SPS Stories
Faculty Spotlight
Simon Bradley
Adjunct Instructor
Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality
Bringing Budding Tourism Trends into the Classroom
Fast Facts
- Has lived and worked in several countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America
- Was mostly recently senior VP of marketing strategy and consumer engagement at The Madison Square Garden Company
- Relishes the opportunity to learn alongside his students, since the tourism sector is constantly changing
<p><span class="p-body">Trends in Travel and Tourism is a new core course in MS in Global Hospitality Management and the MS in Travel and Tourism Management. Simon Bradley, the instructor, sat down with us to discuss his background, his hopes for the course, and why a course about timely trends in the field is pertinent to tourism professionals.</span></p>
A Global Professional Finds His Home at NYU SPS
<p><span class="p-body">For the last 25 years, Instructor Bradley's tourism and entertainment career has been global, leading him to live and work in several countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Originally from the UK, he now runs his own NYC-based consultancy, working with travel and tourism clients around the world in the public and private sectors.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Bradley's most recent leadership position was with The Madison Square Garden Company, where he was senior vice-president of Marketing Strategy and Consumer Engagement, leading brands as diverse as the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and the Radio City Rockettes. Before that, he was vice president of marketing at Virgin Atlantic Airways, leading all marketing in North America for five years. Earlier in his career, Bradley also held a number of senior positions at VisitBritain, the organization responsible for marketing Britain for leisure and business travel.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">In addition to being an adjunct professor at New York University, he is a course leader for the Association of National Advertisers and runs many workshops on Brand Activation, Integrated Marketing Planning and Execution, and Brand Management. We're grateful to have Professor Bradley and his international expertise on our faculty at NYU SPS.</span></p>
Preparing for an Ever-changing World
<p><span class="p-body">Especially after a global pandemic, the tourism industry is constantly changing and evolving. "Travel and tourism is a fascinating, fun industry, and I love it!" says Bradley. To meet the demands of this fast-paced industry, he has designed this course "to help students understand the big trends that are influencing the way that the industry is developing right now," Bradley shares.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Students can expect every semester to be different as the program strives to stay on top of the latest hospitality trends. The course covers destinations, airlines, cruises, attractions, and technology. It even covers space tourism!</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">In his years of experience in the field, Bradley has worked with many rising stars in the travel and tourism industry. For him, adaptability and foresight are key.</span></p>
The first rule of any business should be to understand your customers—today and in the future. The trends we cover in my course are not abstract concepts but fundamental shifts that are happening now – like sustainability, diversity and inclusion, the growth in experiences, wellness, new tech, and the sharing economy. I would argue that everyone working in travel and tourism needs to have a handle on these and other trends to be successful in the future."
Reciprocal Learning
<p><span class="p-body">Students bring a high level of passion and enthusiasm to Bradley's courses, which fuels his motivation to continue bringing real-world industry expertise to the classroom. "I feel like I'm at a point in my career now where I have accumulated a lot of experience and insight and so it's fantastic for me to have the opportunity to share that. I hope that my students leave this course with a deeper understanding of the trends that will impact their careers," he shares.</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Bradley emphasizes that in an industry that can change dramatically in an instant, one of the things he enjoys is the opportunity to learn alongside his students. He says, "One of the things I love about it is that no two semesters are the same; I get the opportunity to learn about the latest trends as well while also extending my own international perspective by working with my students, who come from all over the world!"</span></p>
<p><span class="p-body">Are you ready to have a hand in shaping the future of tourism and hospitality? Explore an <a href="/content/sps-nyu/explore/degrees-and-programs/ms-in-travel-and-tourism-management.html" title="MS in Travel and Tourism Management">MS in Travel and Tourism Management</a> today.</span></p>
