BA (Hons) Hospitality and Tourism Management

Hospitality is everywhere

Management of hotel and tourism businesses is a very interesting profession that combines communication, people management and technology, offers great variety and rotation and, mainly, excellent career prospects in a rapidly growing sector. At the same time, the tourism industry is at the cutting edge of technology and innovation, utilises talented persons, rewards creativity and has a global horizon.

The Hospitality & Tourism Management department at BCA combines comprehensive academic education and practical training conducted by prestigious academics and renowned professionals of the largest Greek and multinational companies. The students’ educational experience is enriched with many projects, presentations of assignments, simulations of practical functions within the College, practical exercises in five-star hotel establishments, as well as seminars, workshops and webinars, so that students will be full-fledged professionals already upon graduation, ready to assume any position of responsibility in Greece or abroad.

The BCA City Campus is home to a 5-star boutique hotel, unique in Greece, that has been created so that students can combine theoretical education and practical training at the same time, in the same place. BCA attaches great importance to training on the “battlefield” and supports in practice the view that efficient managers are those who know first-hand the character, requirements and prospects of each department they manage. This is why students often practice on work “scenarios” that simulate the conditions they will encounter in a hotel in real life. For the benefit of its students, BCA has established partnerships with companies that offer know-how and training across all sectors that a hotel management executive may be required to manage, from the advanced software programmes used in Front Office & Reservations, to the coffee ritual and the secrets of the work of a Barista Specialist.

The completion of the studies leads to the award of a Bachelor’s degree from our UK partner University of West London or from the Swiss-based higher education institutes Glion and Les Roches. Holders of a BA Hospitality & Tourism Management degree from the University of West London enjoy a competitive advantage on the international labour market, according to the Employment Performance Indicators (EPI) issued by the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in 2018: six months after obtaining their degree, 98% of UWL graduates are either working or are continuing with postgraduate studies.

Moreover, BCA offers students a direct link to the job market through an active network of professional contacts and mutual support of graduates and students, which is particularly useful for their professional development.

Programme Characteristics

1. The professors of the department are prestigious personalities in their field, with a rich portfolio of publications in the international scientific community, long experience and excellent relations with the job market. 
2. Practical training (internship) is paid and can take place during the summer in 5-star hotel establishments that cooperate directly with BCA: Four Seasons, Intercontinental, Hilton, Marriott, Grand Hyatt, Radisson Blu, Wyndham, Nikki Beach, Grecotel, Aldemar, Ikos – Sani Resorts etc.  This means that studies are directly related to the market and students can map their future professional field, which helps them make better choices. Over 80% of our graduates have been recruited and work in the above hotel Groups in Greece and abroad. 
3. During the first two years (Foundation, Certificate), lessons are offered in both languages (English-Greek) and students have the opportunity to attend classes in their preferred language, while during the last two years (Intermediate, Honours), lessons are conducted exclusively in English. Furthermore, the curriculum offers the possibility of perfecting the English language and/or learning other languages, the knowledge of which constitutes a required qualification in a globalised environment, since they facilitate communication and entering into agreements. 
4. Each department consists of 14 people on average. 

Dr Christina Konstantinidou holds a DBA degree in Business Administration from Nottingham Trent University. She received an MBA with Distinction in Business Administration from Kingston University and an MA in Adult Education from the Hellenic Open University.

Furthermore, she holds a BA Honours First Class in Business Management from Kingston University and a BH Honours First Class in Humanities in European Culture with a full scholarship from the Hellenic Open University.

She has extended work experience in the hospitality industry. For 23 years, she has worked as the General Manager of Porto Hydra Hotel (a 4-Star, 300 rooms hotel) with numerous awards and global distinctions. She also worked for 3 years as the General Manager of “Time Share Hellas SA” and contributed to the promotion of alternative tourism products/services. For 21 consecutive years, she was a member of the Board of Directors of Akti Plepi S.A., which contributed significantly to the advancement of the tourist destination of the prefecture of Argolida. For 8 years she was the Managing Director of the company “Diachiristiki S.A.”.

Since 2017 she has worked for BCA College as a member of its academic faculty. In 2018 she took over the Management of the Hospitality & Tourism Management department of BCA, while in 2019, she took over the General Management of BCA College.