent). Applicants will also be required to have completed a postgraduate degree in Tourism, Hospitality or Events or a related subject or have appropriate professional experience.

Applicants who do not hold a relevant postgraduate degree or who have taken a non-traditional education path, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

A well developed research proposal is also essential.

You will be required to attend an interview/video interview prior to us making an offer.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum component score of 5.5

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Additional Notes

The University uses academic selection criteria to determine an applicant’s ability to successfully complete a course at the University of Essex. Where appropriate, we may ask for specific information relating to previous modules studied or work experience.

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Assessment

You begin your studies by meeting with your supervisors and undertaking an intensive induction programme. You attend advanced research methods training and undertake compulsory modules tailored to your individual research needs.

Throughout your PhD, you have regular meetings with your supervisors. You are often asked to write up your ideas or reading notes to help establish good writing practices. By the end of your first year of research (or second year for the part-time variant), you should have a solid understanding of the key debates in your field and have defined your research questions, outlining your original contribution to knowledge.

Continuing with your studies, you are likely to finalise the design of your own research project and either collect primary data, or access and analyse large scale datasets. You may also make progress on your second research paper. You receive regular feedback on your ideas and findings from your supervisors and are encouraged to develop your own research ideas independently during this year. If you are undertaking fieldwork in another location, your supervisors will still be in touch via email or video call.

You may attend a number of conferences to test out your research findings and thesis on an international stage. Your attendance may be funded by the Edge Hotel School. As well as advising on how to prepare your thesis for examination, your supervisors can advise on future career plans in academia or industry.

Dissertation

Creating a 60 - 80,000 word thesis is a significant task. To help you finalise your PhD and produce high quality doctoral research, we have a number of support mechanisms.

You undertake a progress board every six months, where you, your supervisors and an independent chair mark your progress and set objectives for the next period. You are also encouraged to take part in peer group debates and discussions.

Our full-time doctorates are 36 month programmes, and 72 months for part-time. At the end of this time, you may be allowed up to 12 months to finish writing up your PhD.

Once you have submitted your thesis, you will be asked to attend a Viva Voce examination with examiners from within and outside of the University. A viva voce examination usually takes place within three months of submission of thesis.