Tourism Skills for Growth: Developing an Evidence Base for the United Kingdom

About the Project

Surrey Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM) invites applications for a studentship within its PhD programme in Hospitality, Tourism, Transport and Events. Open to both UK and international applicants, the studentship will provide a full fee waiver for 36 months.

The studentship is part of a collaborative research project with the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), focused on strengthening the evidence base concerning skills needs, workforce development and growth dynamics within the UK tourism industry. The project responds to the need for more robust and policy-relevant knowledge about the conditions shaping tourism employment, skills formation and sectoral development.

The successful candidate will undertake original doctoral research addressing key questions related to areas such as labour market demand, skills gaps, recruitment and retention, workforce capabilities, productivity, and the relationship between skills systems and industry growth. The project may also consider regional variation, sub-sectoral differences, and the implications of changing economic, technological and policy contexts for tourism employment and skills strategies. The precise research design will be developed in consultation with the supervisory team and the DCMS, enabling the candidate to define a focused and intellectually rigorous study within this broad theme.

The collaboration with DCMS will provide a distinctive foundation for the project. DCMS has committed to supporting the development of the research through access to relevant data, engagement with policy perspectives, and connections to key stakeholders across the tourism sector. The partnership will also create strong opportunities for dissemination and impact, enabling the research to contribute not only to academic scholarship, but also to ongoing policy and industry debates concerning the future development of the UK tourism economy.

Supervisors: Professor Emily (Jintao) Ma, Dr Shi (Tracy) Xu and Dr James Kennell

Entry requirements

Open to any UK or international candidates. Starting in October 2026. Later start dates may be possible, please contact Professor Emily (Jintao) Ma once the deadline passes.

You will need to meet the minimum entry requirements for our PhD programme.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted via the Hospitality, Tourism, Transport and Events PhD programme page. In place of research proposal you should upload a document which:

• Demonstrates your understanding of the need for this research project and the potential impacts it could have;
• Includes a brief literature review on topics you consider relevant for this research;
• Gives an overview of how your previous study, experience, skills and research training make you a strong candidate for this studentship.

We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisory team for an informal discussion about the project, before submitting your application.

Funding Notes

Partially and directly funded for this project only by Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences.

Fee waiver covering home or international fees for 36 months. Please note that this offer does not include a monthly stipend, visa or accommodation fees.