In the Tourism Impact Lab minor, you will work in a small group on a business case for a multinational, such as TUI, or a start-up. Combining Design Thinking and the Lean start-up method, you will develop and test an impactful product or service, creating positive impact.

Creating impactful solutions, that is the challenge for students within the minor Tourism Impact Lab. The tourism sector is a dynamic sector, constantly dealing with emerging trends and developments. Within the minor, you are invited to transform these challenges into an innovative solution for a tourism organisation/business. Developing and testing a new tourism product/service for your commissioner, creating positive impact.

What is it all about?
For 18 weeks you will work in a small group of students on a business case commissioned by a tourism business or organisation, ranging from a large multinational, such as TUI, to a start-up. Combining Design Thinking and the Lean start-up method, you will develop and test an impactful product or service for your commissioner.

In the first few weeks you will learn more about your commissioner’s business case and the opportunity in the market. In the following weeks you will find out which solution fits best for the potential customer. You will frequently meet with your commissioner to understand the business and to assist in developing a new product/service. You will do ‘growth-hacking’ experiments to test your proposed product/service on real customers. In the final week you will present your findings to the commissioner and your fellow students, followed by suggestions on how to successfully introduce your proposed product or service to the market.

Practical implementation
This minor focusses on a real-life business case from a tourism-related company/organisation. You will apply Design Thinking techniques and the Lean start-up to develop and test a new product/service on real customers. You will work closely together with your commissioner; for many students a perfect start of a career in tourism.

What’s in it for me?
The tourism industry is always on the move. If you have the ambition to work in the tourism industry, the minor offers you the opportunity to work closely together with a tourism organisation on developing impactful solutions. You will be challenged to translate trends and developments into innovative products or services, creating positive impact. Upon completion of this minor, you will have gained experience and a network, kick-starting your career in the tourism sector. Consider jobs such as product developer, product manager, marketing professional or sales professional. Just a few examples, because the possibilities are endless!

Upon completion of this minor, you will be able to:

• Apply a methodological approach of, for example, trend research, socio-cultural impact or a market or competition analysis.
• Present and defend your results in a logical, consistent and convincing manner.
• Reflect on your own actions.
• Work project-based and methodically.
• Demonstrate your critical mind and ability to look at a problem from different perspectives.
• Demonstrate a vision to achieve responsible and sustainable tourism from the People, Planet and Profit (PPP) dimensions.
• Read about and analyse the financial management of a company.
• Use smart (online) communication about new products, services, and destinations.

• Students from Tourism Management, Leisure & Events and Hotel Management
• Propaedeutic certificate obtained

The study material of this minor encompasses all subjects and topics treated so far in the last two or three years at BUas. During this minor all the previous study material will come together. However, new material will also be implemented. We use professional and academic sources as literature. A book that is used:

• Maurya, A. (2012). Running Lean, Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works.

Recommended literature includes:

• Wilson, A., Zeithaml, V., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. (2016). Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm. (3rd European ed.) Maidenhead, UK: McGraw-Hill Education.
• Hanington, B., Martin, B. (2012). Universal Methods of Design.
• Tomitsch, M. et al. (2017). Design. Think. Make. Break. Repeat., A Handbook of Methods.

2x progress tests
Parts 1 and 2 are followed by an assessment of the progress you have made. The progress is assessed with feedback. This feedback is provided in the form of a formative evaluation: your work is provided with solicited and unsolicited feedback throughout the process.

1x final test (30 credits)
Upon completion of the minor, you will hand in: 

• A professional product for the commissioner with your team.
• An individual learning portfolio with various parts of the assignments and your individual process in the group project.

Both the processes of the professional product and the individual learning portfolio are assessed. You receive an individual mark for the final product. Teachers reserve the right to vary in grades within a team.

Marks range from 0 to 10 with a 5.5 being a pass. A mark lower than 5.5 leads to a resit. The resit of the final test takes place in consultation with the commissioner and the team of lecturers.

When a student drops out prematurely, for whatever reason (illness, motivation, etc.), the team process will be dissolved. A new, comparable process will be set up in consultation with the student, team of lecturers and the commissioner. This may occur either individually and/or in a different team.

Competencies
This minor provides you with a range of competencies. You will:  

• Develop a vision on trends in environment, developments, relationships,networks and chains (in international and national environments) in the tourism industry.
• Gain a social and communicative competence.
• Gain a self- managing competence.
• Learn to balance between People, Planet and Profit (PPP).
• Learn to organise, manage and improve business and organisational processes
• Learn about financial and legal aspects, internal processes and business environments to strengthen coherence and interaction.
• Learn to initiate, create and market products and services (both internationally and nationally).

Topics
The overall goal of this minor is to learn how to develop a professional solution for a tourism professional. This encompasses the following topics:

• Business impact development
• Business model innovation
• Connecting to the industry
• Data analytics & visualisation
• Design thinking
• Digital strategy
• Entrepreneurship
• Industry assignment
• Lean canvas
• Learning community
• Personal branding and leadership
• Positive impact
• Socio- economic impact
• Trends and developments

Structure of the minor
This minor is worth 30 credits and it consists of three parts encompassing several masterclasses. Within the whole TIL learning community, you work together in groups of three or four students on an impactful, innovative business case together with representatives of the tourism industry and various lecturers. During the workshops you will work towards a proposition that will be presented to the commissioner of your business case.

The minor is divided into three parts:
In part 1 you will get to know the commissioner and the assignment. You will start with the first part of the research by interviewing the target group to get the problem clear and find the opportunity.

In part 2 you will take the next steps to define the problem and find the solution suitable for you.

In part 3 you will get to know if there is a market fit by doing growth marketing experiments.

Teaching methods
During this minor you will attend masterclasses and workshops. The fundamental theoretical concepts are explained in the book and you are expected to have read and studied these materials in preparation for the workshops.

International context
You work in an international environment and in groups with students from various backgrounds. The topics and cases covered are largely presented from an international perspective.