Lecturer Victoria Wright talks opportunity and job prospects as she discusses courses at the university’s campus near Canary Wharf
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Let’s start with some hard figures.
Tourism is booming. In 2024, 1.4billion people travelled for leisure pursuits – an increase of 11.5% on the previous year.
Early 2025 saw 5% growth year-on-year, according to the United Nations.
In the UK – the seventh most visited country in the world – we welcomed 41.8million visitors in 2024, a 12.2% rise on 2023 and a figure that exceeded pre-pandemic numbers in 2019, according to the Office For National Statistics.
Then there’s hospitality. The Harden’s London Restaurants 2026 guide, published in September, found that while 65 of the 3,000 notable establishments it tracks had closed, 146 new venues had opened – a net increase of 81.
Put in context, that’s the lowest rate of closures for a decade in a single year and a growth rate only exceeded on four other occasions in the guide’s 35 years of data.
Put simply, these two interrelated sectors – despite some significant economic pressures – are fundamentally in rude health.
industries that ‘thrive on experience and innovation’
“These are dynamic and globally connected industries,” said Victoria Wright, lecturer in International Tourism and Hospitality Management at the University Of Sunderland In London (UOSiL).
“They thrive on experience and innovation – what we try to do here is inspire students about the opportunities that are available.”
Having moved to a new campus earlier this year, the university currently offers a foundation course covering tourism and events and BSc and MSc courses, covering tourism and hospitality from its base at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs.
With a background in tourism herself, Victoria is passionate about helping to generate opportunities for its students.
She said: “I studied tourism, first at college and then did a tourism management degree.
“As part of that course, I got experience in the industry and that was a stepping stone that led me into a career with international tour operator Tui.
“Working in the sales reservations department, I was very fortunate to go on fantastic familiarisation trips, so we could get to know the product and experience what we were selling.
“I went to Switzerland, Austria, Colorado and Finland, which was amazing.
“I decided I wanted to support people in learning how exciting the industry can be and the career options that are out there, so I decided to enrol on a teaching degree.
“From there I started lecturing in colleges and then went on to do an MA in tourism and cultural policy.
“I’ve been a lecturer for 15 years, joined the UOSiL in 2021 and have now started a PhD.
“Tourism and hospitality are different in many ways, but they are also similar – they’re both part of the service sector and provide tangible and intangible experiences to customers.”
theory, experience and job opportunities
Rated ninth in the UK for student satisfaction by the Complete University Guide 2025, the department is enthusiastic about delivering theory, experience and, crucially, job opportunities to its tourism and hospitality students.
Victoria said: “We make the programmes that we teach as practical as possible to provide students with the skills necessary to develop their careers. We also support them when it comes to employability.
“Our courses give students knowledge of the various dynamics of the sector and how it’s changed over the years – different types of accommodation and the various roles in hospitality, for example.
“That’s attractive to people with ambition and goals to work in these different areas as they pursue their careers.
“It’s important they get a broad understanding as, while they may want to get to the position of hotel manager, for example, it’s important they know about roles in sales, marketing and operations.”
Students can also expect guidance, trips, networking and visits from industry figures to help enhance their experience.
Victoria said: “We’re based in a very exciting part of London and there are lots of opportunities to connect with the hospitality and tourism industries.
“We offer a variety of courses for people at different stages in their careers and we’re always striving to provide students with experiences they’ll remember and get benefit from for the rest of their lives. It’s about enriching their time with us.
“We take students on hotel visits, residential stays – we’ve just had a group return from Budapest – and trips more locally.
“I’m from Surrey and I think it’s really important they learn what the UK has to offer.
“For example, I’ve taken groups to Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking, Box Hill – an area of outstanding natural beauty – and to Brighton as part of a module in creative tourism because of all of the different cultural offerings there.”
local connections in east London
More locally, the university also engages with the likes of Greenwich Market and London Museum Docklands as well as the hubs around Victoria and Waterloo.
“We’re also very proud to be working with Springboard, a charity that helps students and unemployed people with career opportunities in the hospitality sector,” said Victoria.
“I’m really passionate about making sure the courses we offer have both theoretical and practical elements that result in job opportunities – that’s why this partnership works so well.”
Supported by the likes of Barclays and beverage giant Diageo, Springboard works to promote the industry and provide skills for people looking to embark on a career in hospitality.
“We help people from all kinds of backgrounds by delivering courses, experiences and placements in the industry,” said Arion Tsapis, programme and project manager at Springboard.
“We have a very extensive network of partners across the UK, which allows us to help people get an understanding of the industry and what they can achieve – then we help them get jobs.”
a love of teaching
It’s a sector Arion knows well.
He started his career working in hotels and bars aged 16 in his native Greece.
By 21 he was teaching mixology and bar-tending internationally in locations such as Austria and the Netherlands before heading for “the capital of cocktails”, London.
“What I love most is teaching people about hospitality,” he said.
“I’ve been working with Springboard for a year and a half.
“The industry has seen real growth in recent years – it’s not how it was before the pandemic.
“Employers are offering a lot more training and opportunities.
“They want staff to stay with them as their businesses grow.
“Working behind a bar, for example, is no longer seen as something to do before you get an actual job.
“Now people in those positions can work their way up, even to manager of a big hotel.
“With Springboard, we’ve seen a lot of people who started as waiters are now directors of food and beverage for big companies.
“That’s what draws people to hospitality.
“It’s an industry where you can belong to a family and where, if you put effort in, you’ll be rewarded.
“That’s where degrees come in – they enable people to progress faster in their careers.”
growing partnerships at the University Of Sunderland In London
Victoria added: “We intend to build on and grow our relationship with Springboard because it works for both of us.
“It’s important, so that the students have a sense of accomplishment and they feel a sense of pride in achieving their degree – but it shouldn’t just stop at the graduation ceremony.
“They need to move on to a career that they want.
“As a lecturer, I hear from my students, sometimes years later, and find out about their successes – that’s really what it’s all about for me.
“When that happens I feel very touched – a real sense of pride that I’ve been able to help people on their journey.
“It’s all about caring for the students and helping them to achieve their full potential, to be that teacher that really helps them follow their dreams.
“That’s why our Springboard programmes are offered to alumni as well – the care we have continues beyond graduation.”
key details: University Of Sunderland In London
The University Of Sunderland In London at Harbour Exchange on the Isle Of Dogs offers a range of tourism and hospitality courses.
Full details, including entry requirements can be found on the university’s website.
Read more: Artship to sail to the Isle Of Dogs
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